Sorrento Hotel Announces New Menu Offerings

Photo credit to Hotel Sorrento

SEATTLE, WA – The Sorrento Hotel announces the appointment of Dan Gilmore as executive chef. He will oversee culinary direction for the Hunt Club restaurant, as well as hotel catering and private events.

“We are extremely fortunate to welcome Chef Dan Gilmore to the Sorrento,” said Sam Johnson, general manager, Sorrento Hotel. “His wealth of experience will be coupled with our ongoing commitment to providing our guests with exquisite dining experiences, highlighted by well balanced, local ingredients. Our new Hunt Club menus will showcase product from local farmers, foragers, fishmongers and ranchers like never before. I know Dan will become a strong leader in our ongoing desire to make every guest experience exceptional.”

Gilmore brings more than 24 years of experience to his position at the Sorrento Hotel. Since the ‘90s, Gilmore has built much of his reputation by working with the best chefs in the country at restaurants all over the West Coast, most recently serving as Executive Chef at Palisade. Prior to Palisade, Gilmore was chef de cuisine at Urbane at Olive 8, where he led the team to become one of the top five food outlets within the Hyatt organization. Gilmore has also held positions at a number of notable restaurants throughout the Pacific Northwest, including Peso’s Kitchen & Lounge, Crush, The Herbfarm, Wuksachi Lodge and Windows at the Sheraton Hotel in Tucson, Arizona.

“I look forward to embracing the history of the Sorrento Hotel and the Hunt Club by infusing the menu with dishes that will entice new diners to consider the Hunt Club, while still satisfying those guests who have been dining here for years,” said Dan Gilmore, executive chef, Hunt Club.  Gilmore’s food philosophy is simplicity; well-balanced food items with simple flavors and delicious aromas to trigger fond memories for guests. He believes a guest’s culinary experience should be about comfort. Not so much comfort food, but “ comfortable food.” Some dishes will trend toward rustic for those who want a more subdued experience and others will be a bit more elegant for the guests who are celebrating a special occasion.


“My culinary concept for the Hunt Club expresses a whimsical and playful experience. It speaks of looking back at the past, a nod towards tradition, but refreshing our cuisine by keeping an eye on the future,” says Gilmore.

Gilmore holds a culinary degree from Seattle Central Community College, as well as a number of certificates, which include a certified chef de cuisine certificate from the American Culinary Federation, an American Bistro Cooking certificate from Culinary Institute of America at Greystone, among others. When he is in the kitchen, Gilmore enjoys listening to music of all genres and tempos. He usually rocks out to The Sex Pistols and Bad Religion during busy hours, but winds down to mellow music while shutting down the kitchen. Gilmore believes a smooth, calm kitchen making beautiful food is one of the happiest places to be. Gilmore resides in Seattle with his wife, whom he met in culinary school and is a pastry chef, and their son.

Menu Options and Schedule:
Make it a Two Martini Lunch – Daily 11:30 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.
Hunt Club brings back the Two Martini Lunch. Guests can enjoy two Grey Goose vodka martinis for $12, along with their lunch.

Hour Tower- Daily 4 p.m. – 6 p.m. and 10 p.m. to close
The Hunt Club and Fireside Room are now offering triple the happiness with new happy hour offerings.  Serving guests a three tiered tower, “Hour Tower” with their choice of any three items off the happy hour menu for $15.

Smoothies- Weekdays 7 a.m. – 10 a.m. and Saturday – Sunday 8 a.m. – 2 p.m.
Kick start the morning with a healthy drink. Options included, Health Nut: yogurt, banana, protein powder and Nutella; Green: soy milk, Banana, blueberries, almonds and spiralina; Huckleberry: yogurt, huckleberries and honey each for $6.

Dine and Dash- Monday – Friday 11 a.m. – 2 p.m.
Lunch guests are in and out in 45 minutes guaranteed. Dine and Dash guests can enjoy an a la carte menu, which allows them to craft their own three-course lunch for $13 or four-course lunch for $17.

Gluten Free Offerings
New addition to the menus, offering dining guests the option to adapt popular menu items to be gluten free. A few menu items include: Sorrento’s Roasted Prime Rib, roasted fingerling potatoes, grilled asparagus; Grilled Octopus Salad, frisee, chickpeas, olive oil; Carving Plate, daily selection featuring Zoe’s meats, rabbit and pistachio pate, olives; Traditional Two Egg Breakfast, two eggs cooked to your preference, served with roasted Yukon Gold potatoes and thick cut toast; Open Faced Steak Sandwich, grilled rosemary bread, frisee, tomato chutney, onion ring.   

About the Sorrento Hotel
The Sorrento Hotel has been a landmark historic hotel in Seattle since it was established in 1909. The magnificent Italian mission-style architecture creates a classic setting for the Sorrento Hotel’s quiet hospitality. Preferred among business travelers, well-traveled vacationers and even Seattle neighbors, The Sorrento offers a high level of personal service that only a boutique property can provide. The Sorrento Hotel also strives to be a center for arts and culture, partnering with and supporting such wonderful institutions as the Seattle International Film Festival, Seattle Theater Group, Town Hall and various others through Night School, a collaboration between the hotel, Michael Hebb, and an array of intellectuals, artists, writers, filmmakers, mixologists, chefs and the leading cultural institutions in the Northwest.

The Malone Family has owned the Sorrento since 1983 and since has restored the hotel’s appearance, as well as its reputation for hospitality. The Sorrento has earned numerous awards in the last decade including being named one of Condé Nast Traveler’s Top 25 hotels, the Seattle Times Most Romantic Hotel and Seattle Metropolitan’s 30 Must Do Dining Experiences, as well as being named CitySearch’s most Pet Friendly hotel.

About Benchmark Hospitality International
Benchmark Hospitality International is a leader in the management and marketing of resorts, conference centers, hotels, and Personal Luxury Resorts & Hotels. The independent company, launched in 1980, is a worldwide organization operating properties in major metropolitan and resort destinations. Benchmark’s international headquarters is located in The Woodlands, Texas, near Houston. Benchmark Hospitality is also a founding member of the International Association of Conference Centers. The company’s eastern regional office is in New Jersey, western regional office is in Washington, with international offices in Tokyo, Japan, and Santiago, Chile. For the location of Benchmark’s properties and additional information, visit www.benchmarkhospitality.com.

Written by Charles Koh

Founded EatSeattle, and has continued to use his expertise as editor-in-chief to guide the website’s growth over the last five years. Koh’s experience focuses on digital marketing and social media, and has been a part of several companies, some of which he created, specializing in both areas over the course of his career. Koh was previously with Google and Zagat where he helped expand and grow communities worldwide.

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