Americano Restaurant & Bar Crafts Three Signature Premium Wines -
Hotel Vitale’s Landmark Restaurant Teams up with Community Winery Crushpad To Develop Wines for Ultimate Food and Wine Pairing Experience

SAN FRANCISCO (February, 2006) – Many restaurants put considerable thought and expense into their wine programs, but few go to the extra effort to craft their very own wines – Americano Restaurant & Bar has done just that with the help of San Francisco-based community winery Crushpad.

Americano will release the “Dreamer” 2004 Las Madres Vineyard Syrah from Mendocino in late September 2006, followed by two additional single vineyard “Dreamer” 2005 Syrahs –Thompson and Whitehawk from Santa Barbara county – in September 2007. In an effort to provide guests with the definitive restaurant wine experience, Americano’s general manager and executive chef were involved in every aspect of the winemaking process from sourcing the grapes to selecting the length of fermentation and barrel types to blending and label design.

“Chef Paul Arenstam and I are both very passionate about wine and Crushpad gave us the unique opportunity to craft wines that perfectly complement the style of cuisine we serve at Americano,” explains Morgan Plant, general manager of Americano. “This is more than just putting our name on a winery’s third or fourth label wine; we have invested considerable time and money into this project and are proud to offer these premium wines to our customers.”

Each of the three customized wines will complement Americano’s menu of rustic-Italian influenced Northern California cuisine in distinct ways. The 2005 Thompson Syrah is delicate, restrained, and complex to complement subtle dishes, where the 2005 Whitehawk Syrah will be bolder and more fruit forward, pairing well with flavorful dishes. The restaurant’s first release, the 2004 Las Madres Vineyard Syrah features dark fruit, mild French oak expression of vanilla and cardamom, and medium acidity. This timeless, year-round charmer will balance with the flavorful and rustic style of Americano’s cuisine and will complement a wide variety of dishes including Pumpkin and Pancetta Baker’s Pie with Roasted Sugar Pie Pumpkin Crema, Beet Greens, Crispy Pancetta and Caramelized Onions and Roasted Venison Saddle with Celery Root Gratin, Baby Mustard Greens and Meyer Lemon Mustarda.

“We saw this as a great opportunity to position Americano as not only a serious restaurant for food, but as a serious restaurant for wine,” said Executive Chef Paul Arenstam. “We think our customers, who are as passionate about food and wine as we are, will appreciate the extra effort we’ve gone to in order to create a perfectly tailored dining experience.”

The name and label design for the “Dreamer” collection reflects one of the restaurant’s most unique interior design features. In the creation of the restaurant’s name, Americano was derived as reminiscent of a post-World War II time when so many around the world dreamed of a better life in America. Gaze at the ceiling while dining at Americano Restaurant and discover life-sized portraits of four “Americano Dreamers.” Each wine label in the “Dreamer” series will feature a different portrait. The wines will retail for approximately $15/glass or $60/bottle and will be available exclusively at Americano.

Americano Restaurant & Bar is located at 8 Mission Street at Hotel Vitale. All major credit cards are accepted. Breakfast hours are Monday through Friday from 6:30 a.m. to 10 a.m. Brunch is available on weekends from 7:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Lunch hours are Monday through Friday from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Dinner hours are Sunday through Thursday from 5:30 p.m. to 10 p.m., and Friday and Saturday from 5:30 p.m. to 11 p.m. The bar is open daily from 11:30 a.m. to last call. For more information, please visit www.americanorestaurant.com. Reservations are recommended and can be made by calling (415) 278-3700, or by visiting www.opentable.com.

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About Joie de Vivre: Based in San Francisco, Joie de Vivre Hospitality (www.jdvhospitality.com) is a creative collection of lifestyle businesses. As the largest hotel operator in the state of California (2005 projected sales are $120 million), the Joie de Vivre portfolio encompasses 35 hospitality businesses in the San Francisco Bay Area, including 28 boutique hotels. These properties represent a total of over 2,800 rooms and include five distinctive restaurants and bars. The company also owns and operates San Francisco’s largest day spa, the Kabuki Springs & Spa, which includes America’s largest Japanese-style communal bath facility. Each property celebrates the San Francisco Bay Area through a unique visual style, uncompromising design principles, one-of-a-kind amenities and personalized service. "Our goal,” notes Joie de Vivre founder and CEO Chip Conley, “is to create landmark destinations full of soul and personality."

Media contact: Courtney Vaughn or Kanchan Achar at Glodow Nead Communications, (415) 394-6500 or courtney@glodownead.com.