For the sake of argument, let’s assume the goal here was to create a space that, in addition to serving pre-show audiences, could attract a small crowd of diners on a couple of off-nights with a food board a notch or two above normal nightclub fare. Now (since we have established that we are arguing) it must be said that the dictates of branding and the limits of the public imagination make the goal virtually unattainable. As a celebrity’s spouse is rarely perceived to be man or woman in full, a theater restaurant will always be an add-on — ornament, not essence. In that context, a near miss is a qualified success.
To the owners’ credit, the concept here is more than afterthought and the execution is more than rote craft. Attention has been paid to the layout – barrish to one side, loungey to the other – and to the menus, both food and drink, which are narrow but capable of raising an eyebrow. So, while I will not be veering out of my way for George’s Spiced Sausage & Goat Cheese Lasagna or Baked Sesame Salmon, I’m glad I’ve got the option the next time the Avett Brothers or Neko Case come to town.
