All posts tagged: RESTAURANTS

See Luxury in a New Light with: Billy Peelle

Published by Pamela Thomas-Graham

The Dandelion Chandelier Luminary Café is the place to find a series of personal interviews with fascinating people who are stellar achievers in their chosen field of endeavor. Our Luminaries are sharing their origin stories, life philosophies, secret songs, guilty pleasures and hidden talents. It’s guaranteed to be illuminating.  Billy Peelle is the General Manager of Eleven Madison Park. Born in Hartford, Connecticut, Billy attended the University of Pennsylvania, where he majored in Art History and Political Science.  It had always been his intention to work in hotels and restaurants; after college, he went to work for the Ritz-Carlton in Philadelphia. Subsequently, he moved to New York City and attended the French Culinary Institute, while also working as a cook, to deepen his understanding of restaurant operations. Upon graduation, he took a job as a kitchen server at Eleven Madison Park, where he ultimately rose to Captain.  In 2012, Billy became one of the opening managers at the NoMad, Eleven Madison Park’s sister restaurant. In the years since, he has been a manager at both restaurants, holding …

LA Luxury: What You Need to Know Right Now

Published by Pamela Thomas-Graham

What could define the luxury life better than a getaway to Los Angeles? Like Paris, it’s just always a good idea. And especially now, when there are so many things going on that you’ll be hard-pressed to decide which ones should make your short list. Team Dandelion Chandelier blew through town a few weeks ago, and we’re sharing our field report on what’s new and not-to-be-missed right now in LA.

How to do LA like a Luxury Insider

Published by Pamela Thomas-Graham

Heading for Los Angeles? Whether you’re planning a luxurious week-long stay (or more), or just blowing through town on a business trip with a couple of free hours to spare, there’s always something fantastic to do in LA. In our ongoing series about LA luxury here at Dandelion Chandelier, we’ve been sharing our stories from our recent trip to the West Coast. Before we went, we asked our team of far-flung correspondents for their inside info on the best ways to have an authentic LA experience. It goes without saying that there are some iconic LA places that you need to see if you haven’t already: Rodeo Drive, the Hollywood Walk of Fame, the Griffith Observatory, the Hollywood sign, and Disneyland. But once you’ve done those, here’s our curated list of 10 ways to do LA like a luxury insider:

Do Wolfgang Puck’s Luxury Steakhouses Make the Cut?

Published by Pamela Thomas-Graham

Steak or salad? Which one is a true luxury meal? In our ongoing series, here at Dandelion Chandelier we’ve been exploring the pressing matter of whether a modern luxury dining experience is best experienced by kicking it old-school at a steakhouse. Or by joining in the wave of vegetable-forward, vegetarian and vegan fine dining restaurants, and forgoing a large piece of protein as the centerpiece of the meal. Team Salad has fared well: Restaurant Nix in Manhattan and Restaurant Millennium in the Bay Area both proved to be up to the challenge of providing a satisfying, beautiful and enjoyable meal. We were even moved to list the best vegetarian and vegetable-forward restaurants in Manhattan so that anyone who cares to can join in the fun. Now it’s time for Team Steak to get in the game. First up? On our recent trip to Los Angeles, I found myself with both a free evening and a great steakhouse in the immediate vicinity. So I had a solo dinner at CUT by Wolfgang Puck in the Beverly Wilshire …