R E S TA U R A N T R E V I E W
Vestal
RYAN TRAHAN REVEALS HIS MODERN MASTERPIECE IN DOWNTOWN LAFAYETTE
By Jordan LaHaye Fontenot • Photos by Denny Culbert
“I
hfind that restaurants do one of two things: they either take you further into a time or a place, or further out of a time or a place.” Vestal, Chef Ryan Trahan told me, is hmeant to be an escape. Inside the much anticipated downtown Lafayette restaurant— which opened late-April—a hand-painted mural by artist Jason Tait illustrates a scene of revelry—a depiction of the Roman festival Vestalia, which honored Vesta, the goddess of the hearth, home, and family. Limestone plaster walls and zellige tile are softened by jewel-toned velvet cushions and mosaic tabletops. The domed ceiling is an Art Deco nod to the restaurant’s predecessor—the oldest bar in Lafayette, Antlers (opened in 1921). And, on a busy night—as almost every night has been since it’s opened—the room vibrates in conversation, glimmering against the warmth emitted at its center: a massive wood-burning hearth. The entire space was the fruit of creative collaboration, but Trahan attributes much of the vision to Houston interior designer Amanda Medsger. “We wanted the restaurant to center around a fire,” he said. “Fire is something that always brings people together, we find warmth from a fire. We wanted to create something really inviting and soothing for people to kind of escape from their every day. Amanda took a lot of inspiration from that, and from the seafood, trying to create a place that was kind of like having a dinner party or house party behind-thescenes of a mansion.”
When morning came to Louisiana, we were wide awake. Ready for what’s next. And as we begin anew, Blue Cross stands ready to support you. bcbsla.com
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