Kitchens of the Great Midwest may have sparked my interest in kitch lit but Danny Meyer’s Setting the Table fanned the flame into a bonfire. After I read Meyer’s book on hospitality in the restaurant industry, books in the kitch lit genre were exclusively on my nightstand for many months thereafter.
Now many moons later, flipping through Netflix and, what a surprise, being fed a lot of Netflix’s original series (let’s be real, Netflix is the real puppet master in this world) I came upon the series 7 Days Out. This documentary series highlights the preparation and logistics of some of the biggest events in the world. The first episode, bizarrely intriguing, follows the lead up to the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show. A unique brand of folks to say the least, but hey, whatever floats your boat -er, fluffs the coat on your show dog. The second episode of 7 Days Out seems to have been written for me, for episode two features the last minute flurry of activities surrounding the reopening of one of the country's greatest restaurants, Eleven Madison Park.
In 1998, Eleven Madison Park was opened by Meyer’s Union Square Hospitality Group, and in 2011, Will Guidara and Chef Daniel Humm purchased the restaurant from Meyer. In 2017, Guidara and Humm closed Eleven Madison Park from June to October. for extensive renovations and a menu overhaul. The episode focuses on the seven days before their reopening. 7 Days Out confirms what so many successful – and unsuccessful – restaurateurs have learned: the restaurant industry is not for the faint of heart. Opening or reopening a restaurant is an incredible feat. Physical aspects of the kitchen and dining room must combine flawlessly with staffing, process and, oh, the small matter of actually executing the actual dishes.
To say I find it all fascinating is an understatement. Successful stress management is on abundant display at Eleven Madison Park. Less than a week to opening, the tables and chairs have yet to be delivered. There is the small matter of the Ansel inspection, which must be passed in order to get gas certification in New York City. Yep, the gas to power the stoves in the kitchen, so chefs can cook the foodstuffs. Who needs heat for cooking? Minor details. After several delays and one failed inspection, the gas was turned on at Eleven Madison Park on the day of the friends and family opening.
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| The result of many, many rounds of testing. |
The restaurant industry, almost as much as the theater industry itself, is about putting on a show. In fact, the similarities between the restaurant world and the theater world are plentiful. For instance, the industries share a common language. Terms such as ‘front of house’ and ‘back of house’ are second nature to both. And in both industries the success of the night requires that both the front and back of house run like a well-oiled machine. Guidara describes their similarities perfectly: two days out from opening was tech, dress rehearsal came one day out with the friends and family dinner followed, finally, by a much anticipated opening night. And, as in the theater, tweaks are happening up to the very last minute when the show is frozen. The priceless moment in which Chef Humm finalizes plating for a dish with caviar on top - he determines it should be the way they had done it before - his executive chef responds, with a hint of helplessness in his voice, “we did 25 different versions” could just as easily be a director deciding at the last minute to light a scene from a different angle. Attention to detail in restaurants, as in theater, is quite often what separates the good from the great. Indeed, the front of house staff steams the booths on opening day because the fabric – being brand new - is stiffer than anticipated. That's the cream rising to the top.
I wish I could say that my trip to New York in a couple of weeks would include a meal at Eleven Madison Park, but with the dining room tasting menu currently running $335 a pop, I will probably never cross the threshold at Eleven Madison Park. Taking a photo out front and peering inside will have to suffice. Chef Humm, wave if you see me outside!
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