7 Tastes to Savor at Historic Hotels

The custard-filled cake with chocolate frosting — now the official state dessert of Massachusetts — got its start at Parker’s Restaurant at Boston’s Omni Parker House in 1856. So did soft, buttery Parker House Rolls, whose recipe was kept secret until 1933 when U.S. President Franklin Roosevelt requested they be served at a White House Dinner.

The pastry chef at Chicago’s Palmer House Hilton Hotel in Illinois was asked to create a small, cake-like dessert in honor of the Columbian Exposition World’s Fair in 1893. The result? The brownie. The hotel still makes them according to the original recipe — try yours during a prix-fixe lunch that includes a tour of the historic property.

Dinner dances at The Brown Hotel in Louisville, Kentucky, were popular in the 1920s. The hotel chef dreamed up this sandwich to satisfy hungry dancers: an open-faced creation of moist roast turkey, crispy bacon and tomato, drizzled with a savory Mornay sauce.

A smooth, creamy Piña Colada cocktail — blended with rum, cream of coconut and pineapple juice — is the perfect way to cool off in San Juan, Puerto Rico. The drink has refreshed guests of the Caribe Hilton San Juan since its invention in 1954 by bartender Ramon Marrero. Today, the classic Piña Colada, along with many modern variations, is served.

A shortage of orange juice inspired chef Louis Perrin to create tomato juice in 1917 at the French Lick Springs Hotel in French Lick, Indiana. In his honor, sip a spicy Bloody Mary cocktail at one of the hotel’s restaurants or lounges.

Oscar’s American Brasserie at the Waldorf Astoria in New York City, New York, is named for legendary maître d’ Oscar Tschirky. In the 1800s, he created the Waldorf salad with crisp apples, celery and walnuts dressed in tangy mayonnaise. Tschirky is also responsible for eggs Benedict, a breakfast favorite of poached eggs, ham and silky Hollandaise sauce atop a toasted English muffin.

Chocolate lovers find paradise at Hotel Hershey in Hershey, Pennsylvania, founded by candy bar-maker Milton Hershey in 1933. Today, guests indulge in treats from hot cocoa to chocolate soufflés to Hershey’s chocolate cream pie.