Area 31 Fully Reopened After Menu/Interior Overhaul

Area 31, the 16th floor restaurant du jour of the ever-humble EPIC Hotel in Downtown, has been dormant for diners over the last few months, as they've been undergoing a period of renovation and reinvention. Now they're back and taking reservations with a new look and a new Executive Chef: Wolfgang Birk.

Birk, who you may remember from Casa Casuarina and Cooper Avenue, has begun making his mark on the restaurant with a menu bent on freshness and sustainability. Some interesting highlights from the new menu include the king crab with jicama and black garlic crudo, a small plate apportionment of seared diver scallop with a ginger confit, sweet corn, and chorizo crumble, and, possibly the most talked about entrée on Chef Birk's new menu, the lobster wonton ravioli with snap peas and confit tomato.

The restaurant has been slightly cagier about offering a full-fledged view of their new and improved interior design in the past few days since their reopening. What we do know is that the outdoor dining area is, naturally, as breathtaking as ever. As for the inside, Area 31 posted a teaser photo that shows a tasteful minimally ornamented view of wooden lacquered tables with bespoke deep red leather chairs and cream-colored bench seating running the perimeter of the room.
— Travis Cohen
· Area 31 [Facebook]