Page 42 - Demo

Hudson Yards is the Rockefeller Center of the 21st century. It’s a one-off. It will never happen in my lifetime again. So, to be able to be part of a project like that is extremely compelling.’
Although news of the two projects emerged at around the same time and are due to open within a year of each other (The Surf Club is scheduled for later this month with the TAK Room following in spring 2019) in typical Keller style, the ‘continental’ concept has been gestating for quite some time and has a surprising history behind it.
‘I started working on developing the menu for this with the lead chef for our restaurants in 2008-2010. It was a slow process because we weren’t really rushed with it,’ says Keller who was rst approached about Hudson Yards by Related Companies, who he partnered with for Per Se, in 2006. ‘By 2014 we had realized the opportunity to do our rst beta test of the concept.
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When we closed the French Laundry for a remodel we opened a pop-up restaurant Ad Lib at a country club near us. We coined the acronym ELF for energy, loud and fun. It was just that kind of restaurant. Good music, quick paced service, food that was recognizable, and one that people really enjoyed. There was nothing new, it was just about quality products and quality execution.
‘Right around that same time I entered an agreement with Seabourn to open restaurants on their three ships at the time. They were 40 seat restaurants and we called it The Grill by Thomas Keller. It’s funny, because ten or 11 years ago Heston Blumenthal and I were negotiating with Seabourn to do that same space as the restaurant by Thomas Keller and Heston but we could never come to an agreement. The Grill on Seabourn is that restaurant that we did at Ad Lib and a precursor to what we’re doing at Surf Club