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WHIST RESTAURANT IS TAKING IT OUTSIDE: NOVEL CHEF'S CABANA PUTS AN ENCHANTING NEW SPIN ON FALL DINING

-- Gourmands will Gravitate to the New Chef's Tasting Cabana at Viceroy Santa Monica --

August 2005 (Los Angeles) - Few environs rival the epicurean elegance and celebrity-spotting appeal of Whist Restaurant's poolside patio. And with Viceroy Santa Monica's newly appointed "Chef's Cabana,"it's destined to gain another compelling dimension. Commencing September, Whist's Executive Chef Warren Schwartz puts his culinary savvy on full display with customized tasting menus for guests of his special-reserve cabana.

Schwartz's seven-course Modern American menus build on the tastes and ingredient preferences of his exclusive diners for a truly personalized experience. Drawing inspiration from the freshest and most flavorful local ingredients of the season, Schwartz will craft specialized dishes such as Colorado Lamb Loin with Chickpea Crepes of Goat Cheese, Artichokes, Eggplant and Sun Dried Tomatoes in a Port Reduction. Paired with wines from Whist's extensive list, each dish is introduced by Schwartz himself as it makes an entrance into your private cabana.

"What I find special about this program," said Schwartz, "is that it invites diners to become an integral part of designing the meal - they don't remain a passive audience, but take part in the decisions and choices. It brings the social aspect back into food preparation, and it gives me a unique chance to build a relationship with my diners, however momentary. In a town like Los Angeles, where everyone strives to concoct "new" and over-the-top programs, we're hoping to show that returning to the basics of sharing good food with good friends is still at the core of the best dining experiences."

Viceroy designer Kelly Wearstler's distinctive "modern colonial" motif extends to her elegant poolside cabanas as well. Draped in rugged sailcloth, their airy tent-design subtlety evokes the card-table transiency of a colonial desert headquarters. But bold geometric bordering, glimmering lanterns, an over-sized Regency-style mirror and a modern palette of white, gray and parrot green, banish the nomadic for the purely regal. A distinctive collection of linen and tableware, along with dramatic silver candelabras, foreground a contemporary-design edge that's unequivocally 21st-century, while California's blessed Mediterranean climate clinches the appeal.

Chef's Cabana Program Details:

• Minimum 6 people.
• $225 per person charge (wine included).
• Tasting menus start at 8:00 p.m. for approximately three hours of dining.
• Available by special appointment only. Reservation of the cabana is based on Chef Schwartz's availability on any given night.

Recipes, interview arrangements and photography, including a headshot of Chef Schwartz, are available upon request. Please contact Kor Hotel Group or Hawkins International at the numbers above.

For further information or reservations contact 800-679-0397 or visit viceroysantamonica.com. Viceroy Santa Monica is located at 1819 Ocean Avenue.

Viceroy Santa Monica is the flagship property of the Los Angeles-based, boutique hotel operator Kor Hotel Group. Named one of the top 15 boutique hotels in the United States by Departures Magazine's 2004 Readers' Survey, Viceroy is among six hospitality endeavors resulting from Kor's partnership with Designer Kelly Wearstler of kwid, the creative force behind its burgeoning Viceroy brand. The hotel's style combines hints of English colonial with lavish Regency furnishings, updating them with modern materials such as Lucite and a bold palette of parrot green, driftwood gray and wavecrest white. Each of the hotel's 163 guestrooms and suites are appointed with applied moldings, custom armoires, clean-lined bed frames and bathrooms of immaculate marble tile. Expansive executive suites, with full ocean-view balconies, feature one-of-a-kind furnishings, coffered ceilings and whirlpool tubs with steam shower.

Whist Restaurant was recently rated one of "America's 50 best hotel restaurants" in Food & Wine magazine. Executive Chef Warren Schwartz trained at the California Culinary Academy in San Francisco and has worked at critically-acclaimed California restaurants including Lark Creek Inn, Patina and The Saddle Peak Lodge. His well-crafted menus display his distinct preference for fresh local produce and deftly-executed, straightforward presentations.

The Kor Group is a privately held real estate development and management firm with investments primarily in hotels and multi-family real estate. Kor Hotel Group, the hospitality division of Kor, holds a diverse property portfolio and manages both its own assets and non-owned hotels under third-party management contracts. Kor Hotel Group's properties include Avalon Hotel and Maison 140 in Beverly Hills, Viceroy Santa Monica and Viceroy Palm Springs, Gateway Hotel Los Angeles Airport, Delfina in Santa Monica, Tides in South Beach, Chamberlain in West Hollywood and The Jefferson in Washington D.C., as well as the forthcoming Viceroy Anguilla Resort and Residences and Viceroy Riviera Maya debuting in 2008.