Two years ago, I moved to the wonderful town of Lawrence, Kansas. Perhaps it's because it's a college town or maybe it's its deeper history as a hotbed of radical abolitionists back in the day, but Lawrence is a town brimming with ideas and creativity and energy.
In the first year of living here, I spotted something I hadn't come across elsewhere: restaurants in peoples' homes!
There were two such establishments here at that time: Krause Dining and Cafe Beautiful. Krause Dining has since closed (though the owners opened two restaurant restaurants in its wake) and I believe Cafe Beautiful is still in operation in the chef's apartment (which was formerly the apartment of Wilt Chamberlain when he played basketball for the University of Kansas).
The former served upscale American cuisine at its finest, with six-course dinners costing something in the neighborhood of $100 a plate. They had special community nights where you were seated communaly and paid something like $40 per person. The home in which the Kraus Dining Room operated was an old and cozy house with a highly contemporary addition. The latter is in an apartment located above the shops of downtown's Mass. Street. Asian fusion meals are homecooked for only a few diners per evening. Reservations must be made well in advance to allow the chef to shop for and prepare your meal.
Witnessing two such restaurants operated out of homes has me wondering if you have spotted this trend in other locales. How about it? Does your town or city have a few hidden gems of small-scale restaurants operating out of homes? More often than not, these are truly wonderful finds that are worth sharing - please do so in the comments below!
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I have read secret restaurants in apartments in Hong Kong, but never in the US. It is such a great idea! Is it legal?
I wondered about the legallity of it too, especially if they are serving alcohol? Seems like a cool idea though, for a start-up chef who doesn't have the loan or cash to open a restaurant proper.
Man, those Krause folks make some darn tasty food. They now operate The Burger Stand at the Casbah and Esquina in downtown Lawrence, both of which are fantastic.
I've always wanted to try Cafe Beautiful, but have yet to find a time or the cash for it. Someday!
In Paris, there are several places like this, Hidden Kitchen being the most popular. I've never been, but I know several people who have and they say it's marvelous. It's a couple where one cooks and the other focuses on the wine, and they serve ten courses with pairings for each dish in their palatial home in the center of the city. One hundred euros is out of my budget for the moment, but I'd love to check it out some day.
I've been to several restaurants in houses, but never one that was also being used as a residence at the time.
I've heard that the way to get around permits, etc. is to have a suggested donation for the meal. This makes me think of another place where a lady is testing recipes for a cookbook she's writing. She sends out dates about a month in advance and it's first-RSVP first-served with a suggested donation of 30 € per person. I believe it's in her apartment as well, though she's mentioned picnicing in a nearby park as well.
In Denver there is a restaurant called Kate's in an old Victorian home. It is lived in and has been around at least 20 years. There is a blackboard with the items listed for the day, only about 5, but they are varied and tasty, a great place to eat.
@flyingsoba, Esquina is so delicious!
I love this idea! I always wondered what it would be like to have a kitchen/bar in my parents home. How fun!
In Arizona, the health codes are very strict, and anyone serving food to the public has to have a food handler's certificate. I believe that the kitchen has to follow all the health codes of a commercial kitchen as well. The teen minister at my church was a professional baker in her previous career, and she uses the church's kitchen whenever she caters because it would be too much work/money to use hers.