Ascension To Open Second Coffee House And Wine Bar At The Crescent®

Published on: Nov 03, 2014

ASCENSION TO OPEN SECOND COFFEE HOUSE AND WINE BAR AT THE CRESCENT

The Crescent location will be 50 percent larger than Design District and will have distinctly unique look that reflects the vibrancy of Uptown

DALLAS (Nov. 3, 2014) – Crescent Property Services LLC today announced that Ascension, the extremely popular coffee house and wine bar that originated in the Dallas Design District, will open its second location this spring at The Crescent. Named this year by Zagat as one of the “hottest coffee shops in 15 U.S. cities,” Ascension will occupy approximately 2,900 square feet adjacent to the Bank of America offices at the 200 Lobby fronting the motor court. Tony Click, vice president of leasing for Crescent Real Estate Equities LLC, represented the owner, and Jack Gosnell of UCR represented Ascension.

“Ascension is a first-class operation that is both stylish and innovative. It’s truly in a category by itself and will be a tremendous asset to The Crescent,” said John Zogg, managing director for Crescent Real Estate Equities, LLC. “Ascension is known for their passion and authenticity, and you’ll see it everywhere from the coffee they import and roast themselves, to their creative menu and wine list, and even their cigar offerings.”

The Crescent location will be about 50 percent larger than the original restaurant. It will feature a large, tree-shaded patio area with doors that open to the outside. The expanded interior will offer a variety of flexible seating options including tables, bars, and various nooks and crannies for every kind of customer – from those looking for a caffeine fix while crunching a deadline, to friends sharing a glass of wine or Sunday brunch, to co-workers meeting for a business dinner.

Ascension founder Russell Hayward said The Crescent location will have a similar menu (including full-service breakfast/brunch, lunch and dinner), the same coffees and possibly a larger wine list along with expanded operating hours. However, without divulging too many details, he promises the new spot will have its own look that reflects the Uptown environment – and it won’t be a cookie-cutter replica of the Design District location.

In fact, in planning the new restaurant, he conducted extensive research traveling to many European cities before finding inspiration from an old friend, a well-known French artist who has sold his works on the streets of Paris for over 40 years. Despite the source of his inspiration, he says it definitely won’t be a Parisian café but will instead pay homage to the café society found throughout Europe.

Hayward also plans to debut a new bread called pane aria™ that he says “is so different it will change your perception of panini.” It took him seven months to track down a renowned Spanish baker with whom he collaborated to create the highly protected recipe. He even flew in the baker to teach his staff how to finesse the manufacturing of the bread. Hayward also will continue his efforts with the nonprofit he established called Restore The Bean, which works to restore the livelihood and pride of coffee farming in under-developed coffee producing countries such as South Sudan.

“We’re incredibly excited to bring Ascension to The Crescent, which we believe is the pinnacle of Uptown,” said Hayward. “We can’t think of a better place to expand our brand. Ascension means to rise to a higher level, and we’re all about elevating the coffee experience from start to finish – from the farmers who grow our coffee to the people we serve.”

ABOUT CRESCENT

Crescent Real Estate Holdings LLC, headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas, is a fully-integrated real estate company owned by Barclays Capital and Goff Capital. Through its subsidiaries, Crescent manages and develops premier, Class A office buildings. Crescent also holds investments in resort residential developments in locations such as Scottsdale, Vail Valley, and Lake Tahoe; a luxury hotel, The Ritz-Carlton, Dallas; and the wellness lifestyle leader, Canyon Ranch. For more information, visit Crescent's Web site at www.crescent.com.

Ascension is a registered trademark of Revelry Partners, LLC. Pane Aria™ is a trademark of Revelry Partners, LLC