“Part of what Americana is is very much what Mohegan Sun is about-craftsmanship and about making and about the idea of invention,” says Mexico. The restaurant is about much more than just an American bistro-it’s about Americana, something indicative of Flay’s menu. And since there were some strong furnishings at the New York spot, this new space incorporated them too including a zinc bartop, aged mirrors, and a stone entry. The color palette was driven around amber and colors that make the skin look good so inside, burnt orange, ochre, and simulated yellow hues contrast against darker tiles, richer woods, leathers, and marble and wood flooring. “When people’s faces are lit well everyone is excited and its sort of a psychological thing of ‘when I look in this restaurant it makes me feel good,'” says Mexico. An oyster-sucking station and wood and metal wine towers were also introduced to make the menu three-dimensional and add an extra source of entertainment.įor a true bistro feel, the design team looked at bistros around the world and researched lighting. “Part of that gets you excited about what else is going to come out and ‘oh did you smell that,'” explains Mexico. To that end, the kitchen was aligned with the dining room in such a way that guests get to see the interaction between the kitchen and its servers. The 13,000 square-foot space, which houses a bar, lounge, main dining room, and private dining room, had to make both the food and the design the main attractions. But since the space had what Mexico calls “good bones” and three store fronts-one facing the main interior (retail area) hotel lobby area and elevator lobby area, there was a lot to work with. So we wanted some of those architecture points to emulate that,” says Rockwell Group’s David Mexico.įor the second Bar Americain installment, there was a similar design challenge to its sister location-introducing diners to what an American bistro was and making the most out of an existing space. “Bistros in Europe have long history American bistros really don’t. The design firm worked on several of Flay’s restaurants including his first Bar Americain in New York, so when the chef wanted to open his second outpost at Mohegan Sun, one that honored the American bistro, he knew who to turn to. Chef, restaurateur, and well-known TV personality Bobby Flay and Rockwell Group go way back.

Bar americain mohegan sun