After designing sixteen restaurants for other restaurateurs, Paul LaMorticella has outdone himself with the opening of his own restaurant called 'duo'. The former Brownstone Bistro (297 Franklin Street, between Chippewa & Tupper Streets) has been transformed into 100% eye-candy. From the swank glass chandelier to the chameleon-like brick oven... the restaurant is a bit dreamlike. The addition of a doorman's awning has softened up the facade of the building. Then there are four stainless steel benches and a fire-pit that greet customers before they enter the front door. Once inside, a long zigzag bar with an illuminated marble-looking top draws the eye. Seating is available both upstairs and down, and if the weather is nice there is a large upper deck with its own full bar.
Lighting is king at Duo. There are backlit mirrors, and lit-up columns, and of course the bar adds a constant glow to the room. There are flat-screen TVs just about everywhere too... there's even one outside on the upper deck. Then there are the bathrooms. The clear freestanding glass sinks mimic much of the flora found in the various corner nooks.
More than anything else I must say that it is nice to see the wait staff in full uniforms. It's a nice touch for this particular restaurant. Last night for 'Industry Night' members of the staff were wearing black and white striped pants, white shirts, bright red ties and white jackets. An unusual twist to the uniforms came in the form of the bartendresses who were wearing laced corsets over their white collared shirts.
‘duo’ is cozy and cool – with NYC flair. A lot of time and effort went into designing the interior... Paul did not miss a trick. To learn more about Paul's latest venture, see Christa's post in BRO's YUM Channel.