“It’s not often that an owner sets an unlimited budget for creating a tabletop. The Pavilion in Antigua is that rare situation.”
That’s from a 2004 “Tabletop Performance Special Mention” — which seems to be some kind award for setting the table. And we’re betting you can guess who that free-spending owner is.
The write-up, posted on the site AllBusiness.com, continues:
This restaurant’s owner, R. Allen Stanford, created this extremely luxurious, 5-star dining establishment in 2003. It not only serves local residents and guests but also Stanford’s high-net-worth clients who fly into Antigua to visit the Stanford International Bank with interest in investing in one of his operations on this island located in the eastern Caribbean.
…
Located at the entrance to V.C. Bird International Airport and overlooking the Stanford Cricket Grounds, The Pavilion was designed in the style of the great Caribbean plantation homes of the 18th century. To showcase their wealth, taste and sophistication, European settlers built these grand residences, called “Great Houses.”
It gives a shout-out to Stanford’s one-time girlfriend, Andrea Stoelker, who was then managing the restaurant — and whose brother owns the house in Fredericksburg, Virginia where Stanford has been staying in recent days:
Also instrumental in the design process was The Pavilion’s manager, Andrea Stoelker, who charged Nodler and Bailey to “design a tabletop fit for a king.” Literally, no expense was spared to accomplish this goal. With the owner’s blessing to spend $160 per sterling-silver goblet, $32.50 per crystal stem, $65 per glass bread & butter plate and $10 per pure linen napkin, a spectacular table was set.
Literally!
In case you wanted more details about the table:
The chinaware is primarily Bernaudaud’s sculptured undecorated Provence pattern, with the bread & butter plates and the tea cups customized for this installation. The glass service plates are a retail item that the interior designers located and specified and are used in the wine cellar with its reclaimed oak beam-and-timber ceiling, handmade used American bricks and antique French limestone floor, which also houses its 10,000-bottle collection of vintage wine. The glass B&B plates from Annieglass, used as accent pieces, are again retail items made from recycled windowpanes. The crystal stemware is from Riedel’s Sommelier collection and is complemented by Christofle Hotel’s heavy French silver-plated flatware in its Beau Harnais pattern. Of course the selection process was geared to serve the French creole cuisine of Executive Chef Andrew Knoll.
Of course.
And to top it off:
While the customer felt that Riedel’s wine glassware was perfect, they wanted a totally unique water glass. The result was the location and purchase of custom sterling-silver goblets, which, according to Bailey, were handmade for the client in Istanbul, Turkey, each arriving in its own gift sack.
