Seabourn Offers New Details on Thomas Keller Restaurant, Mixology Partner

the grill by thomas kellerSeabourn has released a series of new dining and drink updates, including a closer look at The Grill by Thomas Keller, which will debut this May onboard Seabourn Quest, as well as a new partnership with mixologist Brian Van Flandern.

When it opens The Grill will be Seabourn's newest signature fine-dining restaurant, serving a menu inspired by the classic American chophouse. After debuting on Seabourn Quest, the collaboration between three-star Michelin chef Thomas Keller and designer Adam D. Tihany will expand to Seabourn's newest ship, Seabourn Encore, which is scheduled to launch this December. Seabourn Sojourn and Seabourn Odyssey will also get the restaurant during regularly scheduled drydock periods, and Seabourn Ovation will begin offering it in spring 2018. The Grill will occupy the space that formerly housed Restaurant 2 onboard the current fleet. 

On Odyssey-class ships, the interiors by Tihany will feature curvilinear lines throughout, including lush leather banquettes and tan leather swivel chairs that line the dining room; ceilings of curved wood coffers that reference design details of a luxury yacht; and metal mesh panels topped with elegant emerald marble at the face of the bar. 

The chef behind The French Laundry in Yountville, California, and Per Se in New York City, Chef Thomas Keller's partnership with Seabourn began in 2015. Guests of The Grill by Thomas Keller will be able to sample a menu that includes table-side preparations of Caesar salad and ice cream sundaes, as well as a range of other steakhouse favorites like Lobster Thermidor and creamed spinach, presented a la carte.

The Grill by Thomas Keller will be open for dinner daily on all Seabourn vessels, and guests will have the opportunity to secure reservations online in advance of their cruise beginning in April 2016 for May sailings on Seabourn Quest. In keeping with Seabourn's all-inclusive rates, there is no additional charge to dine at The Grill.

brian van flandernNew Mixology Partnership With Brian Van Flandern

In beverage news, the line has also inked a new partnership with mixologist Brian Van Flandern that will result in upgraded bar offerings and cocktail menus across the Seabourn fleet. Van Flandern has introduced new bar ingredients available onboard, educated and trained Seabourn's bar staff, and created a menu of cocktails exclusive to the line. 

Van Flandern will use fresh produce, botanicals and flavor profiling to create a unique list of hand crafted cocktails that takes advantage of the local markets that Seabourn ships visit. Additionally, he will work with Seabourn's bar team to standardize the classics to provide guests with the same perfectly balanced and served cocktail throughout their cruise.

Van Flandern has been named by the Food Network as "America's Top Mixologist." In 2004, he was part of the opening team for Thomas Keller's restaurant Per Se in New York City as head barman. Not long after being ranked number two mixologist in the world at the Bois Mix Masters Championship and winning the United States Bartenders Guild Iron Bar Chef Competition, Van Flandern founded a New York-based cocktail consultancy to design cocktail lists and train bartenders. He has made appearances on The Barefoot Contessa, Bar Rescue, Diary of a Foodie, and other culinary focused television programs.

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