There's something happening to professional kitchens-they're starting to look more like home. After chatting with chefs and touring behind the scenes at scores of top restaurants around the country, I've learned that this is not just because we've stolen their commercial stoves and refrigerators and filled our kitchens with stainless steel. The fact is that the behemoth kitchens of the '90s have given way to something more intimate. To view this new breed of kitchen, we take you to Town, in New York City, then to Colvin Run Tavern, outside Washington, D.C. Though both these kitchens are on the small side, they are bubbling over with design ideas and brimming with the latest equipment-ripe for our raiding.
Architect David Rockwell created the minimal yet classic look of Town's bi-level dining rooms, but chef-owner Geoffrey Zakarian (formerly of Patroon and the Royalton hotel's "44") designed the kitchen himself. He wanted it to be warm and restful.
To balance the stark, industrial stainless-steel equipment (standard in city restaurants because it conforms to health codes), Zakarian covered the walls and floors with richly colored textured tiles. The recessed lights, fitted with incandescent bulbs, are easy on the eyes. Two butler's pantries hold the restaurant's table linens, flatware, and stemware. And, to ensure a truly spotless kitchen, Zakarian used metal-coated ceiling panels that can be popped out for washing.
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