Fresh off the mentors' episode of Top Chef, which aired February 21st on Bravo, I received a message from Chef Bryan Voltaggio. Chef Bryan and his brother Chef Michael were on the show back in the day on season six. Michael narrowly won out over Bryan, with both men competing until the bitter end in the finale. Needless to say, they're exceptionally talented chefs who have taken their skills far beyond the show.
Today, the Voltaggios are joining forces for their next hotly-anticipated culinary venture on the east coast. Located just a few blocks from the Washington Monument in D.C., their new restaurant, Estuary, is perched atop the gorgeous Conrad Hotel on New York Avenue. Opening just about a week ago, D.C.'s newest place-to-be gives flight to dreams and ideas that the Voltaggio's have been incubating for years.
Estuary will feature a plating station in the dining room where both chefs will be visible as they work. It's like a stage, which is fitting for these contemporary food- and chef-obsessed times. As Michael has said, he's never understood why a bar is in the middle of a restaurant, but not the kitchen. Now, it will be. Visionary as they are, they're also setting a new standard for table service. And that's where Chef Bryan's message to me came in.
The elder Voltaggio experienced Dining Elevated's Solid Brass Uplifts when he joined the mentors' episode in Louisville, KY, before the production jetted off to Macau. Assuming he was intrigued by the Uplifted experience on Top Chef, Bryan asked whether we could produce several hundred custom pieces in the matter of days to make his restaurant's opening date. While it was certainly a tall order, we were thrilled to oblige. Within 48 hours, we had developed a proprietary patina technique, hand-finished 300 of our stainless steel pieces to achieve a one-of-a-kind look, and shipped them off to their restaurant. We loved the result. And from the looks of the table-side Instagram posts we keep seeing come through, we trust their diners do, too!
If you have dreams and ideas for a one-of-a-kind Uplift for your restaurant, give us a call and let's create something special together! 424-353-1200
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