In 1980, when he opened the Odeon in Tribeca, Keith McNally redefined the modern scene restaurant in New York City, bringing to dining everything that hot nightclubs promised—exclusivity, glamour, celebrity patrons, and the frisson of sitting in the right place at the right time. Here, the preeminent maker of fashionable restaurants (Balthazar, Minetta Tavern, and now Balthazar London—to name a few) dishes on what makes a fashionable restaurant tick.
Venue
"It's less about location than interior. If I like
the feel of the space, that comes before the location."
Reservations
"I want to speak to a person, not a
machine. And I want that person to be decent. Ultimately it's about how
well you treat customers you can't satisfy."
Ambience
"It's better to have a great number of light
sources on low than a limited number on high."
Service
"I try to work with people who are
themselves—who don't have an ounce of pretension in them. For my
places, a pretentious owner is more than enough."
—Jason Chen, associate style editor at Details
Also on Details.com:
Queens: Where
to Find the Best Restaurants in New York
Q&A With
Chef David Chang
The 10 Sexiest New Restaurants in America
Rating
Comments
Post A Comment