Seattle's 450-room Fairmont Olympic Hotel will debut the George, a new signature restaurant, on April 4. Conceived by the property's new restaurant executive chef, Thomas Cullen, the eatery will source the Pacific Northwest's best ingredients for the brasserie-inspired menu.
The opening of the new restaurant completes the hotel’s $25 million restoration that kicked off in January 2020. The project also transformed the grand lobby, added a new Olympic Bar and a kinetic art installation, updated the 28,000 square feet of event space, and created an intimate spirit-drinker’s enclave called the Founders Club.
The George will seat 100 and features a private dining room for 12. At first, the restaurant will serve breakfast daily and dinner Tuesday-Saturday; weekend brunch and lunch service will begin later this spring.
Menu delights will incorporate local seafood, dry-aged meats from farms across the region, artisan cheeses from local dairies, and seasonal Pacific Northwest fruits and vegetables from local farmers and sustainable foragers. Signature dishes will include a traditional French bouillabaisse; a seafood tower featuring a selection of Dungeness and king crab, oysters, prawns, mussels, clams, geoduck and bay scallops; and Painted Hills bone-in short rib with heirloom carrots and natural jus.
“As we unveil and welcome guests to the George, we finally see the entirety of our extended restoration project perfectly coming together to create Seattle’s ultimate social destination,” said Sunny Joseph, general manager of the hotel.
Chef Cullen has curated a menu that he calls both approachable and memorable. “With our access to the best this region has to offer, we look forward to welcoming guests to experience this classic dining room in a new way, with visually stunning dishes that tempt the senses and feed the palate in a thoughtful and respectful manner,” he said.
The hotel’s award-winning beverage curator, Jesse Cyr, has created signature cocktails for the bar, highlighting spirits from local distilleries and around the world, as well as offering a selection of local and domestic beers, a substantial wine list, and an extensive wine-by-the-glass program focused on Pacific Northwest winemakers.