Davenport hotel achieves prestigious status for second consecutive year!

DAVENPORT, IA – Hotel Blackhawk is pleased to announce that it has earned a 2013 TripAdvisor ® Certificate of Excellence Award – the second consecutive year it has earned the honor.

The prestigious award honors hospitality excellence and are given only to establishments that consistently achieve outstanding traveler reviews on TripAdvisor ®, and is extended to qualifying businesses worldwide. Only the top 10 percent of businesses listed on TripAdvisor ® receive this award.

To qualify for the Certificate of Excellence, businesses must maintain an overall rating of four or higher, out of a possible five, as reviewed by travelers on TripAdvisor. Additional criteria include the volume of reviews received within the last 12 months.

“Our company is pleased to again receive this award from TripAdvisor,” said Tim Heim, VP – Marketing, Innkeeper Hospitality Services. “We strive to offer guests a hip and historic experience, and repeating this recognition shows the hard work of our team at Hotel Blackhawk is continuing to translate into positive traveler reviews on TripAdvisor.”

TripAdvisor® is the world’s largest travel site, enabling travelers to plan and have the perfect trip. TripAdvisor ® offers trusted advice from real travelers and a wide variety of travel choices and planning features with seamless links to booking tools. TripAdvisor ®-branded sites make up the largest travel community in the world, with more than 50 million unique monthly visitors, and over 60 million reviews and opinions.

Hotel Blackhawk re-opened December 15^th, 2010. The hotel retains its 98-year-old historic character while featuring modern conveniences throughout the 130 guestrooms and extended-stay suites, six meeting rooms and up to 300-person banquet capacity in the signature Gold Room.

Other features include wireless internet, a fitness center, business center, swimming pool, hot tub, Spa Luce (lu-CHAY), Milan Flower Shop, the Bix Bistro restaurant, the Beignet (been-YAY) Done That coffee shop and Blackhawk Bowl & Martini Lounge. The hotel is part of the Autograph Collection (www.autographhotels.com) and the Historic Hotels of America network (www.historichotels.org). For more, visit www.hotelblackhawk.com or find us on www.facebook.com (Search: Hotel Blackhawk).

Media Information Contact:  Tim Heim – Hotel Blackhawk – Tel: (563) 484-5904

Tuesday, May 28th, at Bix Bistro inside Hotel Blackhawk.
Only $65 per person
Reservations required – up to 35 guests
Call Bix at 563-484-5900 for reservations

Come join us at Bix Bistro for a private, back-of-the-house, tour where you will see Bix Bistro in action. A cooking demonstration will follow in the semi private dining room where you will learn how to prepare our famous Presidential Pork Chops, now served at the West Wing in Washington D.C. You will also enjoy a salad course that you can help make. This salad course is a surprise, but don’t worry every dish you see or try will have a recipe for you to take home. Finally, you will enjoy bananas foster and cherries jubilee table side and to finish the night, enjoy coffee on us.

DAVENPORT, IA – Hotel Blackhawk, a historic AAA Four Diamond® hotel in the heart of the Midwest, is pleased to announce a special offer called Ballad of Nostaglia for travelers in 2013.

The Ballad of Nostaglia 2013 offers a relaxing overnight stay in one of our ultra-comfortable beds with luxurious linens, a beautiful bouquet of fresh cut flowers and a bottle of sparkling wine. During your stay, pamper yourself at our on-site Spa Luce with a $150USD credit. Then, wake to enjoy Breakfast for two with a credit of $25USD at Beignet Done That. Rates start at $299USD plus tax.

Hotel Blackhawk retains its 98-year-old historic character while featuring modern conveniences throughout the 130 guestrooms and extended-stay suites, six meeting rooms and up to 300-person banquet capacity in the signature Gold Room.

Other features include wireless internet, a fitness center, business center, swimming pool, hot tub, Milan Flower Shop, the Bix Bistro restaurant and Blackhawk Bowl & Martini Lounge. The hotel is part of The Autograph Collection® (www.autographhotels.com) and the Historic Hotels of America network (www.historichotels.org).

Sunday, Apr 14th, 5:30 pm at Bix Bistro inside Hotel Blackhawk.
Only $125 per person
Reservations highly recommended.
Dial (563)484-5900 for reservations.

1st Course

Cedar Plank Striped Bass – edamome succotash, black garlic confit & saffron corn broth

2nd Course

Pork Tenderloin Medallion - roasted apple and sweet onion chutney & creamy chevre grits

3rd Course

Maple Leaf Farms Duck Breast - mushroom risotto, spinach pesto, black cherry gastrique & duck confit

4th Course

Black Angus Beef Filet - bordelaise sauce, maytag bleu cheese compound butter, fried oysters & pork belly potato hash

5th Course

Orange & Chocolate Duo - créme caramel with cointreau créme anglaise chocolate torte with hazelnut gastrique

Each guest will be presented with a complimentary cigar selection

Scotch selections include:
Craggenmore 12 year Speyside
Auchentoshaun 12 year Lowland
Sprinbank 10 year Campbeltown
& two secret scotch releases hand selected by Amrit Gill
(never heard of them before? they’re that good!)

Friday, March 28th, 6:30 pm at Bix Bistro inside Hotel Blackhawk.
Only $60 per person
Reservations highly recommended.
Dial (563)484-5900 for reservations.

1st Course

Gnocchi – fried eggplant, pancetta, fresh sage & brown butter
Paired with Enza – Prosecco – Treviso, Italy

2nd Course

Grilled Lobster Salad – maine lobster tail, crispy greens, fresh berries, lemon stilton cheese & lemoncello vinaigrette
Paired with Antinori – Orvietto – Tuscany, Italy

3rd Course

Veal Picatta - ricotta & porcini raviolis with caper & jalapeno hollandaise
Paired with Ognissole – Primitivo – Manduria, Italy

4th Course

Beef Tagliata - arugula, sweet potato hash, prosciutto, italian corn & black garlic confit
Paired with Louigi Righetti – Amarone – Veneto, Italy

5th Course

Cheese Flight - an array of premium artisanal cheeses presented with splendid accompaniments
Paired with Michelle Chiarlo – Barbera D’ Asti – Piedmont, Italy

Served 9am until 2pm

Reservations available every hour on the hour.

Carving Stations

Thursday, June 6th, 6:30 pm at Bix Bistro inside Hotel Blackhawk.
Only $65 per person
Reservations highly recommended.
Dial (563)484-5900 for reservations.

1st Course

Lobster Bisque Diablo - with sriracha créme friache
Paired with Ernst and Co. – Sauvignon Blanc – South Africa

2nd Course

Pork Osso Bucco - warm leek vinaigrette & apple cinnamon grits
Paired with Left Coast Cellars – Truffle Hill Chardonnay – Willamette Valley, Oregon

3rd Course

Coffee Cured Duck - honey and rose petal emulsion, mashed parsnip & fried boursin
Paired with Serbal – Malbec – Tupungato, Argentina

4th Course

Braised Short Ribs - au jus, cabernet poached fingerling potatoes & grilled zucchini
Paired with Thomas Goss – Cabernet Sauvignon – McLaren Vale, South Australia

5th Course

Cake & Ice Cream – salted caramel chocolate tart & raspberry zinfandel cheesecake ice cream
Paired with Joseph Jewell – Grist Vineyard Zinfandel – Dry Creek, California

Tuesday, June 18th, at Bix Bistro inside Hotel Blackhawk.
Only $65 per person
Reservations required – up to 35 guests
Call Bix at 563-484-5900 for reservations

Summer is upon us. Come join us for a lighter and fresh way of cooking.
Chef Kevin will be holding a Sautée class where our guest will have the chance to watch our chefs make 4 different Sautée dishes that are fresh and full of flavor. There will be one seafood dish, one pork dish, one beef dish, and one vegetarian dish for all to try. All the entrees you see prepared or get the chance to help with will have recipes ready for you to take home. Our guests will be involved in the preparation of the salad course for the evening. Also, our guests will get to try some house-made infused vodkas, great for entertaining in the summer time. We will be finishing with a slice of homemade Key Lime pie for dessert to end a perfect evening.

Tuesday, July 16th, at Bix Bistro inside Hotel Blackhawk.
Only $65 per person
Reservations required – up to 35 guests
Call Bix at 563-484-5900 for reservations

Sous-vide (French for “under vacuum”) is a method of cooking food sealed in airtight plastic bags in a water bath for longer than normal cooking times—72 hours in some cases—at an accurately regulated temperature much lower than normally used for cooking, typically around 55 °C (131 °F) to 60 °C (140 °F) for meats and higher for vegetables. The intention is to cook the item evenly, and not to overcook the outside while still keeping the inside at the same “doneness”, keeping the food juicier.

The theory was first described by Sir Benjamin Thompson (Count Rumford) in 1799 (although he used air as the heat transfer medium). It was re-discovered by American and French engineers in the mid-1960s and developed into an industrial food preservation method. The method was adopted by Georges Pralus in 1974 for the Restaurant Troisgros (of Pierre and Michel Troisgros) in Roanne, France. He discovered that when foie gras was cooked in this manner it kept its original appearance, did not lose excess amounts of fat and had better texture. Another pioneer in sous-vide is Bruno Goussault who further researched the effects of temperature on various foods and became well known for training top chefs in the method. As chief scientist of Alexandria, Virginia-based food manufacturer Cuisine Solutions, Goussault developed the parameters of cooking times and temperatures for various foods.

Come join us for a super cool evening of Sous-Vide Cooking. This is a super safe and super cool way to prepare foods with the very best in flavor, texture, and consistency. Our Chefs will be taking the Sous-Vide approach on Salmon, Wild Boar, Beef Tenderloin and Chicken. Along with this meal our guest will be involved in preparing the salad for the meal, and will receive recipe cards for all entrees enjoyed. Don’t forget the tantalizing talents of our sommelier Abraham Blair who will make sure your glasses are full! We will finish the evening with a Pomegranate Poached Pear Sous-Vide Style. Oh, and don’t forget the homemade Limoncello for everyone.

Davenport, IA – Hotel Blackhawk management is pleased to announce that it was recognized today in Los Angeles, CA as a 2013 Recommended Property by the Forbes Travel Guide – one of 24 to earn that title. The announcement was part of the guide’s 55^th annual Star Awards for hospitality establishments worldwide.

The Forbes guide (originally known as the Mobil Travel Guide) was the originator of the prestigious Five Star ratings and certifications. It has provided the travel industry’s most comprehensive ratings and reviews of hotels, restaurants and spas since 1958.

This latest honor adds to other notable achievements are the 2012 AAA Four Diamond Award-Lodgings, 2012TripAdvisor® Certificate of Excellence Award, the Bix Bistro’s 2012 Wine Spectator Award of Excellence as well as 2011 and 2012 Smart Meetings Platinum Choice Award recognition.

“Recognition by the Forbes Travel Guide is yet another example of how the staff and management of Hotel Blackhawk raise the bar for our guests every day,” said General Manager Tim Heim. “To be named by an organization with such extensive history and standards is to be part of what is considered the gold standard for hospitality excellence.”

Hotel Blackhawk re-opened December 15^th, 2010. The hotel retains its 98-year-old historic character while featuring modern conveniences throughout the 130 guestrooms and extended-stay suites, six meeting rooms and up to 300-person banquet capacity in the signature Gold Room.

Other features include wireless internet, a fitness center, business center, swimming pool, hot tub, Spa Luce (lu-CHAY), Milan Flower Shop, the Bix Bistro restaurant, the Beignet (been-YAY) Done That coffee shop and Blackhawk Bowl & Martini Lounge. In addition to its pending affiliation with the Autograph Collection®, the hotel is part of the Summit Hotels & Resorts group (www.summithotels.com) and the Historic Hotels of America network (www.historichotels.org).

Find us on www.facebook.com (Search: Hotel Blackhawk).