First ever Wolfgang Puck restaurant in Europe to open at 45 Park Lane

The celebrity chef with the magic touch is making his way to London, and the Dorchester Collection is rolling out the red carpet for his arrival. The hotel group announced they will be opening the first Wolfgang Puck restaurant in Europe to the London dining scene with the opening of ‘CUT at 45 Park Lane’, a modern American steak restaurant at the distinctive 45 Park Lane hotel.

Scheduled to open in spring 2011, Wolfgang Puck will bring his famous CUT concept to London for foodies to feast on. With a menu featuring everything from prime dry and wet aged beef, to pan-roasted lobster and sautéed and roasted whole fish, the options are endless when Puck is in the kitchen. Of course, no menu is complete without an international wine list, which will be hand-selected to accompany the menu items.

Located in Mayfair, 45 Park Lane is one of London’s most revered boutique hotels. Each of the hotel’s 45 rooms (which include suites and one penthouse) have views of Hyde Park. CUT at 45 Park Lane will occupy the ground floor of the hotel alongside Bar 45, with seating for approximately 30 additional guests.

Can’t you just taste the excitement?

Veterans blocked from Wolfgang Puck restaurant in Dallas

Okay, it has to be hard to turn a nonagenarian away from a restaurant, right? How about one who’s a decorated World War II hero who spent two years in a POW camp and five of his buddies? Well, this is what happened at the up-market Five Sixty restaurant, a Wolfgang Puck property in Dallas.

Their transgression: failing to meet the dress code.

The vets were holding their annual reunion; they were survivors of the “Black Thursday,” a 1943 German bombing mission. If bending the rules is ever warranted, these are the guys who have earned it. Yet, clad in baseball caps, shorts and POW t-shirts, they weren’t able to strike the necessary pose to get in.

According to USA Today:

“I figure if I spent two years in a POW camp, I could have handled the privilege of sitting in that fancy restaurant a few minutes,” said 93-year-old Jay Coberly, a member of the Second Schweinfurt Memorial Association and a bombardier with the decorated 8th Army Air Force, known as the Mighty 8th. “We’ve been all over the country, and we’ve never had this kind of problem. Dallas must be a first-class town.”

The restaurant has, unsurprisingly, taken action, sending the vets two bottles of Scotch, a written apology and an invitation come back to Five Sixty. The group isn’t going to take the offer, though, reports USA Today: “We were humiliated once,” she said, “so I don’t think they have any interest in stepping back in there.”

[photo by respres via Flickr]