Four Seasons Hotel and Private Residences New Orleans Announces Details of Signature Restaurant Featuring Alon Shaya

Opening in mid-2021, Four Seasons Hotel and Private Residences New Orleans shares details on the signature dining concept featuring chef partner Alon Shaya.

The restaurant, named Miss River, is Alon Shaya’s “love letter to Louisiana,” based on his vast experience of the local culture and cuisine in his nearly 20 years as a resident. As the signature lobby-level restaurant of Four Seasons Hotel New Orleans, this ingredient-driven restaurant pays tribute to New Orleans grand dining, showcasing Chef Shaya’s spirited take on beloved local dishes, while providing surprise and fun to the dining experience.

Diners will enjoy exceptional personalised service and elements of whimsy throughout their experience, including the show of the Food Stage - the centrepiece of Miss River, where chefs display extravagant plating of signature dishes. Guests at Miss River can expect an emphasis on ingredients thoughtfully-sourced from Shaya’s extensive network of local fishermen, farmers and other purveyors. Regional cuisine with an elevated take on the classics highlights bold, familiar flavours and classic technique preparation.

Signature dishes include: whole carved buttermilk fried chicken to share with dipping sauces; clay pot dirty rice with seared duck breast, duck egg yolk and scallions; Louisiana oyster patty with flaky puff pastry, caramelised shiitake mushrooms and citrus zest; and salt-crusted Gulf red snapper with rosemary, lemon and extra virgin olive oil.

“Miss River is a place for celebration, where incredible food, drink, and ambiance combine for unforgettable dining experiences,” says Mali Carow, General Manager of Four Seasons Hotel and Private Residences New Orleans. “Alon Shaya’s spirited cuisine, legendary Four Seasons service, evocative design, and art inspired by New Orleans come together here in a magically connected way.”

The bar at Miss River offers 30 seats, set within the space of the restaurant, and is a gathering place for pre and post-diners. The bar features a daring cocktail program, where unexpected and inventive takes on the classics are highlighted. A fine spirits collection of rare and top shelf spirits will be on offer, as well as a selection of light, refreshing and artisanal spritzes and iced teas to refresh. The wine program at Miss River is a destination in itself, and will elegantly balance between New and Old World wines to perfectly complement the cuisine, including a collection of fine Champagnes and sparkling wines from around the world. An intimate alcove houses The Sommelier Table, where up to five standing guests can enjoy curated tastings guided by the sommelier. Imbibe Carts seductively circle the room, providing tableside pourings of a well-curated selection of Champagnes, aperitifs, and digestifs. The custom-designed carts pay homage to New Orleans' rich and vast cocktail culture, while adding continual energy and movement to the room.

Designed by London-based Alexander Waterworth Interiors, Miss River celebrates elegance and feminine sophistication, with a vibrant yet refined visual palette of shape and colour, where no sharp edges exist. Miss River has been designed to enhance the fine dining experience, drawing sympathetically on the aesthetic roots of the city, inheriting architectural details from the ironwork of the French Quarter, a tonal palette enriched from the Garden District, and shapes evoking natural elements of the region. Materials and design elements include: pink quartzite polished marble bartop; Fior di Bosco marble; brass detailing on the bar, backbar and decorative screens; bronze detailing on the decorative arched screens; coloured stained glass by artist Lesley Green; bespoke scalloped flooring tile; textured scalloped wallpaper in soft pink tones; walnut timber; silver antiqued mirror; bespoke lighting, utilising brass and linen shades; leathers by Moore & Giles & Whistler; cotton velvets by Altfield, Dedar and Zimmer+Rhode.

The art collection within Miss River nods to the timeless elegance of the restaurant’s interior design, with a focus on representations of local community and a sense of place. As with the Hotel’s entire art collection curated by Kate Chertavian, the art featured in Miss River was created by acclaimed local artists, as well as international artists inspired by New Orleans.

Upon entering the restaurant, guests see Ralston Crawford's 1950s photographs of New Orleans musicians and Second Lines. Further into the restaurant are New Orleans artist and Level Artist Collective founder Horton Humble’s ceramics. This commissioned work is part of his ceramics practice that explores figuration and decoration – in this case his fellow urban citizens. On the far back wall is a grouping of colour photography by New Orleans artist Lara Morgan, which portrays the natural beauty of the Southern landscape and its urban gardens and Spanish moss-draped elms, visualising the layered histories so evocative of this region. In this setting, Caprice Pierucci’s pine carving evokes the same Spanish-moss laden trees.

Miss River will be open daily for lunch and dinner. For information, visit www.missrivernola.com and follow on Instagram @MissRiverNOLA and @FSHotelNewOrleans.