The Kitchen—and Chef—Are Watching

You can’t help but notice it when you walk into the dimly lit dining room. Its bright lights and shiny surfaces seen through tinted glass cast an eerie glow; like the blue-gray flicker of a TV set in a darkened living room, it demands to be watched.

Those who have heard about the half-million dollar price tag attached to this kitchen can ogle knowingly at the expanse of stainless steel--on burner hoods, on counter sides, even on the ceiling. Also on display: the chefs. One tends the flames of a steak on the grill, another stands watch over sauces on the burners. Meanwhile, an aproned expediter who carefully places sprigs of garnish on each plate knows that his every movement is exposed to the paying clientele. The kitchen at the Brentwood Bar & Grill has no secrets to hide.

And neither do you.

When restaurants began to routinely reveal their inner workings as easily as they used to expose air ducts, we thought, ah , this is restaurant exhibitionism — the diner as voyeur.

But what we didn’t realize at first is that the kitchen watches back. Every bite of food, each swallow of wine, it’s all on display, too.

There is a table in the patio area at Citrus, pressed right up against the window of the kitchen, that gives those who sit there the most personal close-up view of chef Michel Richard and his team. From here you can watch your meal go from the raw to the cooked--a squab that’s just been delivered is lifted from its wrapping by Richard himself and transformed into one of the most beautiful and delicious plates of food you will ever be presented. A line chef catches you staring and winks.

Embarrassed, you try to place your eyes elsewhere — there’s a woman dressed in a white lace pantsuit at the next table who complains that she’s tired of her friends calling her a human doily, for instance.

But soon you find yourself looking back toward the kitchen, and the line chef rewards you with a thumbs-up sign for your interest. And when you have a plate of food on the table to keep you occupied the several people in the kitchen, Richard included, seem to pause and await your reaction.

You provide the correct enthusiasm and they smile with relief. Richard rubs his tummy with approval.

We’ve been hearing about the coming of interactive TV . . . the age of interactive eating has already arrived.