Global restaurateur HMSHost has been honored with the Best New Food & Beverage Concept (Full Service) award for its exclusive restaurant, Ice Dishes & Drinks, by Airports Council International-North America (ACI-NA), through the Richard A. Griesbach Excellence in Airport Concessions awards program.
Ice, located at Chicago O’Hare International Airport, is a chic, upscale bar and lounge featuring inventive cocktails with five different types of designer ice, such as the Blueberi Smash, made with Stoli Blueberi, simple syrup, lemon juice, mint, and blueberries; the Peach Basil Julep, with Firefly Peach Tea, basil, lemon juice, and agave nectar; and the Red Pepper Margarita, with Maestro Dobel, red bell pepper, agave nectar, and lime juice. Ice vodkas from around the world are a specialty, along with a wide variety of wine and bubbly, beer, and spirits.
Ice’s sophisticated dishes create the perfect pairing to a cocktail—tartines such as the Jambon Royal, including cured and smoked ham, gruyere, cornichon, cracked Dijon mustard, granny smith apples, grapes, and sliced baguette; starters such as Serrano ham with melon; and larger plates such as the artisan cheese plate, a medley of double crème brie, Humboldt fog, Point Reyes blue, mango chutney, dried fruit mix, roasted almonds, grain mustard, cornichon, and baguette. Travelers dine in plush white, silver and bronze seating, amidst ice cyclic chandeliers reflecting in the restaurant’s metallic accents and mirrors—a cool place to be right in the airport.
In addition to Ice’s honors, HMSHost’s nationwide food donation program received second place as Best “Green” Concessions Practice or Concept. Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport’s Terminal 1 and Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport’s Terminal 4 dining, operated by HMSHost, were recognized in the Best Food & Beverage Program-Large Airport category, as well as Dallas Love Field in the Best Food & Beverage Program-Medium Airport category.
“HMSHost is very proud that our restaurants in airports continue to be so well received by travelers and the industry, and we look forward to continuing to develop exciting, new offerings that constantly wow our guests,” says Steve Johnson, executive vice president of Business Development for HMSHost. “We are also extremely proud of our airport operations teams who put forth such great effort toward making a difference in their communities through HMSHost’s food donation program.”
The purpose of the ACI-NA Excellence in Airport Concessions Contest is to inspire creativity in the industry and to recognize innovative and outstanding airport concessions. These awards help to demonstrate the growing importance of concessions to the total airport experience.
