My underground restaurant

[Daniel]

One is a loft with really great space but a crappy kitchen.

Lofts rock. Earlier, you mentioned your budget was not toooo much of a problem. Why not upgrade the gear, dude?

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Space wise the kitchen is crappy.. The kitchen is fine in terms of appliances and things.. Its really the size of a kitchen in a camper.. The whole apartment is spacious besides the kitchen.. I was going to rip it down, blow it out and put an island up.. I was going to do a lot of things..

Edited December 1, 2005 by Daniel (log)

[weinoo]

As far as renting goes, the company I use charges around $10 per cloth and $1 per cloth napkin - so that can add up pretty quickly. White wood padded folding chairs run $3 or so, and tables are the least expensive of all the items- from $7 - $10 depending on size. And if you rent tables, they definitely need to be covered, becuase they look like shit.

I like the idea of place mats - especially with all the cool ones available now...easily cleanable, many can be just wiped off.

I bought some nice folding chairs that fold up extremely slim - they were around $100 a pair (on sale) at Hold Everything.

[Kent Wang]

It would be very cool to go to an illegal underground restaurant. Sort of the same appeal as speakeasies or pirate radio. If you get it off the ground, I'd certainly come. I'm usually in NYC at least once a year.

[Felonius]

Sorry if this redundant, but I didn't have time to read through all the posts.

I'd go with tables with no tablecloths and Chilewich placemats. I've seen these placemats used in many high-end modern restaurants. They look great and are easy to keep clean. This will save you the money and hassle of linens. I've had a Chilewich runner on the floor of my kitchen for five years and it sill looks great.

Also, can you find some good looking folding tables and chairs? This would give you added flexibility on layout and use of space.

Design Within Reach is great for ideas on this sort of thing, but if you check around on the internet, you can usually find similar stuff for a lot less money.

For example, I recently bought four Le Corbusier sofas for one of my businesses. Price from the original manufacturer (Cassina) was $6500 each, DWR was $3600 each, and I found similar ones online for $1800 each! Also, if you can get a designer to give you access to the factory showrooms, there are often great closeout deals to be had this time of year.

Drop me a PM if you want any furniture contacts.

Good luck, and put me on the guest list!!!

[akwa]

great work

even if you fail to acheive at least you have attempted something profound

feel free to contact me

i am working on a small space right now and may have interesting and well developed contacts for you

my only reservation

before requesting reservations

do you have a high chair

[herbacidal]

Sorry if this redundant, but I didn't have time to read through all the posts.

I'd go with tables with no tablecloths and Chilewich placemats.  I've seen these placemats used in many high-end modern restaurants.  They look great and are easy to keep clean.  This will save you the money and hassle of linens. I've had a Chilewich runner on the floor of my kitchen for five years and it sill looks great.

That might work. I have no idea what Chilewich placemats look like though, but assuming Felonius is correct, it might be a good solution.

Design Within Reach is great for ideas on this sort of thing, but if you check around on the internet, you can usually find similar stuff for a lot less money.

For example, I recently bought four Le Corbusier sofas for one of my businesses.  Price from the original manufacturer (Cassina) was $6500 each, DWR was $3600 each, and I found similar ones online for $1800 each!  Also, if you can get a designer to give you access to the factory showrooms, there are often great closeout deals to be had this time of year.

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That's exactly the right method to take. Use DWR as your top line model, and go as far south pricewise as possible.

But in the other direction, I also like the idea of basically, getting sawhorses and wooden boards for table legs and tops, covering with white tablecloths and nice placemats.

You can't rent. The costs will kill you. If you're thinking about those types of chairs and tables, I was suggesting getting caterer friends to get the names of the tables and chairs they use, and then finding local distributors and seeing if you can buy some direct from them. It'll take some legwork and you'll probably have to pick them up, but as far as this route, there you go.

And this would be for white (or black) wood padded folding wooden chairs or the like and 8 X 3 foot rectangular folding tables and the like.

[Bux]

Sawhorses are not apt to provide the best situation in terms of leg room for a dining table, but if your space is large enough to accommdate ample table sizes, they might. If you decide to go with place mats, you will need to pay more attention to the table top. That's even the case when you have custom mats to fit the entire table, as they do at Cafe Grey. The one time expense of a decent table surface has to be weighed against the cost and bother of linens, which have to be washed and ironed--probably by a service.

[Felonius]

I really can't imagine any circumstance where linen tablecloths would be worth the expense and hassle. They'd have to be washed and pressed every day (or between every day of service). Sure you could buy card tables or sawhorses and cover them with linens, but a month or two of laundry bills would surpass the cost of some decent tables and placemats.

Despite all of this, if the food is good and the atmosphere is simpatico, the rest won't matter. How cool would it be to have a great meal in an underground restaurant (like a food speakeasy) with some interesting company? I'd gladly eat off a card table if the food, wine and company were interesting.

I picture this being a low key version of something like Milk and Honey or the Tasting Room. You could probably fill up the tables via word of mouth and EGullet for quite some time.

I sure hope you give it a try and that I'm invited!

[johnnyd]

Some of my more memorable meals in Europe were in places with one or two long tables, thus creating a communal dining setting. I'm betting that your square footage will not allow it, but if it did, a couple long, wooden picnic tables can create this as well. Hell you could build 'em right there in an afternoon, and the place won't look like an obvious restaurant when the Health Dept eventually drops by.

[Pan]

Daniel, I think you're going to have to privately send passwords to those who are going to patronize your underground restaurant (don't post the password, of course). I'd love to be one of them.

[rjwong]

Pan, it's too late. Daniel already posted it elsewhere.

[herbacidal]

Daniel,

Shola of Studiokitchen requested I post this on his behalf.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Dear Daniel

Evolution of Studiokitchen.

Philadelphia is a small town, and while we have a vibrant restaurant

scene, tastes are very conservative. Studiokitchen was never planned

and happened as a collateral result of a desire to branch into high

end micro-catering.

After working for the 3 main restauranteurs, the only thing left in

town was to "open your own place" or move to NYC. I wasnt quite ready

to open a place as I had not gotten comfortable with a cooking style

or flavor direction.

From an economic standpoint, I decided to start catering wine dinners

in clients homes. Initially, while I had the talent to pull off pretty

good meals, there was a huge problem of tapping into the circle of

wealth and refinement, people who could afford and desire such

services.

We are talking having a 5 to 8 course wine matched tasting menu at

your home for about $150 to $200 per person.

I had some business cards made and then donated some dinners to

charitable causes.

Those dinners generated more interest in my services but people still

had no faith.

The underlying question always was "can we have some samples before we

decide?"

It was at that point that I decided I needed an Atelier in the Euro

sense.

Without any pretense, I needed a space similar to a photographers

studio where i could approach the organization and detail required for

what would essentially be a restaurant quality meal in a clients home.

It was at that point I found a space, built it out, bought the

required equipment and took on the business name "Studiokitchen"

Initially, i would only do sample dinners at about 1/3 the acual cost

of a catering job for prospective clients. It completely opened up the

potential for new clients and from then on, it was constant catering

work.

I then moved on to doing wine matching dinners with Moore Brothers,

Bordeaux Society, food and wine Society, Chaine De Rotisseurs and

eventually e gullet.

Ultimately for me SK is about generating PR for my primary business

which is the catering.

SK provides great buzz not for my ego but to maintain a steady stream

of catering work.

I have long been fascinated with the power of the internet and very

few people in the food world actually get it. The James Beard house

should create an award for the most brilliant media move

and hand it to Grant Achatz for the whole Alinea Project. I think the

most untouched aspect of Alinea is that brilliant PR move. It would

be great if they had a WD-50 esque website but I think Chef g keeps

evolving at Mach 2.2 and that site would need to be updated very

quickly.

For me, Its basically a loss leader for larger goals, I know its hard

for people to believe that a $100 dinner for 8 or 10 people isnt about

profit.

Dinners happen once maybe twice a week depending on my mood and

catering commitments.

However...

By the time you set up accounts and buy stuff from D'artagnan, a

variety of meat farms in pennsylvania, Blue Moon acres, Farmer Jones,

Browne Trading,true world foods, Nishimoto, Korin, replace chipped

Bernadaud China and Spiegelau Glasses , pay dishwashers to clean up

the darn place, invest in circulating baths, thermonixes, a paco jet

and anti griddle, as an economic model, it isnt worth the effort

involved and I havent gotten into the detail of cooking. I really only

do it at this point because more important than cooking is the

continuity of cooking.

Catering on the other hand, especially in Manhattan is like printing

money. I wonder if anyone saw the wednesday times article 2 weeks

ago.... Boulud charges $2k.....I love it.

So Mr Daniel, to finish off......it depends on what your goals are

financial or otherwise.

I hope that gives you clarity about what i do.

Good luck in your adventure.

Studiokitchen

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

[Daniel]

Wow.. Thanks Herbacidel... I really appreciate the time both he and you took to educate me.. Really, how nice of you two.. Thank you very much, this really has helped..

[Megan Blocker]

Pan, it's too late. Daniel already posted it elsewhere.

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Do we get an extra amuse for actually making the snorting sound?

[I_call_the_duck]

Pan, it's too late. Daniel already posted it elsewhere.

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Do we get an extra amuse for actually making the snorting sound?

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I'm not beneath that. Nor am I beneath wearing a pig nose if that will get me some extra chicharon to take home.

[johnnyd]

Wow.. Thanks Herbacidel... I really appreciate the time both he and you took to educate me.. Really, how nice of you two.. Thank you very much, this really has helped..

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What an outstanding account! SK echoes for me the staging on the internet that is coming together in the epicurean world. Fascinating story, thank you!

[herbacidal]

Wow.. Thanks Herbacidel... I really appreciate the time both he and you took to educate me.. Really, how nice of you two.. Thank you very much, this really has helped..

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Continued progress in a positive direction is all the thanks I need. I'm sure Shola feels similarly.

Well, an invite to hold a dinner party there down the road would be appreciated as well!!

[Verjuice]

A couple of interesting articles on this subject here and also here

[FabulousFoodBabe]

Does anyone think this type of concept would work outside an urban setting? Specifically ... suburban?

[Tess]

I've seen it work in a rural area although I can't tell you how well they were doing financially.