In Pursuit of the Chef Dream in Chicago
December 2006
We’ve heard the tales of woe and seen the
sad story transpire before our very eyes: the restaurant of a creative
and driven chef, who garnered rave reviews and enthusiasm from the
dining world, fold under the pressure of a universal reality: economics.
America’s major cities are afflicted with a plague of high
rents, high labor costs and high food costs, New York being the
worst of them all, with San Francisco and Washington DC following
closely behind. While this is not enough to deter openings, it is
a direct challenge to creating a “dream restaurant,”
i.e. a chef-driven restaurant that is a true extension of the chef
within. We ask every chef we taste the same question: “where
do you see yourself in five years?”, and nine out of ten answers
sound something like this: “a small restaurant where I can
cook whatever I want, no more than 50-60 seats…”
December’s editorial travel brought us to
Chicago, already known for its cuisine, but singular in the scheme
of major dining cities in one crucial way: restaurant economics.
In the industrial metropolis on the banks of Lake Michigan, we found
low rent, well-priced produce, low labor rates and diners who are
enthusiastic and adventurous. We found small fine dining restaurants
where the chef rules; where they serve the food they like to make,
play the music they like to listen to, and are relatively unhindered
by worries about food cost, restaurant build-out and the necessities
of service.
For 12 years Trio told this story, and
set a precedent with vibrant, boundary-pushing cuisine served in
a personalized atmosphere. Its location in the outskirts of Chicago
made for good economics and made it a destination restaurant whose
diners were well-informed and looking for adventure. Homaro Cantu’s
Moto is a current example inside the city, serving an unadulterated,
unapologetic post-modern menu of fairytale meets mad scientist cuisine
to a small number of diners per night, while easily meeting their
bottom line. At the other end of the spectrum is Alinea,
a chef vision where the food is the star, but the experience of
food, service and wine is minutely tailored from entry to exit.
A new-comer, Schwa ignores these preconceived
notions of fine dining. The intimate, white tablecloth restaurant
has imaginative cuisine, but no service staff and no wine. It is
run by a staff of three, Chef Michael Carlson, sous chef Nathan
Klingbail and a dishwasher, who cook, serve and control all aspects
of the operation, from the music (Philly hip-hop, when we were there)
to the hours (switching over to dinner Monday-Friday in the new
year). The experience is just about the chef's vision, and the diners
buy it. This freedom, and this success, is any chef's dream; it
is Schwa’s low rent and low labor that enable the
dream to be a reality.
The spectrum of chef-driven restaurants stretches
from the chefs-as-waiters Schwa at one end, Hot Chocolate,
Lula Cafe, Scylla, the soon to open Aigre Doux
(from LA transplant Mohammad Islam), and Moto in the
middle, to the meticulously-crafted, total dining experience of
Alinea. (It's worth noting that despite its lack of a formal
service and wine program, Schwa has received three stars
from two of Chicago's major publications.)
While adventurous and enthusiastic diners are a
key part of the equation, these restaurants would not be possible
if not for the economics. Unlike most American cities, Chicago is
a place where one has the opportunity to create the ultimate chef
dream. What’s more, you don’t have to wait ten years
make it happen.
Here's wishing for all your chef dreams to come
true. Happy Holidays from all of us at StarChefs.com. See you next
year!
Cheers!
Antoinette Bruno
Editor-in-Chief
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