Month: July 2009
Some idea
So, Delancey is opening its doors on Wednesday, August 12, at 5:00 pm. I’m a little short on words to describe how I feel about that, but maybe this picture will give you some idea.
Brandon feels pretty much the same, I think. Maybe with a touch of queasy on top. Or maybe I’m just projecting. Hard to say.
Nah, actually, we’re very, very excited. This is the part that we’ve been waiting for. It’s been a long time coming, and though I don’t know that we’ll ever feel completely ready, we’re close. Or close enough. I just hope we get some sleep sometime soon, because apparently, I’m already having a hard time keeping my eyes open.
And we’re in the middle of a record-breaking heat wave. The restaurant has no air conditioning. I’m going to sit here and massage my temples for a while. That’ll help.
But hey, you know, today is the fifth anniversary of this blog. Five years. Five years! It’s pretty amazing. You’re pretty amazing, people! Thank you. You make me so happy.
And it’s also our second wedding anniversary. That’s not so bad either.
Between now and the 12th, we’re holding soft opening dinners. My mother arrives today to lend a hand, and then my in-laws come next week. I might not be able to write a coherent sentence for a while, but I’ll have photographs for you. For sure. See you in a couple of days.
P.S. To those who have asked questions about various aspects (lights, desserts, etc.) of the restaurant: I promise, promise, to answer them soon. I could talk about that stuff all day.
P.P.S. For local readers: I’m so, so sorry to say that the soft opening dinners are sold out. We opened them first to family and friends, and then to a mailing list that Brandon has been compiling, and they went fast. We can hardly believe it. But if you would like to get information about future special events at Delancey, please send an e-mail to delanceyseattle (at) gmail (dot) com with “mailing list” written in the subject line.
The whole point
I am pleased to report that we are finally approaching the part of this restaurant thing when we actually get to cook. It’s kind of amazing. The construction is essentially done. There are some details left to complete, like installing acoustic paneling (to cut down on noise), hanging art and mirrors, and setting up the computer system, but we’re very close. Two of our construction workers – I’m not going to say who (rhymes with “Holly” and “Mandon”) – accidentally glued an eight-foot-tall chalkboard to the floor on Sunday, but it’s okay. It came up easily enough. We’re really very close. And we still seem to remember how to cook, which is promising, since that’s the whole point. About ten…
Read moreWe’d have to run
I’ve got to hand it to you people. You really know how to welcome a girl back. Thank you. I have so many things to tell you about, but sitting down to do it is not so easy. Last week was a blur of pizza-testing, potential staff-interviewing, convection-oven buying, and kitchen-rearranging, and then on Saturday evening, just as we were rounding up a long day of errands, Brandon gashed the side of his thumb on a sheet of stainless steel in a home improvement store. I looked down at his hand for an instant, just long enough to see a lot of blood, and then I gave him a Kleenex and proceeded to quietly hyperventilate. Clearly, he was going to…
Read moreIt’s all there
Well. That took a little longer than I expected. Thank you for hanging in there, and even more, for being so understanding. I missed you all, and I missed being here. I was having a pretty rough time a couple of months ago. You could probably see it more clearly, actually, than I could. I have never, ever, done something as consuming as this opening-a-restaurant business. Even writing a book doesn’t compare. People had warned us that projects like these always take twice as long and cost twice as much as you expect them to, and dude, that is Seriously. No. Joke. It’s been like Little Shop of Horrors over here, only the role of Audrey II, the man-eating plant,…
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