Restaurant Vermeer

Restaurant Vermeer Restaurant Review:

The NH Barbizon Palace hotel is made up of the kinds of dignified and quietly luxurious seventeenth-century spaces Johannes Vermeer or the other painters of the Dutch Golden Age might have painted. In fact, its in-house restaurant, Restaurant Vermeer, has something of that golden age to it, all sleek marble-tile floors, oversize flower arrangements, crisp linens, and warm chandelier light spread over four connecting rooms: an entrance area, lounge, an à la carte restaurant and a private dining room with space for up to 36 guests. Start with an apéritif by the cozy fire before settling in for a meal in the antique-strewn dining room that is at once elegant and anachronistic. Rosy slices of venison are adorned with bitter chicory and a robust black olive jus, then paired, surprisingly, with herbed snails. These kinds of surprising juxtapositions are something of a signature for chef Chris Naylor---whether that’s oysters and veal tongue perfumed with truffle and accompanied by beetroot; or even a mélange of lobster, mussel and octopus garnished with eggplant caviar.