BALEENNaples at LaPlaya Beach & Golf Resort Wins Coveted Wine Spectator Award

NAPLES, Fla – LaPlaya Beach & Golf Resort, is fast becoming well known for its extensive list of red and white wines.  The resort’s fine-dining restaurant, BALEENnaples was recently awarded the prestigious “Award of Excellence for 2009” by Wine Spectator magazine, the country’s premier wine publication.
 
The Award of Excellence recognizes restaurants that offer a well-chosen selection of quality wine varieties that complement the menu thematically and appeal to a broad spectrum of wine lovers.  BALEEN is among an exclusive list of restaurants chosen from among thousands reviewed worldwide.  The restaurant features more than 500 varieties of wines.

“We are honored to have received this distinction and to be in the company of so many esteemed restaurants worldwide,” said Jerry Janus, director of food & beverage at LaPlaya.  “Our goal is to continually exceed the needs and expectations of our most discriminating guests, and this award lets us know we are doing just that.”

Pleasing to the eye and palate alike, BALEEN features a whimsical monkey motif lending a lighthearted air to its candlelit elegance with mirrored banquettes and monkeys climbing plaster torchères, set amidst oak-paneled walls, white-linen tablecloths and mahogany furnishings. Toes-in-the-sand dining takes place as BALEEN spills out through grand doors to a terrace with tables overlooking the sweeping beach and ends with a few more tables for cocktails where diners are happy to go barefoot.

For couples seeking an intimate experience, they can take advantage of LaPlaya’s private beach side dinners. With a personal Butler, candles illuminated in the evening and a glimmering, moonlit view of the Gulf, diners enjoy four courses of sumptuous specialties that are sure to provide adventure for tempted taste buds. BALEEN offers a Gulf Coast twist to pair perfectly with their extensive wine list, such as traditional favorites including flash grilled ahi tuna, rustic three bean ragout wilted spinach, grain mustard aioli, and roasted natural chicken with goat cheese dumplings, wild mushrooms and sun dried tomatoes.
 
BALEEN is open to the public seven days a week from 7:00 am to 10:00 pm, serving breakfast, lunch and dinner. Along with the gorgeous sunset, everyday BALEEN offers an unbelievable $32 three-course dinner with multiple entrée offerings. On Mondays guests can enjoy “Oysters & Champagne” from 5:00 p.m.- 7:00 p.m. with 75 cent oysters and $5 glasses of champagne.

For more information on BALEENnaples at LaPlaya Beach & Golf Resort, call  (800) 237-6883 or visit www.laplayaresort.com

About The Resort:
LaPlaya Beach & Golf Resort offers guests a luxury experience with the simplicity of unpretentious splendor and the purity of unspoiled beaches. Awarded “Most Excellent Resort” for 2008 in the United States and Canada by Conde Nast Johansens and capturing a spot on the Great Hotels ranking of Travel + Leisure, the stylishly simple escape also features a sweeping soft white beach with private Beach Butlers, crisp white cabanas along a cascading falls pool, exotic SpaTerre and stunning sunsets.