From our friends at 701 Restaurant...
Ashok Bajaj of Knightsbridge Restaurant Group’s landmark, 701 Restaurant, located at 701 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW will close temporarily on August 30th, for five days, to undergo a total makeover. It will reopen in time for lunch and dinner service on September 4th. Bajaj has tapped James Beard Foundation’s award-nominated restaurant designer Martin Vahtra of Projects Design Associates of New York to create the new look for 701 Restaurant. Vahtra also designed Bajaj’s Rasika West End, which opened in March 2012, and nopa Kitchen + Bar, which opened in April 2013. One of the most important changes lies in the heart of 701, as it will reopen later this fall with a new private dining room that can accommodate 30 guests. The restaurant’s new updated interior will be warm, with inviting character that creates a sense of well-being and comfort for guests to gather.
701’s new design scheme features dramatic paint colors and wall coverings, in addition to a captivating central wall sculpture. The bar will be more dramatic with new lights that cast a warm glow from their gold leaf interiors. These twenty large white “eggs” appear to be cracked, revealing golden interiors that sparkle and appeal to the eye. One will also find banquettes with new exquisite Maharam fabrics of burgundy, blue and gold accents adding a stylish twist. 701’s new armchairs will be recovered in a striped fabric which colors range from burgundy to teal, and beautifully complements the gold accents throughout the restaurant. Solid, exposed wood tables will be paired with Italian chairs, of all different styles, to give the room a fun and less-formal ambiance. On the floor one will find new carpeting that also enhances the color scheme with its playful pattern of bubbles that swirl around the floor.
701’s two existing private dining rooms, which can accommodate 12 and 20 people for dinner, will be refinished with paint, wall coverings and artwork. One will also incorporate a new set of glass doors for added privacy. The new 30-seat private dining room is being created where the current elevated lounge is situated. It will be enlarged and surrounded by beautifully etched glass panels. Different sized lampshades will adorn the ceiling, creating a warm and inviting atmosphere, ideal for lingering and enjoying this new comfortable gathering place. The room is ideal for private functions as it can be closed off with floor-to-ceiling drapery. It will feature a modern audio-visual system, making it the perfect space for presentations, and it has its own bar, a box of glass that will glow from the inside creating a lighted sculptural effect. The furniture throughout 701 Restaurant will be entirely new, comfortable, stylish and sourced from craftsman in Italy.
Located in Washington, D.C.’s hip Penn Quarter, 701 Restaurant opened in the nation’s capital in December, 1990. One of the DC’s favorite power spots for dining and entertaining, it is conveniently located close to The White House and Capitol Hill at 701 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, 20004. For more information, please call (202) 393-0701 or visit the website at www.701restaurant.com.
