New Chef in the Kitchen Gives One Leeds Hotel Guests an Experience to Savour

LEEDS, UNITED KINGDOM--(Marketwired - Nov 27, 2013) - If travellers had to identify the single most important aspect of travel, the most popular answer may well be food. Whether they want to try new cuisine, savour something authentic to the area or simply indulge on vacation, globetrotters know that gastronomic pursuits are one of travel's great pleasures. And when a place like the Leeds Marriott Hotel can couch those culinary adventures within luxurious accommodations, the result is enough to whet anyone's appetite.

With three dining options that are as distinct as they are delicious, this city-centre Leeds hotel has become a go-to destination for locals and visitors alike. And its reputation for fare worth writing home about is about to grow thanks to the arrival of Executive Chef Christopher Ireland at Midtown Grill on 11^th November 2013.

Chef Ireland joins this Leeds restaurant and bar after spending 14 years as a head chef at both corporate hotels and AA Rosette-winning restaurants. Accordingly, he has big plans for Midtown Grill's future. Emphasizing his commitment to using local, seasonal ingredients, Ireland notes that a restaurant's reputation is only as sizzling as its food. "My aim is to position Midtown Grill Restaurant as the No. 1 steakhouse in Leeds," Chef Ireland said, "and to cook with creativity and passion, not only within our restaurants but for all our hotel outlets."

Chef Ireland is already progressing toward his goal. This Leeds steakhouse presents a menu that specialises in local, seasonal and sustainable ingredients fashioned into satisfyingly classic dishes. As a result, guests can tuck into Yorkshire beef or American USDA Black Angus steaks. Yorkshire free-range pork chops share menu space with Lavern's Farm duck breast and a sustainably-sourced Midtown Catch of the Day. Other notable dishes include a market soup made from an evolving selection of local ingredients, the esoteric Loch Duart smoked salmon and twice-baked spinach-and-Yorkshire Blue soufflé.

Considering the comfortable rooms and amenities of this Leeds luxury hotel, it's no surprise that Midtown Grill's décor is as appealing as its menu. Hardwood floors, textured walls and clubby wood-and-glass vitrines hem in the energetic dining room where guests arrive for both breakfast and dinner. And as Ireland grows into his position, visitors to the restaurant and hotel can anticipate more exciting culinary changes to come.

About the Leeds Marriott Hotel
Guests of the four-star Leeds Marriott Hotel enjoy a range of amenities to enhance the quality of their stay. Relaxation, for example, is encouraged with a swimming pool, sauna, steam room, fitness center and the Russell Eaton Lifestyle Spa, which is located adjacent to the property. Gastronomic pleasure, meanwhile, can be found within the hotel's three restaurants. Midtown Grill specializes in steak and seafood; the 1871 Bar & Lounge creates a sublimely chic ambience in its historical setting; and the AM Kitchen & Bar resides in the landmark Dyson Clockwork Building but serves up Britain's favourite Indian dishes. Sightseeing is also made simple, thanks to the hotel's city-centre location. Plus the train station is close at hand, so visitors can easily take day trips to outlying destinations. But the siren song of the hotel's 244 guest rooms and suites is irresistible each night. Spacious layouts, high-speed Internet, LCD televisions and, in the suites, Bose iPod docking stations all indulge guests. The hotel also offers 20 flexible meeting rooms with 7,556 square feet of space so that, even when guests have to work instead of play, their days are both pleasant and productive.