I am really sorry to hear about this closing. I only ate there once and thought the food was wonderful. For me, it was definitely a special occasion place. I guess that was the case with too many others.

My DW and I had their New Year's Day Brunch there a few years ago. Expensive? Yes, but the food and service were good and the the view excellent.

Wow... that's surprising. I know a lot of people who go to their Sunday brunch.

I think it is getting harder for top tier restaurants to make a go of it in hotels. Rather than run a fine dining restaurant, it seems like hotels would rather concentrate on private functions. I'm thinking there are multiple reasons for this, ranging from people being dismissive of hotel restaurants to the growth of restaurant districts like Harbor East.

I wonder if other cities (especially big ones) are experiencing a dive in their hotel restaurant business. Anybody have any info on this?

Ironic since hotels basically invented the modern restaurant.

An expensive restaurant that could earn only 2 and 1/2 stars for food and service. Not too surprising that it is closing.

Several years ago I had the opportunity to attend a private dinner at Pisces. The meal was fantastic as was the service. It was expensive. We paid $75 per person and that was a discount since we were hosted by one of the hotel managers.

Joyce W., the restaurant in Atlanta acclaimed as the best is The Dining Room in the Ritz Carlton. Older as well as brand new hotels here all seem to be going for four star restaurants.

Thought as much, Brother Bim. I'll bet that Azul in the Madarin Oriental in Miami restaurant is still packing them in too. Makes my head hurt trying to understand it, maybe lack of tourist dollars?

For what it;s worth, when I'm sataying at a hotel, I never eat in the hotel restaurant unles it;s the only option available, or unless it's absolutely logistically necesary.

When in travel to other cities I would much rather explore their restaurant scene instead of eating at a hotel restaurant.

I wouldn't satay at a hotel restaurant unless it was in Thailand.

More seriously, I avoid hotel restaurants. I do eat frequently in hotel bars when I'm at a conference, though.

It is weird how hotel restaurants went from being the finest in the land to the one place that you never think of dining unless you were staying there and lazy or on an expense account.

Lissa, what's the deal with Skyr? I read that it's made from skim milk but is not really a yogurt, more like a liquid cheese? Can you get it around here? I read that some Whole Foods carry it.

Hotel restaurants are rarely my first choice, but they're convenient when arriving late or otherwise tired. I have had some surprisingly good meals on some such occasions.

I usually stay away from hotel restaurants but I have to say that my visit in October to Sergio's Italian Restaurant in the Silver Spring Hilton was an exception. The difference, I think is that Sergio apparently bought the space for his restaurant on the "ground floor" ( I say basement) in the eighties when the building was being constructed.

We arrived exactly at noon for lunch, our daughter working at the nearby Discovery building. Whenever I walk in as the first table there and someone who later turns out to be the owner is singing opera to accompany the somewhat loud background music as he made the final adjustments to the tabletops, I knew we had found a gem. When our presence was noticed the level of sound reduced, but not his charming personality.

He cooks at lunch; his wife at dinner. Real Italian food like I remember from the best of Boston's North End. Its not a fancy place but it is comfortable and enjoyable and not greatly expensive for Washington standards.

Complimentary valet parking too.

Brother Bim,
Is that the Ritz in Buckhead? If so, I have eaten there, about 10 years ago. Very nice.

Overpriced restaurants closing in a recession economy- big surprise.

Took my mom to Pisces for dinner on a Friday night in June 2007 and we were almost the only people in the dining room. The view was spectacular, but the food was less so. Appetizer was great, entree so-so and the dessert was stale. It did not make me want to go back.

I fondly remember some great meals at Berry & Elliott, the restaurant that was in the same space at Hyatt back in the early 90's. I was impressed that coffee was served with lump sugar, twists of lemon, other great things to stir in. Sigh...

Owlie, m'dear, you going through skyr withdrawl? I haven't mentioned it in a few weeks, but, really, how much can one say about it?

Besides, after splurging at the Kristkindlemarkt, my current food obsession is chocolate. Und stollen.

I think Enough Already has had enough ... already...

I know zip and less about economic theories and formulas, but there must be one at work here, especially in downtown business areas. (Maybe some budding Nobel laureate will figure out the math.) Here's what it feels like to me ...

"The closer a hotel dining room is to a funky, up-&-coming neighborhood, the better the chance that it will be either bad or closed. Corollary 1: If a "cool" form of public transportation (subway, light rail, trolley, cable car) can connect you to an up-&-coming enclave, the primary rule applies. Corollary 2: If there is a "Tourist Trap" (Riverwalk, Inner Harbor, Union Station, Fisherman's Wharf) restaurant quality generally increases as a function of the distance from the attraction, especially in the direction of a funky neighborhood."

This works for me in Omaha, San Francisco, San Diego, Philadelphia, Portland, Seattle, San Antonio, St. Louis, Delray Beach,, Santa Fe, Niagara Falls and here in Charm City. (I got nothing on Chicago, New York and Boston ... so maybe size counts after all.)

... so maybe size counts after all

Wow, Philadelphia is going to need therapy after that remark. It thought it was bigger than Boston.

I don't understand your theory MD. The Hypothesis and Corollary 2 seem contradictory. Perhaps a concrete example or two would help (for Baltimore). If you elucidate I will be glad to add a layer of economic theory. Possibly several mutually exclusive truths. Economics - the only field where two people can win a Nobel Prize for mutually exclusive theories of reality.

I love Enough Already. Keep it coming Enough. Short and to the point. It reminds me of BG's favorite character, the guy on SNL whose economic policy proposals are all, "Fix it! Just fix it!"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yo3uxqwTxk0&feature=related

I love how before the election every sage in every bar proposed that we elect someone who knows how to "fix" the economy. That's like having monkeys herd cats.

In response to Joyce W, from what I can tell, the hotel/resort dining in Phoenix/Scottsdale is still doing well.