Restaurant: Fuego, Washington DC

Architect:  Gensler

Overview:   Fuego was a full renovation from a dark tap room to a lively, vibrant atmosphere with bright, colorful finishes and a Latin flare. The restaurant is located in Clarendon Virginia in a neighborhood that lacked authentic Mexican cuisine. Fuego is two stories with the Tequileria downstairs and the Cocina dining room upstairs. The upstairs dining level features a large fireplace and an open kitchen that gives the restaurant lots of energy and atmosphere.  This was the second project we worked on with Passion Food Hospitality.  The first was Passion Fish Reston Virginia.

If you would like to receive updates on projects we have completed and information on things we are working on all you need to do is click here and we will send you updates.

Click on any thumbnail picture to see an enlarged gallery view. After viewing this photo gallery visit our portfolio section to see other projects.

Restaurant: Fuego, Washington DC

Architect:  Gensler

Overview:   Fuego was a full renovation from a dark tap room to a lively, vibrant atmosphere with bright, colorful finishes and a Latin flare. The restaurant is located in Clarendon Virginia in a neighborhood that lacked authentic Mexican cuisine. Fuego is two stories with the Tequileria downstairs and the Cocina dining room upstairs. The upstairs dining level features a large fireplace and an open kitchen that gives the restaurant lots of energy and atmosphere.  This was the second project we worked on with Passion Food Hospitality.  The first was Passion Fish Reston Virginia.

If you would like to receive updates on projects we have completed and information on things we are working on all you need to do is click here and we will send you updates.

Click on any thumbnail picture to see an enlarged gallery view. After viewing this photo gallery visit our portfolio section to see other projects.

Architect:  HD+ Architecture

Overview: Chef Geoff Rockville is the latest in Potomac Construction Services ongoing partnership with CG International which has included full service construction assistance in most of their current locations and the second full restaurant build-out.  The Chef Geoff’s Rockville project was not a simple re-concept but a full reworking to create the Chef Geoff concept in what was an existing restaurant.  The build-out includes a 55 ft long bar, a mix of real flame and Edison lighting and a drastic variety of differing finishes that have all been coordinated by HD+ Architecture to create a warm, inviting and comfortable space.

Click on any thumbnail picture to see an enlarged gallery view. After viewing this photo gallery visit our portfolio section to see other projects.

Restaurant: Chef Geoff’s  Location: Rockville, Maryland

Architect:  HD+ Architecture

Overview: Chef Geoff Rockville is the latest in Potomac Construction Services ongoing partnership with CG International which has included full service construction assistance in most of their current locations and the second full restaurant build-out.  The Chef Geoff’s Rockville project was not a simple re-concept but a full reworking to create the Chef Geoff concept in what was an existing restaurant.  The build-out includes a 55 ft long bar, a mix of real flame and Edison lighting and a drastic variety of differing finishes that have all been coordinated by HD+ Architecture to create a warm, inviting and comfortable space.

Click on any thumbnail picture to see an enlarged gallery view. After viewing this photo gallery visit our portfolio section to see other projects.

Beltran: The cross-vaults were something the family had invented back in ’88, and that became the heart and soul of the restaurant. However previously, they’d had bulkheads that concealed air ducts and crossed the dining room horizontally that connected at points of the cross-vault. When we removed them, the illusion of a much grander ceiling, though it was already at 15.5 feet, was created. Removing the bulkheads gave a lot of verticality to the space as it’s very linear and narrow.

DCMud:Was the space reconfigured in any way, and if so for what purposes?

Beltran: The restaurant had taken over an adjacent space in the mid-90s, making it into the private dining room – but it had no connection to the front of the house and people felt they were not dining in the heart of the restaurant. In the new design that space became the kitchen, and the new private dining room was conceived as a part of the main dining room.

DCMud: There appears to be a lot of sumptuous custom mill and tilework.

Beltran: The way we chose to finish the walls, floor surfaces and more was based on the Lebanese tradition of using hardwoods like walnut, much of which is reclaimed wood.Tabletops throughout are reclaimed walnut.

The main floor is assimilated wood plank flooring that’s made of porcelain. It provides the illusion of warm hardwoods but is much more durable and non-slip. Custom concrete tile was used on the bar faces, and will be used on the storefront facade later on.

Carpet tiles in the restaurant are recyclable and have an oversized print and more of an antique look, which gave a warmth and character to the main dining room.

DCMud:  The private dining room appears to be swaddled, if you will, for luxury and sound.

Beltran: In that space, we used a floor-to-ceiling striping pattern where we alternated walnut hardwood planks in between 18-inch wide fabric panels, actually Homasote boards with batting, for dimension. We wrapped green tea leaf velvet fabric. All three major walls are encased in wood and velvet panels.

In the other part of the restaurant, we used copper velvet fabric for the banquettes treated with Nanotech stainguarding.

DCMud: Can you speak to the lighting?

Beltran: All lighting is LED. Chandeliers were custom made in Egypt specifically for this project. The chandeliers in the wall that divide the private dining room from the main dining room are Moroccan lanterns that we find in most Lebanese Taverna restaurants.

DCMud: Does the new restaurant resemble any of the others?

Beltran: From the time I first starting working with the family, in 2000, it was clear they didn’t want their spaces to look like anything cookie-cutter, or a franchise. Each restaurant is specifically designed and detailed within the community – each has a different look and feel. And it’s always a team effort, as the family, chefs and staff are deeply involved. The food, service and friendliness may be the same, but the experience of the surroundings is completely different. And the family treats each restaurant like it’s their only one.

DCMud: More like Louis Sullivan’s contextual architecture, perhaps.

Beltran: Each speaks the language of its community or neighborhood.

DCMud: You began working for family in the restaurant business when you were 14 years old, something that evolved to later experiences with renowned chefs/restauranteurs Victorio Testa, Roberto Donna and others. Is your hospitality design work a strategic outcome of this?

Beltran: I knew in junior high school I wanted to be an architect. Combining food and design was more of a coincidence, though, when the first architecture firm at which I worked  did a restaurant. I said, ‘I know all this,’ so it was a natural blending and I never looked back.

DCMud: Is there a particular D.C. building that has impacted you as an architect?

Beltran: It has to be the Holocaust Museum. It’s not so much the displays but the actual path through the building – the lighting. It’s the way the walls enclose and direct you to experience the space – something very successful, very powerful and moving. I try and do that with my restaurants. I want to tell a story and give a different experience in any point of the restaurant – not just have it be one big open space where you see everything and know what it is. If you sit in different areas, they should evoke different feelings and emotions.

3 comments:

Anonymous said…

Stunning work. That was a major investment, I sure hope that it pays off for them.

Anonymous said…

The design is great. The only problem is that it doesn’t work for the winter months. The front doors are locked in the winter so you have to enter via a side hallway. I find this to be a major flaw despite the rest of the restaurant being great. Also, I have to admit that the former menu/kitchen staff were better than the current staff/menu.

Anonymous said…

It looks beautiful. Is the no reservation/no one seated until the entire party arrives policy in effect?

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Architect: Aria Group Architects Inc.

Overview:  This is a wonderful and unique restaurant, featuring South African Peri Peri spiced chicken. The walls and ceiling are adorned with Rustic Barn Wood and Stucco Plaster covered with European and African Art. It’s a nice place to have an excellent chicken meal at very reasonable prices.

Click on any thumbnail picture to see an enlarged gallery view. After viewing this photo gallery visit our portfolio section to see other projects.

Overview:

Click on any thumbnail picture to see an enlarged gallery view. After viewing this photo gallery visit our portfolio section to see other projects.

Overview:  Chef Jeff Buben announces Woodward Table designed by Grizform Design Architects with construction by Potomac Construction Services. This 7,500 square foot fast track project features a 200 seat main dining room, a bar, bakery and carryout. The renovation showcases two unique eating experiences.  One fine dining and the other a unique concept of fast casual.

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Location:  NW Washington DC

Architect:  Design Republica, Inc.

Overview: 22 year old restaurant in Woodley Park had a complete renovation with a spacious modern design including a new bar/lounge area, redesigned main and private dining rooms and a new kitchen. Click on the photos below to get a before and after look at Lebanese Taverna.

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Architect:  GrizForm Design Architects

Overview: Firefly is a recent renovation project located near Dupont Circle that was fast tracked and completed within three weeks. The innovative design includes a swing under the signature tree at the restaurant’s entrance and a kitchen cottage facade. As Firefly’s website says…”everything at our Dupont Circle restaurant takes inspiration from a twilight picnic in the woods – but it’s our American comfort food that takes center stage.”

Click on any thumbnail picture to see an enlarged gallery view. After viewing this photo gallery visit our portfolio section to see other projects.

To see more info on Firefly go to Firefly’s website.