Page 92 - OVATION Magazine (Issue 1)

WHERE THERE’S SMOKE
LIII (it sits just a few blocks from Mercedes-Benz Stadium) before having its official grand opening in May.
With its nondescript exterior and velvet rope at the door, Fellaship from the outside looks more like a nightclub than an upscale restaurant and cigar lounge. Inside, the expansive ground floor is divided into two sections, with one contain- ing the whiskey-and-wine-centric bar and a glass-walled, walk-in humidor with about 100 selections.The other half houses a library, complete with a rolling ladder and shelves stacked high with leather-bound books. Upstairs, there’s a half-floor loft, containing a VIP and members’ lounge with its own small bar and private rooms.Throughout the space, contemporary leather furnishings, custom globe lighting, a zinc-plated bar, and selections from Newton’s art collection help set a sophisticated vibe.
“Everything you see, top to bottom, is either me or my brother,” says Newton, whose fingerprint is indeed all over Fellaship. Just as he earnestly studies tapes before games,
he analyzed details of cigar bars and cocktail lounges as he
traveled the nation playing football.“I went to NewYork,
to California, and to Miami—that’s a hot market for cigar bars,” he says.“I’d look at the ambience, what was going on, and think,‘If you close your eyes and take a mental snapshot, what would you like, and what would you remember?’”
Fellaship is in many ways a peek into Newton’s mind. It reflects his personal passions, from art collecting and fashion to his favorite color (blue) and, of course, cigars.You can catch a game on TV, but otherwise there’s nary a whiff of sports-bar kitsch—the closest thing being a framed black- and-white photo of Muhammad Ali. And while it will satisfy steak lovers, the menu has plenty of options for its owner, who is a devoted vegan.The upscale-casual dress code is also in line with the tastes of a famously fashionable man who has a new custom suit and hat made for every single game day during season. Some of the headwear that he has collaborated on with Los Angeles–based hatmaker Alberto Hernandez is highlighted in glass cases at Fellaship, displayed how another athlete might show off his trophies.
98 |OVATION
FALL 2019