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New Fine-Dining Concept Showcases Hospitality Design

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#hospitality #restaurants #dining #chefs
Published
10/26/2024 by

HFA Architecture + Engineering has collaborated with Fielding's Hospitality Group to bring a fine-dining vision to life on Westheimer Road.

New tastes by Fielding's Culinary Group CEO Cary Attar and renowned executive chef Edelberto Goncalves are coming this fall to Houston's River Oaks neighborhood in settings carefully crafted by HFA, said the architecture and engineering firm's hospitality group lead Steven Baker (AIA, NCARB).

"This project is a great example of what hospitality design can bring to fine-dining restaurants intent on wowing their guests," Baker said. "It's all about putting yourself in your patrons' shoes and crafting the best-possible experience for them, in close collaboration with a creative and engaged client."

The new restaurant is now under construction on the ground floor of Crescent Communities' Novel River Oaks luxury apartment development, located at the intersection of Willowick and Westheimer. Baker spearheaded the project, with Vice President of Hospitality + Entertainment Nicole Poole (AIA, NCARB, LEED AP) and hospitality designer Egle Gornick tackling the initial schematic and interior design work.

As noted in an HFA case study on the project, Fielding's River Oaks will offer the likes of "handmade Italian pastas and fresh-catch Gulf seafood; wood-fired steaks courtesy of nationally known Black Angus beef producer 44 Farms; competition-dominating wines from Napa Valley to Bordeaux, and a rainbow of delicately infused, mixologist-prepared cocktails."

The multidisciplinary HFA team collaborated with the client on fine details related to furnishings, fixtures and interior design. "Our design guide called for elevated, airy and open spaces that conveyed comfort in a way that felt effortless," Baker notes in the case study. "The client wanted spaces with soul."

The team applied A+E best practices to make the most of a tight, 5,000-square-foot shell, collaborating with kitchen designer Texas Metal Equipment (TME) to properly size and orient the kitchen for the requirements of the culinary and service staff, as well as the wood-fired ovens that are integral to the Fielding's brand.

The restaurant boasts 25 bar seats, 20 "bar dining" booths around the bar, 135 main dining-room seats, and 10 seats in the private dining room, making for a total capacity of 190. HFA also designed Fielding's River Oaks so that outdoor patios could later be added as an amenity.

The patron experience, Baker noted, drove the design process from start to finish. HFA made sure that key focal points—including the large, glass-fronted wine room (capable of showcasing 1,400 bottles) and sweeping central bar—would create unmistakable impressions from multiple angles.

"We really wanted to use design and décor to celebrate and complement these focal points," Baker observes in the case study. Toward that end, designers made ample use of wood, stone and brick, along with custom wall and furniture coverings and high-end leather and fabric.

Says Baker, "It's going to be quite an experience to be at the bar and have one of their infused-liquor cocktails while you wait for your table, or to have a server pour you an outstanding glass of wine tableside."

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