Walls...are....closing...in.

I have been waiting for this day since July 14th, 2011. That was the day, sitting in my parents house in Long Island, watching my kids and their cousins swimming in their pool where I first began to formalize the idea of a handcrafted hot dog concept. I was between projects at Seismic and a prolonged proposal process with Martha Stewart Living had finally ended in a "no go" decision by the brand. Quite frankly, I was relieved. Building a restaurant for that woman would have been a nightmare of Amityville-like proportions.

And so yesterday, roughly 300 days later, the walls closed in....literally. It is finally starting to look like an actual restaurant. Yesterday was a good day. Here's a look.

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Front assembly line. Will eventually be white subway tile on the back wall and quilted stainless on the front of the counter



Eric building platform for booths along front window:

Brick along far wall. Looks like it's been there for 100 years:

Loose connection. I feel like this a lot. All the time, actually.

The natural light streaming into this restaurant is quite beautiful. Due to the situation of the restaurant on the property, he sun never streams directly into the windows, and lighter colored buildings across the street reflects a ton of white light. You would notice this, of course, if I had thought to remove the craft paper over the windows.

Another example:

Dark Shadows:

The tradesman building this restaurant are the unsung heroes of the project. Every beautiful building you have ever seen began with with studs, plumbing, electrical and concrete. The respect I have for their craftsmanship is immeasurable. And they will always be welcome in my restaurant.

The Virtual Office: