THE CHEF's
By
Tom Luther
Trends
show up at the least expected place and in a time that is unpredictable.
New Years Eve, the dawn of the over-hyped New Millenium. The
party of the year - of the decade. Of the century as some overly
enthusiastic p.r. promised. Instead of throngs of people showing
up, a trend showed with such clarity that it could be called
dramatic.
Reports of cancelled
major events featuring high profile entertainers came from all
over the country. Major events that were held reported disappointing
attendance numbers. We witnessed this at the San Rafael Millenium
Party that featured major entertainers Huey Lewis and the News,
Bonnie Rait, Charlie Musselwhite et cetera. While it lived up
to its hype, especially we `Baby Boomers' in attendance, reliving
our rock n' roll roots with Huey, not enough of us ventured
for `The Bash of the Century'.
What gives? Let's
take a look. Have you heard of the phenomenon called `cacooning'?:
The term was coined by marketing guru Faith Popcorn in her book
Clicking. This is her word for a major trend, one of 20 that
she defines in her book, a reflection of many years of marketing
research while working with major and minor companies in the
U.S. Cacooning is another word for couch potatoism. We all can
all understand, intellectually, but probably we foodies probably
haven't had the experience. Well not much, anyway?
So where were
the revelers on New Years Eve of the new millenium? Cocooning!?!?
Yes, I'm reporting these results from many conversations with
all kinds of people of all ages, professions, personalities,
and any other category you can think of, as well as personal
experience at Pacific Restaurant, and Le Colonial on New Years
Eve. Many restaurants were closed to give their employees the
night off to be with their families, or avoid the exorbitant
wage rates expected, or the hassle of unruly crowds.
This, my fellow
trend watchers, is not isolated to this particular date or event.
Ms. Popcorn reports this phenomenon is real and growing. We
all need to keep this in mind when thinking about marketing
our restaurants. We have seen the evidence of this with the
growth of take out sales ( via Waiters on Wheels, Dine 11, etc.
)
Another trend
that is identified by marketing gurus and the focus of the Psychology/Spirituality
Community, is the subject of relationships. The book most often
referred to is by Mill Valley author John Gray "Men Are From
Mars, Women Are From Venus". We all desire satisfying relationships,
and I am delighted to report that chefs are coming out of the
closet, er, kitchen, to engage their customers as guests in
their home - this is the hospitality business, folks.
Perhaps one of
the Masters of Hospitality is Giovanni The Margarita King, owner
of Barcelona Restaurant, in the Financial District of S.F. This
is his name, really. And he really goes the extra step, well,
mile, even, as "Mr. Hospitality". He works the dining room and
bar like a politician at a fundraiser. Although he didn't have
any babies to kiss, he schmoozed, with everyone, even kissing
a few ladies hands, much to their delight. Relationship building
and Entertainment at its best.
You can feel
the energy level rise in the dining room when the chef or owner
or manager venture forth to make contact with their customers.
Michael Hart, chef and owner of Nasturtium Restaurant, made
our dinner memorable with his presence in the dining, not just
because he made a special effort on our behalf, but also because
he chatted with several other patrons of his restaurant. "People
want to know how much you care, before they care how much you
know" is still true many generations later.
Daniel Olivella,
the Chef/Owner of B 44, the latest Spanish entry in our local
culinary world, walked the room, making very good eye contact
and conversation, despite the evidence of a hard days work on
his professional attire. Kelvin Ott, the Chef of Clouds Restaurant
in Yerba Buena Gardens is another personable Chef who makes
the effort to make himself known to his patrons. I discovered
that not only is he a graduate of the California Culinary Academy
and Real Restaurant Co., but also a refugee from the computer
world. He, like so many chefs, are multi-talented artists, musicians,
writers, wine aficionados not forgetting they are all magicians.
The talent range
of this new generation of Chefs is another trend. While some
may refer to this trend as 'fusion food', this is much more
of a development reflecting the individual Chef's talents. Executive
Chef, Grenet Xavier at Barcelona studied under the acclaimed
French Chef Joel Robuchon of Jamin Restaurant in Paris, one
of three chefs in the world elected "Chef of the Century"' and
the first chef in Europe to earn three Michelin stars in a matter
of three years. His translation of classic Spanish and Catalan
recipes recreates Mediterranean flavors of herbs and olive oils
with a deeper flavor profile than standard French or Spanish
cooking. For example, his Guindilla (crushed olive and Spanish
pepper, combined with olive oil ) and bread is killer on the
taste buds. Explosive, yet balanced flavors. For starters, you
have a selection of 28 to choose from - ( try the Pimientos
de Piquillo ). The "Paella Valenciana" is not to be missed,
if you love paella.
The Executive
Chef/Owner/Operations Director of Straits Restaurants, S.F.
and Palo Alto, Christopher Yeo studied Food and Beverage Management
in his native Singapore and then moved to London to study hair
design at Vidal Sasoon. He and his wife Kelly, established Yeo's
Hair Salon in S.F. in 1980. His plate presentations are creatively
balanced with a hint of folk art like you see on display in
the restaurant. His cuisine is a blend of Thai, Indonesian,
Chinese, Malay, Indian and Nonya. We especially loved the Indian
Nan bread, the mussels ( which were about the freshest in my
memory ), the Sea Bass en Papillote.
Azie Restaurant
showcases Jody Denton's range of culinary creativity, this time
his menu features Asian-inspired French cuisine, which translates
to Japanese style presentation and portions. The Nine Bites
sampler of appetizers are a work of art as well as delicious.
This reminds
me of Yoshi Kojima, the masterful chef at MC2 ( MC squared ).
Yoshi began in his native Japan and eventually became proficient
in the art of French style cooking. Try his lobster poached
in a truffle sauce served with a slaw of fennel. Or the foie
gras w/carmelized apple rings with cognac rum sauce with raisons.
Or kiwi w/custard sauce ( port wine reduction w/marscapone sauce.
He is one of the best in our culinary scene.
Speaking of wine,
one of my favorite subjects, new contradictory trends abound.
In the Marketing World, also one of my favorite subjects, we
call this phenomenon `fragmentation of the marketplace'. Wine
lists in new restaurants reflect different philosophies of niche
marketing. At the high end you can order a glass of Cote Rotie,
Chapoutier,('95) for $16.75 at Azie, the newest concept from
Jody Denton, Chef/Owner, who also oversees the culinary production
next door at Lulu's. Wine Director Booth McKinney, revealed
his favorite niche, "I would have all French Rhone Wines on
the wine list, if I could." He's not kidding, either. Of the
13 red wines by the glass selection, 9 are Rhone style wines,
(13 white wines also ). Or if your passion is classic Burgundian,
you can indulge yourself with an '88 Romanee Conti for $2,200.
A contrast to
this philosophy is Alan Cohen's G.M. of Dragonfly, George Chen's
new restaurant in Corte Madera. Their wine list is an eclectic
collection of California varietals, carefully balanced by wine
regions of the state. And reasonably priced, typically 2.5 markup
on the bottle. Their wine by the glass price range is between
$5.to $8. There is even a 3 litre bottle of Cabernet for $95!
Now here is a wine list philosophy after my heart, not to mention
wallet.
In a totally
different marketing niche, the Spanish Wine Niche, is B 44's
list. The extensive Spanish Wine selection accentuates the whole
dining experience, making it a truly synergistic ambiance.
Music is trendy
by its very nature. Restaurateurs are capitalizing on this in
very creative ways. Azie Restaurant has a live DJ spinning tunes
all throughout the dinner hours, creating a contemporary scene
to keep the youngish audience entertained while responding to
requests. Incidentally, check out the art on the walls of this
Urban Mod a la Japanese split level design. The subject will
surprise you, if you really know about classic erotic art.
The music at
B 44 is, not surprisingly, Spanish. A video screen plays a running,
or maybe I should say topping, video of acrobatic performers
standing 9 people high, forming a human totem pole. They are
not moving as fast as the beat of the music. Music is so integral
to Barcelona's business, they feature live Flamenco musicians
who perform on a stage in the dining room, as well as disco
style music in a huge room in the back of the facility for dancing.
The musical flavors
are not just ethnic oriented, either. Tim Dale, g.m. at Le Colonial
presents an impressive lineup of live jazz on Thursdays through
Sundays. Formerly, Trader Vic's, the remodeling has transformed
it into a French Colonial ambiance complete with twirling fans,
vintage lamps, stamped tin ceiling, rattan furniture Oriental
Rugs and low wooden tables.
Jazz is popular
in restaurants all over the S.F. Bay area as well. Straits Cafe,
Palo Alto features live jazz on Fridays and Saturdays. Dragonfly
Cafe & Jazz Bar is their official name. The lounge area is set
off by a beautiful grand piano to accentuate the ambiance and
remind patrons that jazz is taken seriously on Thursdays through
Saturdays. My mail is not complete without a reminder that one
of the California Cafes is featuring live jazz, often a big
name group.
The trends come,
sometimes slowly and quietly, and every now and then with a
surge. There are many sources for researching where , what and
when the next trend may be. A great opportunity for sources
in our local industry is a new Marketing Conference, to be held
on Monday, Feb. 28, 2000, the Hotel Nikko in San Francisco.
"Restaurant Marketing 2000: Build the Buzz" as it is called,
is organized by Susie Biehler & Co. See you there.