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Ever dream of owning a restaurant?

I certainly have, but I can't imagine doing it until my finances are so secure that I wouldn't need to worry about making money at it. Maybe more of an active retirement plan than a business venture. Two guys from Chicago (not the name one of my favorite pizza places) have such a dream, and are chronicling their dream, which is still rather conceptual and a few years away, at The Making of a Restaurant. It's an interesting site, with a healthy combination of serious consideration about what makes a restaurant good, and lighthearted musings. They referenced one guy who has a restaurant concept that I'd certainly frequent if it exisited as described. The integral music store is a nice touch.


Here's a taste from an archive entry of theirs:


Cook your own pasta. In the middle of each table is a large vat of boiling water. We give each diner a strainer and a bowl of her favorite pasta, uncooked, and she cooks it to her preferred doneness.


Catch your own shellfish. Dad would occasionally let dinner scramble around the kitchen. Now that was fun! Remove the bands from the claws, and it's dangerous, too. Many seafood restaurants let diners point to the lobster or crab they want. Let's take it a step further -- and make things more sporting -- by having diners reach their bare hands into a barrel crowded with gnashing, pissed off crustaceans. Maybe we blindfold them, too (the diners, not the crabs). Lose a finger, get free dessert.


Pick your own mushrooms. Fun and dangerous!