The Foundry Opens in Hartford January 16 with Sweeping Views & Exciting Chef Team

Hartford’s best restaurant view returns next month, as The Foundry opens on the 20th floor of the Hartford Steam Boiler building January 16. 

The former ON20 Restaurant, known for its soaring views of the Connecticut River and other area landmarks, has been fully renovated and reimagined, with even more stunning panoramic vistas of the capital city. The industrial-chic interior has an expansive bar, an open kitchen with gleaming stainless-steel appliances, private dining spaces and jaw-dropping glimpses of the sky from nearly every vantage point.

ON20, a celebrated white tablecloth establishment for many years, closed during the uncertainty of the pandemic in 2020, but two years ago, Hartford Steam Boiler’s leadership began reaching out to key people to start conversations about reopening the restaurant. 

They contacted chef Jeffrey Lizotte, who had ascended to the executive chef role at ON20 during his career and became one of the state’s top culinary talents as a result. Lizotte opened his own restaurant, Present Company in Simsbury, in 2016, but he said he and other ON20 alumni had been rooting for the Hartford landmark to make a comeback. 

The 24-story building is home to 500,000 square feet of office space, but the restaurant had always been considered its “crown jewel," he said.

“This is part of HSB’s ability to breathe life into the building through the community, bring energy back to the downtown area, and stick to the roots of what downtown Hartford was and its legacy,” he said.

Lizotte agreed to help shepherd the new restaurant project as executive chef and partner, eventually bringing back two other ON20 alums, former captain Francesco Tomiano and chef Jesse Powers, who served as executive chef there once Lizotte departed to open Present Company. At the Foundry, Tomiano will be the general manager and Powers the chef de cuisine, and Lizotte said Powers will be spearheading much of the kitchen leadership and menu development.

The Foundry’s menu has not yet been finalized, Lizotte said, but dinner will be served a la carte, with six or seven starters, the same number of entrees and four to five plated desserts. Bread will be baked in house, and he promises “a really nice pasta program” and “a strong seafood accent to the menu.”

“The dishes are going to be American, seasonal, contemporary,” he said. “They're not going to have French words. They're not going to have exuberant descriptions. We certainly want to be able to provide a menu that is familiar and comfortable but also inventive and exciting, so a good balance of both.”

With the open kitchen as a focal point, The Foundry will also feature a tasting menu of multiple courses, served at the chefs’ counter. Lizotte said that menu will rotate frequently, giving chefs a chance to get creative and highlight fresh ingredients.

The Foundry management also hopes to build bar business, Lizotte said, spotlighting what he calls an “incredible” cocktail program with a separate menu of interesting small bites. He said they intend to offer “jazz nights” with bar service only on Tuesday nights during the restaurant’s first weeks, while opening for dinner Wednesday through Saturday. Lunch hours will likely be added after Valentine’s Day.

The restaurant space also pays tribute to Hartford Steam Boiler’s history, described on the business’s website as “the first company in America devoted primarily to industrial safety.” 

As the Industrial Revolution began to unfold, steam boilers were used to drive machinery, locomotives and steamboats — and catastrophic explosions began to happen, including the 1865 Sultana steamboat disaster on the Mississippi River, where more than 1,160 released Union soldiers were killed. 

Several young Hartford businessmen associated with the use of steam power formed The Polytechnic Club, according to HSB’s website, concluding that boiler explosions occurred because the pressure inside the equipment became greater than the ability of the boiler to withstand it. 

“They reasoned that better materials and design – with periodic in-service inspections for weaknesses – would prevent explosions,” the website notes. “Though the insurance offered financial interests, it was secondary to safety and loss prevention – a totally new concept for an insurance offering.”

They founded the Hartford Steam Boiler Inspection and Insurance Company in 1866. Photos of the Sultana now hang on the walls of The Foundry’s back private dining room, honoring HSB’s legacy of improving boiler safety.

“It still goes back to the same thing, being close to the origins of this incredible company that has supported Hartford for over 150 years,” Lizotte said. “The Foundry creates that connection between the industrial past to today's (modern) technology…the restaurant is an extension of the excellence of the company. For the tenants in the building, it’s built excitement and retention and value for the downtown community.”

The Foundry is at 400 Columbus Boulevard on the 20th floor of the One State Street/ Hartford Steam Boiler building. Reservations are now open for January 16 and beyond. thefoundryct.com, @thefoundryct.