The Institute (協会)

Hey Food Critics, Restaurants Are More Than Food!!

Via Matta Restaurant, Boston

From Metropolis Magazine:

Why don’t prominent food critics write about the entire experience, graphics and all? By Steven Heller, Posted April 15, 2008

As a rule, restaurant critics focus on cuisine, service, and décor, while graphics—type and image—are usually dismissed as promotion or marketing. But I’d argue that ­inferior graphic design speaks volumes about an overall commitment to quality. A restaurant’s logo, sign, menu, business card, matches, and even check holder—especially the check holder—should be as appetizing as everything on the table. So I am astounded that many restaurateurs aren’t as demanding about their typogra­phic standards as they are about their napkins. Design is often such an afterthought that the receptionist does it on her PC.

Perhaps there would be more reason to stress graphic design if critics paid attention to it. But they never mention graphics and, truth be told, barely assess the architecture (even when designed by Pritzker Prize winners). And while I savor the tasty prose of gifted food writers, if I were a critic, my readers would be treated to a regular menu of cuisine and design in an attempt to right the imbalance. So I’m offering some alternative reviews based on recent experiences, just in case food editors are looking for a fresh voice.

. . .But why, when reviewing Michael Schlow’s Via Matta (meaning “crazy way”) in Boston, was the wild fusion of graphic motifs that establishes this restaurant’s identity so stubbornly ignored in the local paper? There was certainly a valid way of approaching Via Matta’s logo: designed by Daren Bascomb of Proverb, it is constructed from five stacked diamonds in the shape of an M, which upon closer inspection also reinterprets the highway signs of Italy, forming a V and an M. The harmonious combo of burnt sienna and chocolate brown separates the V from the M but also binds them together. It could also be noted that the large surrealist wall canvases by Alexander Gorenstein, a Broadway set designer, play illusionist games with diners. Moreover, the waiters, who strike a pose of informal formality—black vests over white casual shirts, with Puma sneakers—fit appropriately into a space that is at once elegant yet homespun. Now how hard was that?.

This is such a good point. The design of a restaurant is some much of the experience of dining, yet food critics tend to ignore this important component. Maybe food critics don't "get it" because they don't know enough about design to connect the food? I dunno? This is kind'a strange because many restaurant, club, and lounge owners do. Often, that's what we're paying for anyway. Come on critics, pay attention (and I want your job, by the way).

Algunas ideas, caballeros?

Posted by anthony at May 8, 2008 09:31 AM | TrackBack