| Open Kitchens |
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| Wednesday, 18 November 2009 00:00 |
Boston Magazine just popped in my in box, with a blurb about open kitchens. I love the concept and here's the comment I left:
I love open kitchens. The main thing it tells me is confidence. The chef has confidence in his staff. The staff are confident in their skills and the system they're working in. If you see a smooth functioning open kitchen you can bet that hours of good solid management and training go on behind the scenes. No place to hide. And don't we all want a little more transparency and authenticity these days?
What do you think?
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written by ennuisans , November 21, 2009
Well heck I commented and forgot to enable javascript. I like openness in a restaurant--the supermarket meat department where I used to work had a huge plate glass window where shoppers could watch us work. I've never found that in another store and it always makes me wonder what goes on. Same with restaurants--to quote Steak n Shake, "In sight it must be right".
Ennuisans
written by Jacqueline , November 21, 2009
I agree! Once you get used to it, makes you wonder what goes on when you can't see.
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written by Mary , November 21, 2009
I love open kitchens - I one of those dorks who loves to sit and watch the chefs at work. I learn something new every time and always enjoy myself. The only thing I don't like (I preface this with the statement: I do *not* think of the chefs and line as my dancing monkeys) is when is the line is unfriendly (I don't expect a chat, but a smile is nice). And when, during a lull, I come up to the chef to say thanks for a great meal, I'd appreciate a "Thanks."
But yes, I adore the open kitchen. Love love love it.
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written by Kristina , November 21, 2009
Almost every restaurant I've worked in has had an open kitchen to some degree. Even before it became trendy, I always wanted to see near the kitchen so I could watch the crew do their thing. So much more fun to me than watching the room. Even though I'm no longer a chef, I still like to watch what's going on and how things are run.
I also agree about the transparancy theory. If a chef is confident and has nothing to hide then there's no issue. From a chef's perspective, the only issue is noise. When it gets busy, sometimes you have to yell to be heard and if the kitchen is totally open that contributes to noise in the dining room. This is why glassed in kitchens are probably better. In San Francisco, SPQR and A16 both have "chef's counters" where I sat and watched the line cooks work. I loved it and was impressed with how the sous chefs ran the line in both places.
Mary
written by Jacqueline , December 02, 2009
I agree - watching the kitchen at work is great but rarely you do get one of those zero affect, refusing to connect types of vibes going. No fun! It is rare though.
Kristina
written by Jacqueline , December 02, 2009
Your comment reminds me of the one embarassing moment when I sat with two friends, the newer of the two brought an obnoxious friend who was insulting in every comment she shared, and of course, there were many. A grace-less, class-less and clueless person. I think I stayed behind to apologize out of earshot ..
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