By Melissa Griegel . . .
The stars came out on February 16 to celebrate the grand opening and ribbon cutting of New York’s most unique new restaurant. Journey, located at 27 West 24th Street, offers four diverse dining experiences under one roof. The restaurant, bar and lounge combines the latest in immersive video installments with fine dining and entertainment. Video projections abound on the walls, on your table, and on the bar top, with the actors in the videos talking to you and bringing you into their world.
Tony Award-winning producer Marc Routh (The Producers, Hairspray) teamed up with fellow producer Simone Genatt, restaurateur Alex Cesaria, Tony Award-winning scenic designer David Gallo, Executive Chef Edward Hong, and a whole team of people from the worlds of theater and dining to create a restaurant offering “theatrical gastronomy” to its patrons.
The expansive restaurant has four separate dining options. Journey Odyssey takes place in a separate dining room where live and filmed performances bring the diners’ tabletops to life with comic adventures led by an award-winning Broadway cast. Journey 360, also in its own room, has a communal dining table and transports the diners to five exotic locations for each of the courses of the prix fixe meal. This room also has 360º projections that surround the room, bringing the guests into a volcano and other locales. The main section of the restaurant, the Journey Salon, consists of a large lounge filled with couches, 3D sculptures on the walls, moving paintings that are projected along one wall, and filmed and live entertainment in the lounge and on the bar top. On the other side of the massive bar, on the street side with large windows, is the Journey Epic Café which offers a more casual dining experience and also includes augmented reality, bringing the dinner plates to life.
NYC Council Member for District 3, Erik Bottcher, was instrumental in helping the owners get the restaurant off the ground and was happy to be part of the ribbon cutting. Routh, Cesaria, and Genatt, all welcomed the guests, which included Broadway actors, directors, and producers Jelani Remy, Richard Maltby Jr., Jamie deRoy, Amanda LaMotte, Travis Waldschmidtt, Matt Lenz, Anthony C. Daniel, and Joshua Shakeshaft. The hostesses donned high-tech light up dresses by Journey partner FashionTech. The guests were introduced to the restaurant with an open bar and delectable canapes.
For more information and to make reservations, please visit: https://journeyexperience.nyc/
Photos by Melissa Griegel Photography
