Henry's Place opening announcement

21 people in the kitchen alone. Holy crap, can you imagine what the wage bill is going to be!!

I wish them all the best in with their new venture, I've met Chef Reed and he seems like a nice enough guy, but after reading their Business First article, they seem to really be concerned with chasing the well to do, Indian Hills and Mockingbird Valley crowd by the tone of the piece. I may be wrong, but I think they might be in for a bit of rude awakening once the excitment of a new place wears off. But then again, that's only my opinion. I still want them to do well. To me it just seems that that type of dining is really not in the forefront of the current market trends.
My previous experience in club/fine dining has taught me feeding the well heeled crowd over the years, are that these people are just like everyone else. Some have sophisticated palates and don't mind spending large sums money on a meal. Then there is the majority of folks that might have much deeper pockets than you and I, but still think that the Olive Garden is a great dining value.

Warning- Thread hijack ahead

Not having grownup in these parts, I was interested in the naming of Henry's Place for Henry Watterson- who to me is nothing more than the name of a highway. So I did some quick research and found his autobiography "Marse Henry" written in 1919. A section gossiping about Stephen Foster caught my eye, and I'm now really beginning to like 'Ol Henry:

Will S. Hays, the rival of Foster as a song writer and one of my reporters on the Courier-Journal,


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told me this story: "Foster," said he, "was a good deal of what you might call a barroom loafer. He possessed a sweet tenor voice before it was spoiled by drink, and was fond of music, though technically he knew nothing about it. He had a German friend who when he died left him a musical scrapbook, of all sorts of odds and ends of original text. There is where Foster got his melodies. When the scrapbook gave out he gave out."

I took it as merely the spleen of a rival composer. But many years after in Vienna I heard a concert given over exclusively to the performance of certain posthumous manuscripts of Schubert. Among the rest were selections from an unfinished opera - "Rosemonde," I think it was called - in which the whole rhythm and movements and parts of the score of Old Folks at Home were the feature.

http://docsouth.unc.edu/fpn/watterson2/watterson2.html

Deb

My great-grandmother worked as a governess for the Waterson family when she was young and as a teenager I used to goof off in the old abandoned mansion with my friends - do I get a free meal?

BTW the old mansion burned down in a spectacular fire in 74 or 75.

I still don't get why this concept is supposed to be of interest to me. You have a lot of people in the kitchen? Well, it could translate into great attention to detail and great expertise. Then again, I've eaten in France many times, and I've often been just as impressed by the chef-driven places with two people on the kitchen and three people front of house.

I think the concept might get chefs far more excited than it does diners. We care about the result, not the brigade back in the kitchen.

That said, the menu looks great. The renovation not so much.

21 people in the kitchen alone. Holy crap, can you imagine what the wage bill is going to be!!

I really wonder if this is the case. If you read the website it state "at Henry’s Place, each of the 21 stations is represented by equipment and processes", it doesn't say that a different person works at each station. The building is relatively small and I don't believe 21 people even work in the kitchen!

So I chatted with chef tonight and have some insights...

The whole 'American Brigade' concept has been a lifetime in the making. Early in his career, he fell in love with Escoffier's work and style and has worked through each of the 21 stations. He is in his 50's. He was given the highest award from the ACF for excellence in 19. It's kind of a big deal and something to be proud of.

The 'American Brigade' is meant to be leaner, meaner and stronger. The poissonier was responsible for nothing all day but fish for the king. With little to do, they grew fat, slow and dumb over time (to be honest.)

This kitchen will staff 5, but the techniques and exectution, etc. will be of the highest quality- he certainly isn't playing on this, promise.

Nor are they playing with the class of clientelle. They truly want this to be an upscale establishment, with great people mingling with great people. Nothing wrong with that, although I'm not a fan of the dress-code thing. That's ok, I'm sure they will bend if (x) shows up in jeans. Promise.

I know the GM and she's a beast (means she works hard and is very intellingent.) I know chef's food (umm- delicious.) They may have hit a bit of a PR miscommunication here, but these are fine folks trying to do thier best. Give them thier bone, please.



PS. By the way, everybody is (x), because you never know- the great one's don't anounce themselves.