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On November 19Scott Crawford answered the question:
What is Christmas dinner like at Herons?
We celebrate the much-anticipated holiday with both Christmas Eve and Christmas Day dinners — both are a magical time for families to gather and connect. A four-course, prix-fixe menu with seasonal choices ranging from sweet potato gnocchi to blue crab salad, roast pheasant and seared halibut will be available both evenings. Diners can also indulge in classic desserts like bûche de Noël and sticky toffee pudding. For guests’ viewing pleasure, each holiday season The Umstead enchants guests with two elaborate Christmas tree displays featuring hand-blown glass ornaments. -
On November 19Scott Crawford answered the question:
What is Thanksgiving dinner like at Herons?
On Thanksgiving, The Umstead Hotel and Spa’s Forbes Travel Guide Five-Star restaurant Herons offers a buffet-style family gathering from noon to 6 p.m., filled with mouthwatering holiday fare that is artfully prepared. This sold-out event features dishes ranging from lobster and sunchoke chowder to butternut squash and Parmesan risotto; beef short ribs with wild mushrooms; and of course, everyone’s favorite, organic turkey with all of the fixings. Herons’ pastry chef Daniel Benjamin also creates an elaborate dessert menu of Thanksgiving favorites (with a twist, of course), ensuring there is something to please all palates. From spiced pumpkin cake with cream cheese mousse to bourbon chocolate pecan tarts, Herons’ Thanksgiving dinner will absolutely give guests much to be thankful for. -
On July 31Scott Crawford answered the question:
What are five things I should know about Herons?
Here are five things you should know about Herons restaurant:
Herons features high-quality ingredients and presents food in a highly stylized, artful manner.
We have warm, polished and professional table service.
The dining room features an intriguing collection of art.
There are expansive views from the dining room of our landscaped terrace and woodland pond.
Herons features an eclectic collection of wines from around the world. -
On May 24, 2012Scott Crawford answered the question:
What are some of the specialty cocktails available at Herons?
The hotel Bar and Lounge offers a selection of culinary inspired specialty cocktails that your Herons server will offer to you. This menu changes seasonally and is influenced by fruits and herbs that are fresh and local whenever possible. -
On May 24, 2012Scott Crawford answered the question:
Does the menu at Herons have seasonal dishes?
Yes, the entire menu is changed seasonally to ensure the freshest ingredients available are utilized. -
On May 24, 2012Scott Crawford answered the question:
What is the food presentation like at Herons?
The food is highly stylized in an artful, modern and minimal presentation. Each dish truly is a work of art. -
On May 24, 2012Scott Crawford answered the question:
Does Herons offer any special gifts from the chef?
For special occasions or on request, the chef will personalize a signed copy of the menu as a memento of your dining experience. -
On May 24, 2012Scott Crawford answered the question:
Are there any signature desserts at Herons?
Currently not. In effort to continually change with the seasons and push ourselves to create new and interesting desserts, we have not kept any item on our dessert menu for longer than a season in quite some time. -
On May 24, 2012Scott Crawford answered the question:
What are the desserts like at Herons?
The lunch desserts are generally modern recreations of classic desserts, or classic flavor combinations, with a lot of American influences. The dinner desserts are generally more modern, with much more of a composed dish concept than an actual dessert. By this, I mean I focus less on what dessert I want to create and more on the flavors I want the diner to taste. Once those flavors are determined, I look at what my options are for conveying those flavors to the guest. This results is more unique creations, where often the recipes are truly developed just for the dish we are serving ? not ones that I have used in the past or are classic recipes. These desserts are a little more adventurous, but they pair nicely with the food and create what I consider a harmonious flow of courses. -
On May 24, 2012Scott Crawford answered the question:
Who is the pastry chef at Herons?
Daniel Benjamin is celebrated for his creative and modern approach to Southern sweets as pastry chef of the Umstead Hotel and Spa and Herons.
A true master of his craft, Benjamin?s forte spans from preparing pre-desserts and petit fours for fine dining to prepping expanded dessert selections for banquets. Noted for his contemporary take on dessert staples of the South, original Benjamin menu items exclusive to Herons have included the luxurious, burnt sugar cake with chocolate rice pudding, stewed cherries,and horchata ice cream; the sweet potato soup with apple, raisin, gingerbread panzanella and pain d?epic ice cream, and bourbon chestnut moon pie, with toasted almonds, candied chestnuts,and burnt almond ice cream. -
On May 24, 2012Scott Crawford answered the question:
What is the service like at Herons?
The service at Herons is polished and professional yet warm and sincere. Armed with extensive knowledge of the menus, the Herons servers are an enhancement to the overall dining experience. -
On May 24, 2012Scott Crawford answered the question:
What are the table settings like at Herons?
The table settings for dinner at Herons are strikingly minimalistic with custom glass charges from Greece and crisp white tablecloths with a white napkin wrapped around a sterling silver napkin ring. The server presents your cutlery with the arrival of the first course. -
On May 24, 2012Scott Crawford answered the question:
What are the private dining rooms like at Herons?
Our private dining room is a comfortable, secluded room that features fine North Carolina pottery, floor-to-ceiling windows with views of the landscaped terrace and woodland pond.
Executive Chef
The Umstead Hotel and Spa
Cary, NC, USA
Scott Crawford serves a dual role as The Umstead Hotel and Spa's food and beverage director and executive chef, combining his love of the dining room and the kitchen. The Pennsylvania native has made a name for himself in the South, cooking across most of the region, blazing a trail of culinary prestige everywhere he's worked.
