| Address: | 157 Macquarie St, Hobart |
| Phone No: | 03 6234 3122 |
| Web Site: | |
| Description: | |
| Comment: | Rita has yet to visit the Astor Grill under its new management |
| Rita Rating: |
Saturday, 1 April 2006
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Subscribe
Posts
Comments
3 comments:
The Astor Grill will be reopened shortly by John Caire, who set it up originally in 1982 before selling it to Jan and Tony Francis in 1986. The chef will be Rebecca Ratcliffe, lately of Moorilla, and maitre’d Phillip Fletcher running much the same quality menu plus a new range of seasonal dishes.
Putting sizzle into a reborn Astor Grill (Mercury 9 Apr 2008)
MERYL NAIDOO
AFTER the Astor Grill closed its doors last month, founding restaurateur John Caire and building owner Marshall Kimber decided to revisit the early years.
The Astor Grill was set up in 1982 at the Macquarie St site by Mr Caire, shortly after Mr Kimber and his wife bought the Astor Hotel.
"It’s unfinished business for me, which has been hanging around for some 22 years," Mr Caire said yesterday.
The business was sold while settling his marriage breakdown.
"One of the things I love is so little has changed since I left 22 years ago," he said.
He sold it to Jan and Tony Francis in 1986. It went into voluntary administration in the middle of last year when the Queensland businesses of the Francises encountered financial problems.
Mr Kimber and Mr Caire agree their aim is to once again make the Astor Grill "the best in Tasmania".
It will re-open later this month.
The chef will be Rebecca Ratcliffe, lately of Moorilla. Maitre’d Phillip Fletcher will offer a quality menu much the same as before, plus a new range of seasonal dishes.
Mr Caire said it would maintain the same feel, with a little refreshing, and the same menu guidelines.
It will also offer a degustation menu and cater for conferences, special occasions, breakfasts and more.
The Astor building was built in about 1850.
John Caire’s many ventures
1973:Executive management of Wrest Point Casino1988-90:Ball and Chain
1977-78:JC’s Seafood Restaurant in Sandy Bay1991-92:Franklin Grill, Huon Valley
Dined here just before Christmas. I must admit we would have been a pretty hard table to manage, with some ’silly eaters’. I probably wouldn’t have gone back to the Astor after that and I wasn’t too fused to hear that it closed down earlier this year.
However, I tried it in July for my sisters birthdy (again, a rather large table of the girls), and was surprised really on the attentive service and great food. The duck (in a parcel of some kind) was moist, and the starters were devine (mushroom soups,oysters, trout bilinis).
The Astor is now really light years ahead from my previous encounter last year under the new owners and new chef.
The kids took me back Saturday night two weeks ago for my birthday, but the duck was not available, so instead had the chicken, which was a roulade, and delicious. Had no starters because wanted to save myself for desert of Dutch Spiced Donuts with cream, and I had to walk the dog for two weeks after that but is was well worth it.
In todays paper I noticed that they after a new chef so I am not sure what happened there. I will definatly follow this young chef ’Rebecca’ to her next restaurant wherever that may be. She has done a good job at giving this tired restaurant some finer food.
Will not dine there again until they get the new chef inplace and I hear some good reports back. Maybe the Astor has peaked at the height of its comeback from the dead and it could be all downhill from here? Hope they keep the donuts.
Post a Comment