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A CULINARY & ART EXPERIENCE
Docent, is the name for an art gallery guide alluding to the world-class art pieces that will be integrated into the design. The two-story restaurant will provide guests a museum experience, displaying nearly 100 pieces from The Ann & Gabriel Barbier-Mueller Museum: The Samurai Collection, the only museum in the United States dedicated to samurai art and armor, and one of the largest in the world. Located just three blocks from the restaurant, guests will be able to dine amidst priceless art and artifacts while being guided through an otherworldly celebration of exceptional food.
THE SAMURAI COLLECTION
Samurai artifacts found within Docent reflect three centuries of Japanese culture and history. The samurai were the warrior class of medieval and premodern Japan, controlling the country’s military and government from 1185 to 1868. Early samurai were archers who fought on horseback so it’s only fitting a fully armored horse and rider, along with two other samurai in period armor, occupy the entrance to the restaurant. Another three retainers wearing sumptuous Edo period (1615-1868) armor dominate the dining and bar area surrounded by dynamic samurai helmets and textiles, sculpture and even a menacing iron horse mask.