I enjoy rooting for new restaurants that open in both my own city and places I’ve never visited–often through their blogs, Flickr, Facebook, and Twitter sites, and those of other food industry entities and people across America and around the world.
A restaurant opening these days serves not only a local demographic but also, virtually, anyone else who is interested. The “fine food” world is a small one, made even smaller by easy travel, professional dedication to various styles of cuisine, and the Internet. Cooks from around the country and around the world may share a certain style, gain inspiration from similar places, and have a similar food philosophy. We’re starting to see restaurants personified, and we want to get to know them.
anchovy, avocado, and tomato crostini, Ruxbin
Most people look at restaurants as strictly eating places. This is good because, ultimately, restaurants make money by selling meals. But to me, restaurants, bakeries, markets, and bars are so much more than just places to eat and drink. They’re kind of like friends: I can follow the progress of their projects and performance from idea to fruition, from pre-construction to opening. I can keep up with what the fans and critics are saying about them–made easier thanks to the Internet–and on occasion I can visit them in person.
The eventual firsthand experience is like hearing a favorite band play live for the first time. By sitting down to a first meal or first cocktail, I’ve filled the role of the customer; much like at a concert, my connection to that restaurant has come full circle.
For every restaurant that closes or struggles every day, a new one opens. Many of these new restaurants are probably finding more visitors online than they could possibly fit inside their establishments, which should hopefully give them something to count on in the days to come.
Ruxbin, a Chicago newcomer, is one restaurant that I’ve been following lately. It has made friends with a few people and has been telling tales of its pre-opening adventures for some time. Its blog seemed to extend a warm invitation to stop by, so we did on Sunday. Chelsea and I sampled some elegantly presented, non-fussy, delicious dishes with unique flavor combinations. Tinges of Korean, French, Mexican, and American cuisine were apparent on the menu and clearly identifiable in the dishes. The room was a sweet little piece of eye candy a la Alter Ego Form, who also designed one of our favorite neighborhood bars, Simone’s. While Alter Ego Form most likely delivered the entire design vision, I remember seeing the folks at Ruxbin, via the restaurant’s blog, decoupaging their ceiling with pages from old cookbooks to add a bit of their own personality to the design.
decoupage ceiling of cookbook pages, Ruxbin
The love of food is a pastime not unlike other forms of entertainment. For some of us, our attraction to food is made more exciting by reading about it, planning our day or a vacation around it, and now, engaging through the Web with others who are immersed in it. As long as technology is leading to a revived excitement about real food and cooking, I’d say that it is being used, in this case, for all the right reasons.
