Look for changes to occur at Benton Park’s Niche Restaurant starting this Sunday.
“I walked into the dining room last week,” chef-owner Gerard Craft just told us, “and I was like, ‘God, really kinda getting fancy in here.’ I mean seriously, I don’t know if you’ve seen me, but I’m not the fanciest guy in the world.
“I think we were getting to a place doing seven-course tastings with gold leaf … and kinda white tablecloth-only, and I think I was just at a place that I just didn’t really enjoy it,” Craft continued. “When we opened Niche, it was all about serving good food that was approachable, like a guy like me with tattoos can come in and sit down and feel comfortable and still get a taste of something that you usually pay a lot of money for. So I think we’re just trying to bring it back to that vision.”
Inspiring the changes was Craft’s recent tour of hot, new bistros in France. Devotees of Niche’s cuisine can breathe easy, though – Craft reassured us his menu will remain progressive. Moreover, starting Sunday, the restaurant will offer guests a three-course meal for $35, as well as probably instituting a five-course tasting menu.
“Don’t get me wrong,” he said. “None of this is about cutting back on my food and not trying to keep people interested, ’cause that’s what I love to do. But it’s about making people feel comfortable while they’re experiencing it. … You might see us work a little bit harder to use off cuts of ingredients. You might see more in the way of a flat-iron steak than a ribeye or a filet or something of that nature.”
With a chuckle, he added, “We’re still keeping the bread service – that’s the only thing that I’m giving in on. … [But we’re] going back to, for now, brown paper on the tables – you may see wood tables pretty soon.”
Craft’s conclusion regarding the upcoming changes? “I feel a little more comfortable.”
This article appears in Mar 1-31, 2010.