John Besh Will Resurrect The Caribbean Room at Pontchartrain Hotel in 2016

With a $10 million swanky overhaul currently underway at Garden District icon The Pontchartrain Hotel, Todd Price now reports that Besh Restaurant Group is on board to run the food and beverage program.  John Besh and team will resurrect former posh eatery the Caribbean Room, which was known for mile high pie, elegant dishes (and a buffet) and hosting celebrities aplenty, before shuttering in the 1990s.  Besh will also run three other operations inside the hotel: The Bayou Bar, a rooftop lounge, and the Silver Whistle coffee shop—once regarded for incredible blueberry muffins.

AJ Capital Partners purchased the hotel in 2014 for over $19.8 million, and are planning to debut their gorgeous renovations by mid-2016. No word on an executive chef yet, though sounds like Besh does have a few in mind. As for the hotly-anticipated Caribbean Room? Besh has described it as lush, but small enough to keep the food and service refined.