Q. Why two restaurants at once?
A. Instead of trying to fill this massive [6,000-square-foot] space, it's easier to split them in two. The bigger space is going to be One Red Door. It will be a tavern concept: small plates, a lot of bite-size things, a few charcuteries and cheese plates. We're throwing in an old pizza oven, and we'll make some traditional flatbreads. Flip Side is a gourmet, all-natural burger bar with chef-driven toppings and 15 tap beers. We want it to feel like this retro '70s-style restaurant and put records on the walls and have all high-top tables.
Q. What's behind the red door?
A. The whole idea behind the name [One Red Door] is we're going to get a 10-foot antique door from a shop that sells refurbished stuff from the 1800s and have it repainted in bright Corvette red. The main reason behind the "one" is that we feel we want to open a couple of restaurants and this is the first. So the next one would be "two" something, and so on.
Q. Why the switch to casual?
A. It's a whole new concept for us. I enjoy going out to concepts like that, like Bar Cento and Momocho — casual, great food that's more chef-driven and fun. I want to cook food that I want to eat.
