CK’s new chef tasting menu to benefit Children’s Miracle Network
Tampa, FL –
Perched atop the Tampa Airport Marriott, CK’s Restaurant is not a fine
dining establishment with a view. It’s a destination. Executive chef
Henry Nagel and sous chef Gabe Duffy have made this destination even
more appealing with the introduction of a chef tasting menu.
CK’s and Marriott partner with the Children’s Miracle Network to
help children across the country get the medical care they need.
CK’s will donate a portion of the proceeds for every chef tasting
order. The chef tasting menu is available seven days a week and
features a five-course meal.
“We are very happy to be giving back to a wonderful program that
helps children in our country,” Nagel explained. “Guests can come
for exceptional cuisine, experience an incredible view, and help
children who need help the most.”
Comfortable and lavish, CK’s Restaurant is one of the most memorable
destinations to dine by its location alone. Perched atop the Tampa
Airport Marriott – 10 stories high – CK’s revolves at an undetectable
half-mile an hour to provide guests spectacular vistas of the bay,
downtown Tampa, and the departure and landing strips, which are
illuminated in blue at night. Yet breathtaking sunsets are not
the only treasures served here. Executive chef Henry Nagel sees to
that.
Many revolving restaurants around the world rely on the view so much they forget about the quality of their food. But CK’s (www.ckstampa.com)
is turning that idea on its head with a new dinner menu created by
Nagel that emphasizes fresh fish and beef and organic chicken, pork and
lamb dishes accentuated with herbs, spices and seasonings rather than
creamy sauces.
“This is not a restaurant with a view, it’s a destination,”
Nagel explained. “Especially wit h this new menu, CK’s is a place where
guests come for exceptional cuisine, a relaxing and romantic ambience
and an incredible view. Dinner at CK’s is an experience.”
Established in 1974 and adorned with a decor that was inspired by a
heroic World War I aviator, CK’s outstanding cuisine and magnificent
range of wines and spirits superbly complement the view and interior
design. A recent fall night illustrated the ambience that led to CK’s
recognition as one of the best romantic restaurants in Tampa Bay as
guests sipped on orange cosmopolitans and melon martinis and dined on
pan roasted range chicken and chipotle maple glazed t-bone pork chops.
The background was accentuated by soft jazz performed by local musician
Derrick Williams as the sun slowly set over the Gulf of Mexico, the
vista of endless water replaced by the lights of boats in the distance.
Long before Nagel was executive chef at CK’s, he was a 15-year-old
high school student in Passaic, N.J. washing dishes at a deli and
dreaming of a career in journalism, which he studied along with English
literature at Rutgers University. He experienced a career detour along
the way. After working his way through high school and college at
Shupik’s Deli, he took a job at The Manor, a landmark restaurant in
West Orange, N.J. that generated $10 million a year in sales in 1977.
There, he started as a prep cook and left as a banquet chef – and it
was then he decided to pursue a career in the kitchen rather than one
in the newsroom.
Nagel, who has earned multiple awards in a culinary career that has
included impressive stints at Walt Disney World restaurants and the
Marriott New York Marquis Times Square, believes in enhancing his
food’s natural flavor instead of disguising it. Thus his reasoning
behind replacing thick, creamy sauces with flavored oils, vinegars,
juices and purees. At CK’s steaks and seafood are enlivened with dry
rubs of herbs and spices. Nagel also decided to make potatoes a side
dish option and serve all entrees with vegetables, reflecting America’s
passion for healthier fare and fewer carbohydrates.
“Some older guests who are accustomed to the traditional meat and
potatoes dishes don’t like the chance, but most people have responded
favorably,” said Nagel, who has earned multiple American Culinary
Federation gold, silver and bronze medal awards. “The presentation is
much better, and the meals are healthier that way. Of course, you are
free to substitute potatoes in place of the vegetables if you prefer.”
Nagel takes pride in being an integral part of a landmark that
represents a part of American pop culture that is becoming a rarity in
the 21st century.
Captivating guests with savory cuisine and breathtaking views from
China to the United States, the revolving restaurant is an American
idea that conquered the world. What began as an architectural folly for
the 1962 World's Fair has spread to almost every corner of the globe,
atop broadcast towers like the Space Needle and crowning modern
glass-and-steel hotels. These spinning dining rooms became symbols of
optimism, progress, and success in post-World War II America.
Yet the number of revolving restaurants continues to dwindle. Some
have simply stopped rotating; others have been refurbished into
conference centers. The Stratosphere in Las Vegas is one of the few
revolving restaurants that have been built in the United States in
recent years. In regions such as Asia, Africa, and the Middle East, the
revolving restaurant is still considered as a sign of progress - an
emblem of prosperity, not kitsch. During the 1990s, a new wave of
revolving restaurants sprouted around the world - from Lebanon to
Jakarta to Cairo.
Though revolving restaurants are becoming a relic of the past – much
like the malt shop and the corner hardware store - CK’s has remained
one of Tampa Bay’s most enduring fine dining institutions – an
impressive feat in a city whose restaurant scene changes swiftly. CK’s
opened in a decade that marked the pinnacle of revolving restaurants in
the United States, yet the idea of dinner accompanied by a
high-altitude view dates back at least to the Eiffel Tower, which has
featured a restaurant at its second platform since debuting in 1889.
The moment guests walk out of the elevator that opens to CK’s casual
chic bar decorated with nostalgic aeronautical artifacts, they are
treated to a true dining experience – from the impeccable service and
exceptional cuisine to the captivating view and the romantic mood.
Every seat in the restaurant provides a panoramic picture 150 feet
above the busy tarmac. As the restaurant revolves, it passes the
lighted open kitchen where chefs carefully prepare the selections.
Since opening in 1974, CK’s has paid homage to the legend of World
War I aces like Duerson C. Knight with its aviation decor. At the same
time, the restaurant has created a renowned reputation of its own as
the perfect place for a memorable dinner and captivating vistas. With
Nagel’s culinary touches, CK’s has infused a new identity while
retaining the original charm and nostalgia of a revolving restaurant
where the cuisine is as rewarding as the view.
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