By Linda Brockman
Photography by Claudia Uribe Touri
You wouldn’t see it unless you were looking for it. Situated on the narrow strip of land between Fort Lauderdale beach and New River Sound is a small boutique hotel called The Pillars. Behind its stately white facade, the hotel’s guests and members of its exclusive dining club are enjoying dinner.
A server places a basket of warm focaccia, along with a divided dish of savory dips, on the table. He indicates each of the three compartments, identifying its contents: olive tapenade, sun-dried tomato pesto and “beachside, you have roasted pepper coulis,” he says, pointing to the compartment on the east side of the room.
Beachside is only about 100 yards away, but The Secret Garden restaurant and uber-boutique hotel seem miles away from the tourists and Spring Breakers on Fort Lauderdale’s A1A.
Diners at The Secret Garden are either guests of the hotel or members of the Secret Garden dining club. No one can walk in off the street, mostly because few even know the restaurant exists. And the members like it that way.
PARADISE FOUND: When Michael Landry, left, bought the property in 1997, he says he immediately felt its potential as a luxury hotel.
It seems that the only people who know are those in the know. Otherwise, the dignified white Caribbean-Colonial structure blends into its surroundings. Pardon the cliché, but as a small, exclusive restaurant, cocooned within an 18-room luxury hotel on the Intracoastal, this is truly a hidden gem.
The Secret Garden’s exclusivity appeals to member Jill Johns, who lives at Harbor Beach and works on Las Olas Boulevard. “It’s Fort Lauderdale’s best-kept secret. There are so many great local restaurants, but here they take it to a whole other level. It’s our new favorite place.” Johns, a realtor, discovered The Secret Garden restaurant years ago, when she went as a member’s guest. She joined a few months ago, after being referred by a present member.
Whether it’s day or night, it’s the view of New River Sound and the food that stand out at The Pillars. “People used to come here to eat because of the view. Now they come for the food—and the view,” says Michael Landry, president of Landry Trebbi Investment Corp., who purchased The Pillars property in late 1997.
Executive Chef Youssef Hammi, a graduate of the New York Restaurant School, and his dish compositions have received praise from diners. “We try to bring in food that is healthy and creates a composed meal. It’s not just a piece of fish with vegetable and sauce,” he says. “It is all part of the thought process. The vegetables are there to enhance the flavor of the dish and bring all of the elements together.”
The menu features classic dishes like seared diver sea scallops, Chilean sea bass and swordfish. “The grilled swordfish speaks to my heritage, which is Moroccan. So does zaalouk, a Moroccan eggplant and tomato salad,” says Hammi, who has been at The Pillars since 2010. “The whole dish is really very simple. If I have a philosophy about cooking, it’s to keep it simple and light.”
Hammi’s resume includes five-star restaurants in Manhattan and training with chefs Jean Michel Bergougnoux (L’Absinthe) and Terrance Brennan (Picholine). Hammi has free reign in the kitchen to be creative or explore a new fad. “I try to keep up with the Joneses and at the same time challenge myself. I like to take classic dishes and put my own spin on them,” like a pot pie where lobster replaces meat, and porcini mushroom stock and truffle oil replace the cream sauce.
“Guests are more massaged than usual,” says Jerome DeVeaux II, The Pillars’ food and beverage manager. “We have higher standards across the board. Everybody is treated like royalty.”
THE FINER DETAILS
The little details—such as a staff who remembers guests’ names, a harp in the sitting room and fresh flowers delivered weekly—are noticed by members and guests. Those standards have also helped the hotel earn a place on the Condé Nast Traveler Gold List in 2011, 2013 and 2014 as one of the “world’s best places to stay.” The Pillars also ranked among the top three hotels in Florida by Condé Nast Traveler in its Readers Choice Awards in 2012 and 2013.
“We will do whatever it takes to make guests happy,” says Landry, who, at age 68, just earned a law degree from the University of London. “Essentially it’s the culture here. That’s what people like.” Guests are encouraged to leave comments on a guest folio, which is read by Landry daily. “If a guest sneezes, it’s in the report.”
Local artist Christina Lihan, a friend of Landry’s, created the framed, paper sculptures that depict homes and local hotels, dotted around the lobby of the hotel. Another local artist, Marcy Bjelajac, copied Gerald Murphy’s Cocktail, which hangs in the lobby near the bar. The original, painted in 1927, hangs in the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York City.
When Landry first found the property in 1997, he had been buying properties, fixing them up and flipping them. But there was something about this location on the Intracoastal that Landry knew had potential. Renovations began in 1998.
Interior designer Zeke Fernandez retained the building’s 1930s style ceiling. The Pillars reopened as a luxury boutique hotel in 1999. Shortly thereafter, it was admitted to the Small Luxury Hotels of the World group.
COLONIAL CHARM: The elegant white edifice elicits a Caribbean-Colonial influence that continues with interior designer Zeke Fernandez’s use of dark-wood floors and accents, and a columned wraparound balcony.
The Pillars structure was designed by Wahl Snyder in 1939, and the original building became one of the largest and most elegant family residences at the time in Fort Lauderdale. Snyder became well known for his designs in the Caribbean and South Florida, including the building that houses the school of architecture at the University of Miami.
Dwarfed by hotels like the 17-story Ritz-Carlton and the 16-story Atlantic Hotel & Spa (and the Four Seasons coming in 2018), Landry, who is a big supporter of the Broward Public Library Foundation and the Miami City Ballet, says a small luxury hotel can offer constant care that the larger hotels cannot.
“It feels off the beaten path even though it’s close to downtown,” says Beth Klein, a psychologist, foodie and Secret Garden member who lives in Pembroke Pines. “It’s charming and classy at the same time, with an intimate feeling and an impressive view of the Intracoastal. It’s like you’ve stumbled upon something unique, stylish and hidden.”
Originally appeared in the Spring 2015 issue.
