CURRENTLY SERVING:

Some day, maybe when it’s closer to opening this fall, we’ll have to sit down and tell you about the outsize craziness and restauranteuring on the grandest scale possible that is Union Trust. But for now, let’s just say that the steakhouse, currently under construction on the 700 block of Chestnut Street, will be perhaps the greatest testament to STEAK ever built in the city of Philadelphia. After the jump, a leaked press release, along with the news that UT’s principal beef supplier will be Chicago’s >Allen Brothers, whose website alone makes us feel like rich cavemen. Keep an eye on this one, it’s going to be something else.

Union Trust Steakhouse Slated to Open this Fall

The New Restaurant by Ed Doherty and Terry White
is in Historic 717 Chestnut Street, Once Home to The Union Trust Company

PHILADELPHIA (June 24, 2008) – In a building that once held the city’s gold,
and later its diamonds, veteran restaurateurs Ed Doherty and Terry “TW”
White are crafting a signature steakhouse for Philadelphia. And they’re out
to serve some of the best prime meat in the country.

When it opens this fall at 717 Chestnut Street, Union Trust won’t just be
the biggest restaurant in the city. It will be a dream come true for Doherty
and White.

The two know all about restaurants of all shapes and sizes; combined,
they’ve opened more than 100 of them across the country. But this one is
different. It’s theirs. It’s in their hometown. And it’s not a chain, or
someone else’s concept.

“Union Trust – this is something we’re doing for Philly, not to it,” said
Doherty, who was Managing Partner of the Capital Grille. “When they closed
the 15th Street Bookbinders, and put an Applebee’s in there, a little piece
of me died. That was an institution. There’s nothing wrong with chains – in
fact, we have some of the best. But they’re exports. The Palm is New York’s
white tablecloth steakhouse; Morton’s is Chicago’s. Even Capital Grille
started as a mom-and-pop in Rhode Island.”

And in White – former chef of upscale concepts for the Del Frisco’s and
Sullivan’s chain of high-end steakhouses – he found the perfect partner. The
two, who grew up here, have set out to create a place Philadelphians can
call their own. They’re doing it with decades of experience under their
belts, too.

“We’re taking everything we learned, and applying it here with a local
sensibility. We want a restaurant everyone in the city can embrace,” said
White, who will oversee the kitchen as Chef. “And personally, I can’t wait
to get back into a kitchen here. There’s such a vibrant restaurant scene now
– it’s going to be awesome to be a part of that!”

FOOD
White has big plans for the Union Trust menu, among them vertical beef
tastings, a concept he’s been toying with for the last several months since
announcing it in March. He’s secured several exclusive deals, among them the
only independent contract in Philadelphia with Allen Brothers, out of
Chicago. (Still a family-run operation, Allen Brothers is the leading
supplier of USDA Prime – the top ranking for American beef – to the nation’s
finest steakhouses and restaurants.)

But those are the only specifics the chef is releasing – the rest of the
menu remains a closely guarded secret.

“What I can tell you is this: I trust Allen Brothers for my most important
ingredient: steak. And it’s a partnership that hasn’t let me down once in 19
years,” said White.

His team will prepare steak on legendary Montague broilers, at temperatures
in excess of 1800 degrees. The family-owned Montague Company got its start
during the Gold Rush days in 1850s San Francisco, and has built a sterling
reputation as one of the top manufacturers of ranges, ovens and broilers.
Today, they’ve outfitted kitchens from the Chinese Embassy in Singapore to
Disneyland to Le-Cirque-2000 – in short, they make the “Rolls Royce of
broilers,” said White.

“Union Trust will cook with only the best – the best ingredients, the best
equipment, the best chefs. And it’s my mission to ensure it’s served by the
best wait staff in the city,” added Doherty, who will manage front-of-house.

For a more casual experience, the restaurant will also include a raw bar and
authentic charcuterie.

DRINK
Wine is as much a part of the Union Trust concept as its signature steak.
All told, there will room for more than 18,000 bottles of wine in
temperature-controlled environments, including an expansive wine gallery and
a specially designed cellar for rare and hard to find vintages.

White hired Danielle Desaulniers as Union Trust’s wine consultant. The
daughter of the award-winning chef and “Death by Chocolate” author Marcel
Desaulniers, she first worked with White at Del Frisco’s in New York City.

Desaulniers attended the Culinary Institute of America (CIA), Hyde Park.
After completing the rigorous wine course taught by mentor Michael Weiss,
she sat for the Sommelier Certificate in Las Vegas. She went on to work in
famed dining rooms in San Francisco, such as One Market and The Campton
Place with Todd Humphreys, and then made her way to New York City, where she
worked for chefs such Daniel Boulud and Alain Ducasse. Her final position
in New York City was as sommelier at the direction of Chef Sommelier Pieter
Verhyder at Alain Ducasse at the Essex House. Before she relocated to the
Pacific Northwest, Desaulniers worked as the National Sales/Estate Educator
for Hanzell Vineyards, the heritage winery in Sonoma Valley, Calif.

She described her vision for Union Trust as “creating a wine list with good
bones, but one that will grow from there.” Philadelphia’s patrons will play
a role in the evolution of the wine list, said Desaulniers.

DESIGN
The building Doherty and White selected, along with their partners, is 717
Chestnut Street. Most recently, it was Jack Kellmer Co. jewelers, but the
building has an interesting history. Designed by architect Willis G. Hale,
the structure was originally built in 1888 to house three separate banks
behind one massive façade: Quaker City National Bank, on the left; The Union
Trust Company in the center (and the inspiration for the name of the new
restaurant); and the Bank of Commerce, on the right. The Union Trust portion
of the building was then renovated by visionary Paul Philippe Cret in 1923.
Cret – a French-American architect and industrial designer – is probably
best known for his work on the Benjamin Franklin Bridge and Rittenhouse
Square.

Overseeing the latest renovation is DAS architects, which has been tasked to
balance “the old with the new.” Authentic elements such as original marble
flooring are now accented with beveled glass, granite and nickel, giving the
space a chic yet neo-classical undertone. And many of the original safes are
being incorporated into the current design, or – with the case of two-story
vaults below ground – converted into kitchens and workspaces.

The Union Trust project already has the backing of its neighbors, and
recently received endorsements by the East of Broad Association and
Washington Square West Civic Association. And the team is working with the
Philadelphia Historical Commission to ensure the renovations preserve the
integrity of the building. In fact, the partners even restored the façade to
its 1920s-era Art Deco design, removing faux accents installed much later to
“modernize” it.

ABOUT UNION TRUST
Nestled in Philadelphia’s historic district – within an easy walk from
Independence Hall, the Liberty Bell and National Constitution Center – sits
Union Trust, the new steakhouse by veteran restaurateurs Ed Doherty and Chef
Terry “TW” White. Doherty and White, two local guys who between them have
opened more than 100 restaurants across the country, are doing their largest
and grandest project yet. When UT opens in fall 2008, it is poised to become
a local institution, with soaring 65-foot ceilings, more than 18,000 bottles
of wine and dining rooms appointed with polished marble, rich leather and
precious metals. The high-end design is a tribute to the building’s roots;
designed by architect Paul Philippe Cret, it once served as The Union Trust
Company bank. The menu includes famed Allen Brothers’ prime meats, and items
such as Union Trust’s signature steaks will be prepared in Montague
broilers. For a more casual experience, the restaurant also includes a raw
bar and authentic charcuterie. To make reservations, call 215-925-6000 or
visit opentable.com. To learn more, go to uniontruststeakhouse.com.

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