In an era of frenetic restaurant activity, Dan Rosenthal is something of an anachronism.
”When it comes to opening new restaurants and clones,” he says, ”I`m not going out there and driving 80. You`ll find me poking along in the right lane. I try to do one project at a time, so I can let things develop and mature before I get too deeply into the next concept.”
That will come as good news to some of Rosenthal`s competitors. On the strength of the two hit restaurants he opened here last year, Trattoria No. 10 and the Old Carolina Crab House, he is a strong candidate for 1989`s restaurateur of the year. In 1988, he was instrumental in opening two other successes, Prairie and Harry Caray`s, for the Chicago Dining Authority.
Other than a surfeit of customers, this quartet is linked by a strong sense of tradition. Each one has its roots deep in the past.
”That`s part of my philosophy,” says the 41-year-old Rosenthal.
”People are not necessarily unhappy with the here and now, but the world is moving too fast and they do long for what used to be, for something of substance that is going to be available to them over the long haul.
”In most restaurants today, under the tinsel, there`s a lack of heart, soul, substance. You don`t find consistent quality, value, an owner who`s there in person.”
Rosenthal can be found in his restaurants, daily, and he also can be found delving into every aspect of their operation. With more than 20 years of experience in the hotel and restaurant business, he has strong opinions about design, decor, service and cooking as well as consumer attitudes.
”I try to hit every table at lunch and dinner,” he says. ”I get a great response, but it also means I have to be able to recognize problems and know how to fix them.
”For the customer, service has to come first, with food quality close on its heels. If both of these are good and you are perceived to offer value, you will do well. Ambiance is important, too, but less important. A restaurant needs it to be really successful, but you have to keep it in proper perspective.”
Rosenthal believes his restaurants ”lead from the back of the house.”
Therefore, he values most highly a chef who can ”make food taste sensational.” If a chef possesses ”the touch,” Rosenthal says he is willing to support or guide him or her in developing management and presentation skills.
He may have acquired some of this talent by osmosis at Ladue High School in St. Louis, the same school that produced well-known Chicago restaurateurs Larry and Mark Levy and Jim Errant. But he learned the business in earnest at Cornell University`s much admired hotel school; during stints with Hilton, Hyatt and Omni hotels; and working for Arnie Morton on several of his projects.
Along the way, Rosenthal developed a firm vision of what the core of a restaurant should be.
”I believe there has to be something people can identify with-an owner or chef, a specific theme-and everything should tie in, reinforce that identity,” he says. ”The other day I saw a sign on a new restaurant: `Tavern and Grill, Bakery and Deli.` That`s about as far away from something cohesive as you can get. But these sort of places have been proliferating. It baffles me.”
In contrast, he has no trouble explaining the concepts behind the restaurants he has been involved in launching.
Prairie (500 S. Dearborn St.) is a tribute to the Heartland. ”At first we were going to call it Sonoma,” he says, and ”bring in products and wine from there and feature California cuisine. But at one point my wife said to me, `Lead from your heart,` and it hit me that if regional cuisine was a true trend we should do something Midwestern on our home ground. The more I thought of the location (amidst the historic architecture of Printers Row) and the possibilities of a design based on Frank Lloyd Wright`s work, the more excited I got.”
Harry Caray`s (33 W. Kinzie St.), which is in a landmark building, ”was very definitely directed by the architecture. From the moment I walked in, there was no question in my mind it would be an Italian steak house and should be a tribute to Old Chicago and its saloons. We uncovered the original terrazzo floors and kept and restored the mahogany woodwork and wainscoting.” The sports personalities and events associated with broadcaster Caray`s long career dovetailed nicely with the concept.
Trattoria No. 10 (10 N. Dearborn St.) posed several potential hazards. Not only was it to be located in the Loop (a difficult place to attract dinner business) and near a long-established Italian restaurant (The Italian Village), but the space was in a basement.
”I figured with Italian food so hot everywhere, there was an opportunity for us to find a niche,” Rosenthal recalls. ”Looking at the basement setting, with its low ceiling, columns and nooks and crannies, I saw an architectural grotto. So we opted for casual-elegant decor and made the place feel 100 years old. But we updated the food and I hit on the idea of handmade raviolis (as a signature dish).”
The Old Carolina Crab House (455 E. Illinois St., in North Pier Terminal) was Rosenthal`s personal reaction against the fast pace of life in general and the glitz of California cuisine dining places in particular. ”The Southern style is different,” he says, ”and even here everyone has a sense of it.”
To set a scene reminiscent of the Carolina or Georgia coast several decades ago, the reception room is decorated like a general store. There are fishing gear and souvenirs for sale, along with hush-puppie mix, Coca-Cola in antique 6 1/2-ounce bottles and homemade pies for carryout. The rustic, rough- hewn restaurant beyond stretches along the waters of the Ogden Slip, a mood-enhancing prop no designer could afford to construct. The menu features a variety of crab and shrimp preparations and such Southern standbys as catfish, hush puppies and collard greens.
”But in addition,” Rosenthal says, ”we are providing a place where people can get off the treadmill. We have 180 window seats and we`re not going to push customers out of them. We encourage them to relax and have dessert, to stay for a second cup of coffee.”
He`s not done, however. ”We`ll be refining the concept and honing in on our food preparation,” Rosenthal says. ”We want to bring the food more into the foreground.”
Looking ahead, Rosenthal sees honing concepts even more finely as the key to success in the `90s.
”Do specific areas of Italy, or do variations on a theme like Richard Melman is doing with his Tucci series (Tucci Benucch, Tucci Milan). There will be a shakeout. This town is dramatically overbuilt in restaurants and those lacking in heart, soul, substance are going to disappear. The new restaurants that work will be smaller, less dependent on wacko decor, less likely to offer `haute service.` ”
For himself, Dan Rosenthal is likely to unveil several new restaurants during the upcoming decade. But based on his temperament and experiences to date, he will proceed at a measured pace with one lesson firmly in mind.
”What have I learned?” he asks in response to a question. ”I`ve learned you`ll never know it all.”
