A Star
It doesn’t have to be a Michelin star or even two or three
Living in NYC and working in the financial service industry I was focused on ratings at restaurants. I was usually entertaining and thought that was important to clients. When a treasured friend of mine went to work for one of the most successful restaurateurs in the US, I started to focus a little more on what makes a restaurant memorable. Along that ride, I became friends with several people who had decided that this most challenging business should be their life pursuit. Surely the interest in restaurants finds its basis in the very act of preparing food for another person. It is, aside from—you know, the other thing – one of the most intimate of human acts --- the experience of preparing nourishment for family, friends, or those in need. I love talking restaurants with the people in the business. A lovely couple who owns a restaurant think they bore me with restaurant talk but I thoroughly enjoy talking shop although I do not own a restaurant. It is the preparation of sustenance, that intimate act that draws people to this industry. I love going into their restaurant. Why? Because they love it. Another couple from Italy owns a small restaurant in Sausalito. They work seamlessly together. Ask her what the special is and you will be greeted with a detailed explanation of why this salad is an experience in travel to her home town. It is her life experience that is being presented to you in the form of special preparation. Ask her to pick out a wine and you can hardly wait to hear the enthusiastic presentation of its unique qualities. What makes a restaurant memorable is the journey it takes you on and the demonstrable love that your guide exudes.
I have been fortunate enough to attend many well-regarded restaurants, many of these sported some number of stars. In the end, these rankings are really just the opinion of an organization or an individual. I suppose it is valuable if you are in unfamiliar territory similar to why you need a map if you are lost. Food and wine rankings serve a function but they don’t serve the experience. A Robert Parker rating is a good clue but, in the end, it is “his” view and not your unique experience. The quality of the restaurant is the quality of the overall experience. Think of the number of times you exited a restaurant without taking a moment to reflect. The restaurants that leave us with a glow of having experienced something special are the true stars. Amongst the many things that make this activity so difficult, is the challenge of bringing your best act every night. A successful Broadway play is entertaining every night, but the actors don’t have to create new words or music. But if you are trying to create a unique dining journey, you have to innovate constantly.
How the restaurant and its “actors” make you feel is the most important ingredient in tonight’s specials. There are no rankings that can capture the personal capital given by those restaurants that we love from the moment you walk in the door. Of course, the food is important however, there are so many other factors that make Bell’s of Los Alamos a sophisticated memorable French experience in a one-street town, or the party atmosphere you feel at Santa Ynez Cucina from the moment you walk in; or the trip to Balsamo, Italy you can experience through the warmth and enthusiasm while dining at Sandrino in Sausalito. These restaurants are stars as each experience is beautiful, unique, and delicious
Search for the restaurant that owns your emotions as well as your palate. You know – the one you are still talking about the next day.