El Tovar Dining Room: Is It Worth It? скачать в хорошем качестве

El Tovar Dining Room: Is It Worth It?

In this short video, we explore the iconic El Tovar Dining Room at Grand Canyon National Park. Discover the ambiance, menu highlights, and whether the experience justifies the price. From steaks to Southwest chicken, we’ll share firsthand impressions and insider tips. Remember to consider the stunning location, traditional service and unique experience when evaluating whether it’s worth a visit! Dining at El Tovar can provide a peak of life as a guest 100 years ago. f you’re planning a visit, this review will help you decide if El Tovar is a must-try or better left for other dining options. • El Tovar Hotel opened in 1905, and was designed by architect Charles Whittlesey to resemble a Northern European hunting lodge. It was once considered to be the finest hotel West of the Mississippi and attracted wealthy and famous guests. • Mary Jane Colter designed the contemporaneously built Hopi House, located across from El Tovar, and also planned the furnishings for El Tovar. Her Mimbreno China, originally designed in 1936 for train dining cars, remains in use at the El Tovar Dining Room today. • Diners are encouraged to make reservations for lunch or dinner and patrons are encouraged to dress discretely. • Breakfast does not require reservations and is priced more moderately for those who would like to experience the dining room on a budget. • The dining room looks much today as it did in 1905, and that is part of its charm. • There are minor views of the Canyon possible from the dining room windows, and those seats are the most desirable. • El Tovar is the flagship dining room at Grand Canyon and the food and service are the best you will find at the park, but the prices are also the highest. • It’s been a while since I dined at El Tovar, this time I was struck at the formality of the restaurant, something that seems to have disappeared elsewhere over the years. There are bread plates & knives, multiple utensils, the waiters do five finger tray carries. Likely this degree of formality still exists in some bigger and more traditional cities, but in the less formal West where I live, it has pretty much disappeared. Also, the wait staff were great fun. One fellow even came over and showed our table postcards of the Grand Canyon Swimming Pool, a rare bit of trivia I am researching for an upcoming video. The formality of this more traditional service, to me, if part of the fun dining at El Tovar. Both the dining room itself which has remained fundamentally unchanged over 120 years and the formality of the service create a “time machine” atmosphere. • The quality of the food is the best you can get at Grand Canyon. All four in my party described both the meals we ate there as “good.” It is not world-class food, to me world-class food makes you go, “oh, wow!” But overall it was a good experience. • But, the meals are very expensive. The first dinner for four was about $350 including tax, tips and incidentals, and the second dinner was about $300, as some less expensive dishes were ordered. This is more than the cost of a room for the night as Maswik. • So here is my evaluation of the restaurant. It is probably worth it if you are well-off, if you are making a once in a lifetime trip to Grand Canyon, or if you are celebrating a special occasion. But none of these descriptions apply to me. I ate there because first, my brother likes the restaurant, and second, he is paying off a bet that involved dinner for life at Grand Canyon. But here’s the key question, “would I have eaten at El Tovar if I had to pay?” For me, the answer is unquestionably NO. I’ve had a number of dinners there, so it is no longer special. You can enjoy the ambiance with a drink in the hotel bar or lobby and then put the cost of the meal toward another night in a hotel or other expenses of the trip. In fact, as a frequent visitor to Grand Canyon, my choice for meals is to bring my own food and then eat in my room or at a picnic table. • Now admittedly, a good time was had by all at El Tovar, and I am perfectly happy having dinner there when someone else is paying, but when footing the bill myself, my conclusion is that it is appropriate for a one-time visit or special occasion, but is otherwise just too expensive. • I hope you enjoy your visit to Grand Canyon, bon appetite, and thank you for watching.