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concept based restaurants

FaustianBargain
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FaustianBargain

FaustianBargain

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i know that restaurants can be 'french' or 'british' or 'italian'...or it can be 'casual'..'formal'...etc...some places have themes..live entertainment..throw in a gala dinner in the midst of a gallery viewing and it becomes an event..a wedding banquent is also an event...where you combine an event and the dining experience..

i was thinking the other day that people dont come to restaurants to simply eat..if all they wanted was good food, they'd wake up Mama or hire a chef...the 'experience' of eating seems to be the key to enjoyment...the ritual of eating outside that includes the waiting..the progression of various courses..etc is all part of a performance..the reservation..the waiting..being led to their seats..the wine..the serving...its all ritualised...eating out has become a performance...with both the customer as well as the restauranter participating...i dont think concept based restaurants(as least how i was thinking it) can be much different from theme based restaurants....theme based restaurants can still subject you to the stiffness of cramming your ass into a chair...

concept based dining is different from a theme based dining experience in that it involves the participation of both parties..it has to be more than motifs or art on the wall or costumed serving staff...the entertainer and the entertained play on the field...i can imagine something like an alice in wonderland party.....or a fake street laid out with street food from some exotic corner of the world..instead of a boring buffet...playfulness and suspense probably does a lot more to the appetite and experience of eating than ambiance...an earlier thread made me think about how childhood eating experiences always having an impact on our food choices..in that its our first exposure to a particular food..the setting in which we are introduced to the food..as adults we are introduced to many many different tastes, textures etc..but some become dear to us and others, we detest..why?...the setting probably matters a lot..you dont put someone under stress/pressure and yell the culinary equivalent of 'boo'...predictability dulls the eating experience too, i think...i think its a complete myth that the customer is always king..sometimes the customer likes to be led...likes to be told what he is going to have and be left to the mercy of the chef's whim of the day...there can be nothing more satisfying than eating with good company and conversation...i'd imagine that cuisine would have never evolved if it werent for its usefulness in strengthening social interaction...a communal table with complete strangers sharing a large table..eating the same table and choices...that would be a concept, yea?...i know it sounds fluffy as its not completely clear for me either...but does it make a little sense at least?

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origamicrane

origamicrane

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I think you maybe talking about culinary theatre.

A japanese teppanyaki restaurant like Benihana where watching the chef sizzle the food infront of you, definitely wets your appetite.

for instance i never liked eating courgette until i ate it cooked on a teppanyaki in benihana and i still only eat courgette at benihana. :smile:

"so tell me how do you bone a chicken?"

"tastes so good makes you want to slap your mamma!!"

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origamicrane

origamicrane

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jimbob Posted on Jul 15 2004, 09:09 AM

Off topic but whats that German place where they feed you in the Dark? Or was it in the US with a German Chef? Or did I dream it?

think you been eating the wrong herbs :laugh:

or the right ones depending on your point of view :wink:

"so tell me how do you bone a chicken?"

"tastes so good makes you want to slap your mamma!!"

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FaustianBargain

FaustianBargain

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Off topic but whats that German place where they feed you in the Dark? Or was it in the US with a German Chef? Or did I dream it?

oh...this I HAD to google..

came up with this from here

I love that photo of the restaurant interior...

http://www.unsicht-bar.de/

http://www.conti-bistro.de/

Yep, this is a restaurant with no light. And I really do mean No Light. No soft lamps, no candles, not even luminous watch dials (you have to take your watch off!). Not a single photon. Dark as the center of a black hole. Incredible, but true. So if you are (a) afraid of the dark or (b) claustrophobic or © extremely clumsy or (d) like to touch other people uninvited, then you should not visit this restaurant, especially if you fall into the last category. I mean it. The last thing anyone wants is a quiet evening to be spoiled by groping.(Comment: I am sure they are not speaking for *everyone*

All of the staff at this restaurant are either visually handicapped or completely blind. They not only serve the meals but also act as guides to the stumbling diners. Once they have shepherded the clientele through a "light lock" to their table the complete loss of vision results in the heightening of the other four senses. Your taste buds work overtime to recognise flavors and even simple, everyday foods like potatoes or plain yogurt become interesting. No-one is expected to get up or move around in the dark once they are seated at the table. But there are lights in the restrooms.

The restaurant is called Conti Bistro

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Suzi Edwards

Suzi Edwards

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i just noticed an advert in the chicago reader (free chicago paper) that, i think, takes the groping concept slightly further...it becomes a dating experience. i'm going to see if i can find out a bit more....

Suzi Edwards aka "Tarka"

"the only thing larger than her bum is her ego"

Blogito ergo sum

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  • 6 years later...
ScoopKW

ScoopKW

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Isn't Hard Rock Cafe, which started in London, the original "concept-based restaurant?"

Edit -- sausage fingers after a 10-mile bike ride

Edited by ScoopKW (log)

Who cares how time advances? I am drinking ale today. -- Edgar Allan Poe

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