Finding that retirement didn’t quite suit him, 10-year food service veteran Pierre Balentine plans to open Balentine’s Restaurant & Bar in the former Tripel space at 1801 Park Ave., in Lafayette Square. Balentine plans to offer comfort food from around the world, a concept based on his decades of travel. Customers can expect everything from black beans and rice to spaetzle to Cuban sandwiches.
“I want this to be more than a place to eat,” Balentine said. “I want it to be an experience and a place where people can enjoy their time and have fun.”
To execute Balentine’s vision of classic dishes from Cuba to Germany, he has hired three chefs: Kyerra Cox, who will develop the menu, Coco Ali, who will run a specialized pastry program, and Raven Smith, who Balentine hired for her “young, creative mind and can-do attitude.” Angela Gray will be the floor manager. “I want to empower people,” Balentine said. “This can be a hard industry for women, and I want to empower them and give them opportunity.”
The 250-seat restaurant will serve lunch, dinner and weekend brunch when it opens in mid-February.
This article appears in December 2015.