Today's Princess Tea Was Terrific!!

Today we hosted our second (and final for this year) Princess Tea. Here are some snapshots from this very popular event:

As they arrived, each Princess was invited to have their photo taken with one of the Hawthorne Princesses.

Dancing is always popular.

Moms with their daughters love the event!

Some of our Hawthorne Princesses, Kate, Irene and Elizabeth

Love the forthright gaze on this little Princess

Dressing up is a lot of fun!

At the end of the event, tired but happy!

Great Grandmom, Granddaughter, and Great Granddaughter all had a wonderful time!

Some of our favorite guests come year after year to this special event, some with moms, some with grandmoms, some with aunts or family friends.

Click here to see all of the Photos Taken March 31, 2012

I hope you enjoy seeing one of the many community events that the Hawthorne Hotel hosts each year.

Next up will be Easter Sunday April 8, then Mother's Day.  If you still don't have your reservations, please call us at 978-825-4311 or 4360 so we can see how we can accommodate you.

Juli

Repairs Are Progressing at the Hawthorne Hotel

TONIGHT:  As of 6 pm March 30, 2012

If you have been following this blog, or our FaceBook posts, you will already know about the serious damages we sustained due to a water pipe break in our attic on February 27, when the equivalent of an Olympic-sized swimming pool-amount of water poured down through six floors into the basement, doing some horrific damage along the way.

 I am happy to report that the Alcove on the Second Floor is nearly back to its original condition.  Here are some "before" and "this afternoon" and "now" photos.

BEFORE:  On February 27, 2012

BEFORE:  Firefighters trying to staunch the water which was going everywhere.

BEFORE:  Water pouring off of the beam in the Alcove area.

BEFORE: A pond of water is not normal in this area of the Hawthorne Hotel, but it was there on February 27, 2012.

DURING:  The water was so severe in this area that it split the corner of this wall open and gushed out.  

THIS AFTERNOON:  Today about 4 pm, the finish plasters working on the crown molding now that the walls have all been rebuilt.

THIS AFTERNOON

THIS AFTERNOON

It is so good to see our hotel getting put back to right.  The team of professionals that gathered together to assist us in this process are doing a great job.  I hope you enjoy seeing the progress.  There is still a lot to be done, and I will keep you posted as we take the next steps.

We are certainly open for business, and would love to see your smiling faces!

Juli

Keeping Salem Looking Good

A friend of mine, John Quinn,  in the Salem Rotary Club has long admired the giant glass "spine" that is part of the newest wing of PEM (Peabody Essex Museum) here in Salem.  He has often wondered how they keep all that glass so clean.  When he saw this worker up on TOP of the glass in the ferocious wind that we were having that day, he said "not for me!"

Courtesy photo by John Quinn

Photo from PEM

This past Tuesday when we had our Rotary meeting there at PEM, and he spied this work being done, he could not help snapping this photo of the workman washing the glass way up on top.  Since he thought to share it with me, I thought I would share it with you, fair blog reader, so you could see one of the many ways we all work at keeping Salem looking good.

I hope you enjoy this look at the "kind-of-behind-the-scenes" look at what takes place in Salem.

Juli

50-Year Wedding Anniversary of a Hawthorne Hotel Wedding

Recently I met with Kathleen Paluzzi here at the Hawthorne Hotel.  Kathleen and Fred Paluzzi were married 50 years ago, and had their reception at the hotel all those years ago.  When it was time for their 50th wedding anniversary, their children told them the location would be a surprise, but they never even came close to guessing it would be here at the Hawthorne.  Because they live in Beverly, they were thinking the party would be someplace close to their home there.

They were very surprised, and touched as well, by all the nice touches that their family put in to arranging all the aspects of their party.

They let us know after the fact how much they all enjoyed the event, and even offered to share photos with us, so this blog post is just that.  Some "before" photos of their event here at the hotel 50 years ago, and some photos of their anniversary party.

I LOVE to look at old photos especially of the Hawthorne Hotel.  I hope you enjoy seeing these as well!

Juli

The Wedding Party photos were taken in the Pickman Room then as now, but a big change in the look of the room.

The Pickman Room had "faux bookcase" wallpaper.  Wow, how things have changed.

A look at the Ballroom from the Grandmother windows. Love the waitress uniforms and the extra-long head table.

The Grand Ballroom sans our famous Palladian windows.  I can't believe prior ownership covered them up!
Check out the competition for that bouquet.

Too cute!  (I love seeing the old "look" of the hallway carpet and wallpaper, and that fire extinguisher, too.)

The "going away" photo.  Love the seeing the Andrew Safford House in the background.

Left to right, back row:  Mark Paluzzi, Michael Paluzzi, Kevin Paluzzi, Tom Paluzzi
Center row: Karen Paluzzi, Beth Paluzzi
Front row:  Kathleen and Fred Paluzzi

Aww. . . they are such a sweet couple!!

Their wedding cake top was replicated for the anniversary party.

 

Their wedding photo with the cake was the cover of the invitation for the anniversary party.

Freezing Temps No Match for these Plants

Yesterday the forecast for last night was in the low twenties. I was convinced our newly-planted pansies would be popsicles that would not revive at those kinds of temperatures.

 I contacted Jay Gilliss, our Building Chief, who called Steve at Nunan's (the greenhouse in Georgetown, MA. that grows our plants for us) to find out how we should handle it. Cover them? With what? There are so many! Steve said "not to worry -- I have lots and lots of them, and pansies are super-hardy. I'm not covering mine," he said, "and it's going to be a lot colder here."

 So with a big "gulp, okay" in a tremulous voice, Jay and I agreed to let nature have her way with ours as well. Steve warned, "Just don't do anything to warm them artificially, like watering them with warm water, or then you will do great damage."

 This morning shortly after I got to work, I went around the building to inspect them.  I certainly saw frozen solid (or at least that was how they looked to me) pansy plants, all bowed down in the wind and the cold shade on the North side of the building. So I took these photos, but as I walked around the building, low and behold the pansies that had already been kissed by the sun were completely back to their normal, happy selves. Here are some photos that tell the story:

Frozen solid, or so it seemed.

Can pansies shiver?  It looked like these were, poor things!

Taken at the same time as the "frozen" cousins' photos above, these pansies were already warmed by the sun.

I hope you enjoy seeing how our planter boxes made it though the very cold snap that we had last night.

Juli

#SalemMA
#freezingcoldtemps
#pansies

Restaurant Week in Nathaniel's at the Hawthorne Hotel

Restaurant Week is the BEST time to Try Nathaniel's!!

Choice of one from this list: 

Appetizers, Soups and Salads

Almond-Crusted Scallops

watercress, butternut squash, amaretto reduction

 Braised Truffled Beef Terrine

cornichons, grain mustard, pickled vegetables, grilled sourdough bread

Crispy Duck Leg Confit

sour cherry reduction, arugula

Cornmeal-Fried Oysters

fresh greens and buttermilk dressing with orange zest

Apple and Butternut Squash Risotto

Soup du Jour

an ever-changing creation

Steve’s Seafood Chowder

 of historic proportion, our well-loved version includes shrimp, scallops, haddock, clams and potatoes in a creamy New England-style soup

 

Mesclun Salad

goat cheese, candied walnuts, dried cherries

and maple vinaigrette

Caesar Salad

choice of Mediterranean white anchovies or apple-smoked bacon,

 Parmesan cheese and garlic croutons

 

Baby Arugula Salad

prosciutto, medjool dates, bleu cheese, sliced almonds and caramelized onion vinaigrette

Warm Spinach and Black-Peppered Bacon Salad

pine nuts, golden raisins, Parmesan cheese and white balsamic vinaigrette

Choice of One Demi Entree

Entrees

Shrimp and Scallops Sophia

Our signature dish, named for Sophia Peabody Hawthorne

sautéed shrimp and seared scallops with sauce Béarnaise,

 grilled asparagus, steamed spinach and herbed risotto

Twenty-nine ~~ Demi-Portion Eighteen

 

Top Sirloin au Poivre

pink peppercorn-brandy sauce, truffled potato au gratin,

caramelized Brussels sprouts

Twenty-eight ~~ Demi-Portion Eighteen

Grilled Salmon

brown sugar-butter sauce, caramelized butternut squash,

spicy winter-blend rice

 Twenty-six ~~ Demi-Portion Seventeen 

Pan-Roasted Monkfish

Tasso-beurre rouge sauce, smoky lentils, wilted greens

Twenty-seven ~~ Demi-Portion Seventeen

Grilled Pork Flat Iron Steak

Calvados-fennel sauce, roasted sweet potatoes, braised cabbage

Twenty-five ~~ Demi-Portion Seventeen

 

Olive and Parmesan-Crusted Swordfish

tomato-horseradish sauce, gorgonzola polenta cake, garlicky broccolini

Twenty eight ~~ Demi-Portion Eighteen

Herbed Bulgar Wheat-Stuffed Portabella

cashew puree, roasted carrots, wilted greens

Eighteen ~~ Demi-Portion Twelve

Dessert

Choice of one Dessert from our Regular Dessert Menu

All for only $25, Today through March 29 and 

April 1 through April 5, 2012

Call 978-825-4311 or 4360 for reservations.

I hope to see you here, where you can try our regular menu at great low three-course fixed price!

Juli

Hawthorne Hotel's Flags of the Week ~~ March 26 through April 1, 20`1

Here are this week's flags that will fly on the front of the Hawthorne Hotel.  As of this writing we have no special requests for this week.

Monday, March 26, Mali and Mississippi

Tuesday, March 27 Malta and Missouri

The Malta flag was officially adopted on September 21, 1964. 

The flag of this island nation uses the traditional red and white colors of the Knights of Malta. The George Cross (upper left), outlined in red, was added to the flag in the 1940s, as King George VI of Britain presented it to islanders for outstanding gallantry during World War II. 

Wednesday, March 28, Marshall Islands and Montana

Montana State Flag:

Under the word "Montana", on a blue field, is the state seal. The seal shows some of Montana's beautiful scenery and tells what people were doing in pioneer times. The pick, shovel and plow represent mining and farming. In the background a sun rises over mountains, forests and the Great Falls of the Missouri river. A ribbon contains the state motto "Gold and Silver".

Thursday, March 29, Mauritania and Nebraska

Friday, March 30, Mauritius and Nevada

Saturday, March 31, Mexico and New Hampshire

New Hampshire State Flag:
The state flag shall be of the following color and design: The body or field shall be blue and shall bear upon its center in suitable proportion and colors a representation of the state seal. The seal shall be surrounded by a wreath of laurel leaves with nine stars interspersed.

Sunday, April 1, Micronesia (Federated States of) and New Jersey


I hope you enjoy seeing a few of the flags that we have, and I hope to see you here.


If you have a special request call us as 978-825-4322 or 4444.


Juli

Elizabeth Buchanan Named Employee of the Month

This week we presented the Full-time Employee of the Month Award for February to Elizabeth Buchanan. Elizabeth is part of our Front Desk Team, working as an Associate there for Lucie Ogeron, the Front Office Manager.  It was a well-deserved award.

Almost to prove the point, this morning when I first arrived at work a friend of mine outside the hotel called to tell me he had made a reservation the evening before for a friend who was coming to town the next day.  He went on and on about how terrific is was dealing with someone as friendly, yet professional, as Elizabeth was in this encounter.

Congratulations, Elizabeth!

When we surprised Elizabeth at the Front Desk where she works.

Lots of goodies for the recipient of this award, including a day off with pay!

Lucie talking about Elizabeth's accomplishments and attitude.

I hope you enjoy learning about another one of our excellent team members here at the Hawthorne Hotel.

Juli