"Architect Bell, along with Scott Sullivan and Dan Einzig, is creating the new Hal's interior, a 215-seat bistro that blends the old with the new. Some of the new includes a square central bar that is expected to be the focal point. They're including a 40-seat private dining room tentatively named the Gallery because it will feature rotating art shows, Einzig says.
But there's also a nod to the old, with many of Hal's paintings and sculptures making the transition, along with Hal's chef, Manuel Mares, the only one Frederick has ever trusted to feed his friends.
"The key to re-creating Hal's will be the focus on community, art and how people are hosted," Einzig says. "Another key challenge is that we're dealing with a newer, younger demographic and what sort of food and drink millennials aspire to. What we're creating is a sense of the Venice art community. Millennials might be young, but they're creative and un-corporate."