Brown Hotel turns 100, brings back two dining classics: High tea and the chef’s table

Any grande dame who reaches the ripe old age of 100 deserves to celebrate with flair, especially one with as colorful, exciting, and yes, naughty, a past as Louisville’s Brown Hotel.

Opened in 1923 by millionaire lumberman and capitalist J. Graham Brown at a cost of $4 million, the hotel quickly became Louisville’s business and social center. Politicians, celebrities, royalty, and captains of industry gave it both its history and its cachet.

British Prime Minister David Lloyd George was the Brown’s first guest, and those who came after him were equally high profile. In 1926 Queen Marie of Romania paid a visit and was entertained in the Crystal Ballroom, complete with red carpet and gold throne on a dais.

Even those whose behavior was not quite so regal misbehaved with flair. Singer Al Jolson, on tour at the nearby Brown Theater, engaged in a round of fisticuffs in the oh-so-proper English Grill. Far from being ashamed of his boorish behavior, Jolson confidently assured fans that makeup would cover the resulting shiner.

The Brown Hotel’s greatest fame during those early years came not from a star, but from a sandwich. The hotel’s famed dinner-dance drew a thousand guests each evening who, when the music ended in the wee hours of the morning, would retire to the restaurant for a bite to eat.

Deciding that ham and eggs would not do for such a glamorous crowd, then chef Fred Schmidt created an open-faced turkey sandwich with bacon, pimentos, and a delicate Mornay sauce. The Hot Brown was born.

The signature dish never left the hotel’s menus, but during the COVID-19 pandemic, two other institutions did – their afternoon tea and the popular Chef’s Table dinners. In honor of the Brown’s centennial, both have been brought back.

Afternoon Lobby Tea

Every great hotel should have a great afternoon tea — at least in my opinion. There’s just something so civilized about sitting down to a refreshing cup of your favorite tea and assorted goodies.

Beginning Nov. 19, the Brown’s Lobby Bar will be the sophisticated setting for a formal tea every Sunday at 2 p.m. Tables will be set with the hotel’s best china; servers will be wearing their most fashionable duds and contemporary/classical music will provide a soothing background.

Unlike its counterparts at the Ritz Hotel in London, the Plaza in New York, and the Palace in San Francisco — all renowned for their afternoon teas — the Brown’s tea will have a twist: High tea Kentucky style.

Oh, there will be the usual selection of teas — six from which to choose — English Breakfast; Raspberry Royale (a black tea); Orange Pekoe (an orange tea from India), and two caffeine-free teas (Egyptian Chamomile and Peppermint), and my favorite, the cinnamon and spice tea, which the Brown’s food and beverage director Michael Strickland calls “autumn in a cup.”

Sounds like a typical tea, right? It’s when the three-tiered tea caddy arrives that you will be in for some surprises as it will showcase some of the delicacies of the Bluegrass State.

The usual cucumber sandwiches will be replaced by Benedictine; instead of tuna or egg salad, they will offer pimento cheese and pepper jelly sandwiches and country ham sandwiches, and what’s a Kentucky-themed tea at the Brown Hotel without mini-Hot Browns and bourbon balls?

Most afternoon veterans know that a glass of champagne is a good chaser for the tea — at an additional cost, of course. But Strickland says that, in addition to champagne and prosecco, they will also have a bourbon cart.

“We will start out offering a Michter’s rye ($15), a Bulleit 10-year-old bourbon ($16) and an Old Forester signature bourbon ($16) — all of which will be served neat or on the rocks,” says Strickland, who adds that they will change the bourbons throughout the year.

Cost of the afternoon tea (without the alcohol) is $40.

The Chef’s Table

Before it had to be discontinued due to the pandemic, the Chef’s Table in the English Grill was a favorite of hotel guests and locals alike, who loved both the intimacy of dining in the restaurant’s kitchen and interacting with the chef before each course.

Now, they will have their chance again as executive chef Dustin Willett and chef de cuisine Justin Jones host groups of four to 10 at a table set up right in the middle of the action.

I had a chance to sample what will be in store for diners at a small media preview dinner with Jones doing the honors.

A classic Old-Fashioned cocktail preceded the five-course meal paired with a selection of wines. The first course was a Grilled Caesar Salad with brioche crouton crumb, grated parmesan cheese and house Caesar dressing, paired with a La Marca Prosecco.

The second course, Bourbon Shrimp with white cheddar Wiesenberger grits and scallion crudite, worked well with a 2021 Robert Mondavi chardonnay.

A Justin sauvignon blanc complemented the flavors of the third course dish – pan-seared yellowfin tuna with sesame stir-fry vegetables, miso whipped potatoes, soy lime infusion and red pepper crudo.

For the fourth course, Jones presented a center cut filet mignon with truffle whipped potatoes, candied baby heirloom carrots and red wine jus, accompanied by a Kaiken Malbec from Argentina’s Mendoza region.

The dinner ended on a high note as the fifth course was a bourbon pumpkin cake with cream cheese frosting, dark chocolate sauce, candied pepitas (pumpkin seeds) and fresh berries. A Taylor Fladgate 20-year-old tawny port was chosen to accompany the dessert course.

Based on my experience, the Brown’s Chef’s Table is once again going to be one of the most coveted tables in Louisville.

Cost of the Chef’s Table dinner is $110 for five courses; an additional $80 for wine or spirits pairing. The Chef’s Table is available Sunday through Thursday only.