re: A Chef's Perspective

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My wife and I own property in Central City and are excited about the work being done on Primitivo and the rebuilding of OCH. We are wondering how you will overcome the general Nola/South La perception of what Central City is to bring in patrons?

but do you think your restaurant will draw a wider (less eclectic) crowd?

We look forward to seeing it open!

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We understand the current perception & know it will take some time for the neighborhood to turn the corner, but it's an investment in the community that we believe in not just from monetary standpoint but from what's already being done there. There's been a lot of great ground roots/community growth/non-profit groups that have invested way before us and is setting the tone for the area.

We aim to draw as wide an audience that will have us.

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If you are truly tired,

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This was more in reference to opening restaurants.
I do all my own design, selecting fixtures, I make a lot of stuff in the restaurants myself as well.
I'll put in about 70 hours a week during much of this process while running the business.
Then when opening I'll ramp up to about 90 hours a week for 2-3 weeks until things are settled a bit.

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Chef, you are oblivious to what most online reviews are about. I don't think I've ever read a review where someone suggested that a business make major changes to the way it is being run. Like I said earlier, most reviews are about quality of food and service,

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I'm not oblivious to what they are about. I do(not with any regularity) read reviews of other places, but I just can't wrap my head around putting value in an opinion of a total stranger. Not knowing their standards, tendencies, sense of humor, exposure to cuisine, etc etc etc.
I've got perfectly close friends that tell me they love a certain movie & I want to die inside.

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Chef- what do you think of the success of the current trend (which you are a part of) of local restaurant "empires"? It seems that the majority of new (successful) restaurants in NOLA are under the Besh, Link, Garcia umbrella. While I enjoy most, if not all, of the new places I have tried, I feel this may turn off up-and-coming chef's from opening their own places or even moving to this market. My concern is this could have a retarding effect on the scope of cuisines here in the city.

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Actually quite the opposite has happened since Katrina. Lots of youngish new talent has taken over certain pockets of the city.
Mid city - toups, milkfish, crescent pie for a while, mopho, brown butter
Marigny/bywater - maurepas, satsuma, mariza, red's
Not to mention the diverse bar scene, influx of actual butcher shops, bakeries, vast array of Vietnamese places
All (to the best of my knowledge) owned by the chefs themselves - not the fat cat deep pocketed folks that it used to take to open a full service restsaurant.
-reason being- our dining styles have changed- more casual, smaller initial investment, able to be more nimble with trends & absolutely, most importantly - not corporate chains!

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I've got perfectly close friends that tell me they love a certain movie & I want to die inside.

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I'm pretending to watch a chick flick with my wife and two 15 year-old daughters. I'm dying here.

I recently relocated to Portland, OR, so I'm not likely to visit one of your restaurants any time, soon...

The craft beer scene is big in Portland, and growing in NOLA. Many restaurants in Portland have special events where you can learn about food/beer pairings. Do you see that becoming more of a trend nationally and in NOLA, or is that more of a Portland thing?

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Do you see any ventures on your own or is the startup price just too high?

No doubt the high end places take serious bucks to build out so a partner to take the risk is a plus. Just wondering if you would want something all as you own.

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I really like partnering with Adolfo. We're the opposite in some ways & identical in others.
We both share the same fundamentals though so it's nice to be able to depend on each other. Also zero ego involved.
I think we can do more together than separate.

I've never read yelp or urbanspoon but regardless I've always been one to decide on my own whether I like it or not. I've been on this one long enough to understand which posters to put stock in and which are yahoos- a fair share of yahoos, but even then I decide my own fate with a restaurant. I've paid good money for bad meals but I just chalk it up to experience and move on.

To me, dining out is an experience that should encompass more than just food. It should be fellowship, conversation, ambiance, wine, good coffee to end all of which should make you have a smile on your face when your head hits the pillow.

I read here and hear people I know with so many complaints about a restaurant, the food, service etc...the guy in the donut thread was so pissed because his donut wasn't hot and ranted about it. Hell I've always just enjoyed a fresh donut and have enough brains to know 5 seconds in a microwave will blister the top of your mouth. I wasn't aware some poor donut shop owner who is working on razor thin margins to scratch out a living should be cooking to order.

Seems to me we have a lot of uptight, entitled people with chips on their shoulder and an outlet to voice their frustration no matter how petty. And I've noticed if no one else has we have a lot of dumbasses out there.

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Actually quite the opposite has happened since Katrina.

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I completely agree with your assessment of the post-katrina and even recent time frames.

It just feels like we're beginning to hit a saturation point, and the increased property values and competition make it difficult for upstarts w/out deep pockets. We've already seen this in some high rent neighborhoods (magazine st).

I just hope young chefs like yourself keep pushing the envelope. Our city has a great culinary scene, but I would love to see a push into more ethnic cuisines.