Inside Drafting Table, Angling to Hit 14th St. Next Week

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Behold the architectural wonders of Drafting Table, a new gastropub soft-opening on 14th Street next week. This is the latest from restaurateur Aaron Gordon, and it's the latest in a string of restaurants set to turn up the heat on the booming 14th Street Corridor. It is also one of this fall's most anticipated restaurant openings. This is Gordon's first full-service sit-down restaurant — his other restaurants include Rabbit, TangySweet and Red Velvet Cupcakery — and it is an ode to architecture.

Teaming up with Gordon on the venture is his childhood friend and designer Andrew Christenberry. Their design concept was to recreate the feel of an "old design studio or an engineer's office" and they've brought that to life using vintage drawing tables (hence the name) and touches such as a steel bar top, blueprints as artwork and bus depot stoplights bearing the restaurant's address hanging over one of the high-top communal tables. Other artwork includes photographs of famous people drafting things, you know, like Ernest Hemingway writing a book.

Gordon plucked executive chef Ciji Wagner from within his restaurant group, having served as culinary director from the group and executive pastry chef for Red Velvet specifically. This is her first move into savory and Wagner is planning a seasonal menu of comfort dishes such as braised brisket, duck confit, meatloaf and, of course, a burger with crispy blue cheese, apricot chutney and onion jam. They're also bringing a few salad and sandwich options over from Rabbit, while desserts include a Snickers pie and chocolate pudding.

When it comes to boozing, Drafting Table will offer 16 beers on tap, plus 20 more available by bottle and can at its 22-seat bar. They're including classics like the Old Fashioned on their cocktail menu, plus new drinks such as The Hummer, made with hum liquor, kafir lime, hibiscus, cardamom, ginger, sour and a splash of Prosecco. All wines will be available by the bottle and glass.

The 62-seat Drafting Table soft-opens to the public on October 4 at 5 p.m., with plans for a grand opening on October 10. They'll roll out brunch sometime afterward, plus a patio will be open in spring and summer.

· Drafting Table [Official Site]
· All Previous Drafting Table Coverage [-EDC-]