PR: Owner of Former Notion Restaurant Teams Up With Up & Coming Local Chef, Reopening as The Twisted Frenchmen

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PITTSBURGH, PA (PittsburghNewsWire.com) — Talented, local chef, Andrew Garbarino, is teaming up with the Owner of the former Notion Restaurant to open The Twisted Frenchmen in its place.  The Twisted Frenchmen will focus on French comfort food with a modern twist in a casual fine dining atmosphere.

After having been engaged to conduct the sale of Notion Restaurant, Terri Sokoloff of Specialty Bar & Restaurant Brokers met with Andrew Garbarino, a former chef at Spoon and Il and Pizzaiolo, who had always had the dream of running his own restaurant.  Ms. Sokoloff explained, “I was very impressed by Mr. Garbarino’s background and his dynamic personality.  I felt that his experience, work ethic and vision were directly in-line with what the Owner had hoped for with Notion and that there may be a very unique opportunity here to pair the two together.”  Following a few very positive meetings with both parties, she suggested the Owner team up with Mr. Garbarino and re-open with Mr. Garbarino at the helm.  “It was like two puzzle pieces fitting together,” she said.  Mr. Garbarino has been experimenting with a variety of menu items for over two years, perfecting how to utilize modern techniques and technology in unique ways to manipulate flavors and appearance.

The menu will be at a price point below that of the former Notion Restaurant and will include a French wine and champagne list with wines offered by the glass in a 2.5oz or 5.5oz pour to allow for customers to try different options. Open for dinner only, The Twisted Frenchmen will accept both walk-ins and reservations.  Danielle DiNardo, from Eleven, will be joining Mr. Garbarino’s team as the front of house manager.

Looking forward to the new endeavor, Mr. Garbarino stated, “I’m very excited about this opportunity because I understand the space, appreciate the culinary neighborhood and know what needs to be done to make this a successful restaurant.  Through my years spent attending the Culinary Institute of America and working in the industry, I have acquired the skills to develop my own personal “twist” on food and with that I plan on making each dining experience at my restaurant something people will never forget.”  With a few renovations to the space including expanding the seating underway, Mr. Garbarino is anticipating to open in mid-to-late April.

Specialty Group is Pennsylvania’s one-stop-shop for business services provided exclusively for people who own bars/restaurants or those who would like to get into the bar and restaurant industry.  Since 1986 Specialty Group has assisted scores of clients with buying and selling bars and restaurants, liquor licensing and business financing.

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