Doomed Spaces
Like most critics, I rate restaurants on three important criteria: food, atmosphere and service. But often I notice other factors influencing my opinion and that of the dining public at large. Many times the way a restaurant’s space is laid out dramatically affects our perception. And I don’t mean the design, the décor, the flower arrangements or any of those things that are obvious pieces of the atmosphere puzzle. One of the deadliest arrangements is one that obscures the dining room from those passing by on street level. And I’m not talking about the likes of Tangerine, where the effect of low lighting is to make passersby think something secret is happening inside. I’m talking about restaurant spaces that look empty even if they’re full because the dining room is just below street level or otherwise out of sight.
The corner of Second and Bainbridge, 629 South Second, has had these issues for years. Now it’s The Irish Times, but before that it was the Black Door, a place I loved for its excellent lamb burger, and Belgian beer menu. Before that it was an equally short lived Mexican joint.
Not far from there, at 223 South Street, a similar curse is at work. A few years ago it was Next BYOB, which scored a few favorable reviews. But it succumbed to the bad mojo after a couple of years and was followed by Table, a restaurant so short lived I never even made it there. Now it’s Sonam (pictured). I put off checking it out, believing it would close. And it still might, but the food, global dim sum, is better than I expected. If you go, try the chorizo ravioli with olive pesto or the falafel drizzled with a spicy buffalo wing sauce. It’s probably more crowded than it looks from the outside.
Image, sonambyob.com
April 2nd, 2008 at 3:01 pm
Kind of a misleading headline as it sounds like you liked the restaurant…maybe this one will succeed?
April 2nd, 2008 at 5:27 pm
Good point! That “doomed” arrangement hadn’t crossed my mind… I wonder what this means for Beneluxx?! At Sonam though, try the steak yakitori (the cucumber noodles are wild) or on the veggie-friendly side, the buffalo falafel.
April 2nd, 2008 at 11:07 pm
I know I walked by the Black Door for about 2 months after they opened without knowing they had opened, because the place always looked deserted. Once I went inside I understood why: there were no tables at all next to the windows, practically all the tables were down in a pit below street level. Too bad too, their fries were fantastic..