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 OLD
CITY'S NEWEST RESTAURANT IS 14 YEARS OLD
Serrano is celebrating its 14th anniversary. The life expectancy
of restaurants in any major city can be woefully short. The key
to Serrano's success is knowing how to re-invent an ongoing operation
and take it to its next logical step in evolution.
 This
year, owners Rich Machlin and Jude Erwin have done just that.
Hiring new Executive Chef David Marks, featuring a new and dynamic
menu and retaining the services of DAS Architects for interior
and exterior re-design is
proof of that notion.
DAS
Architects is perhaps the leading design firm serving the restaurant
and hospitality business in Philadelphia and beyond. Acording
to David Schultz, partner DAS Architects,"The re-design
of Serrano offers old world eclectic charm. When you enter the
restaurant, you feel like you're in a place that has evolved for
centuries. Serrano's  re-design
is a blend of periods and artifacts of time
gone by. We enjoy working with Serrano because it's pure theater.
The
design takes you entirely out of Philadelphia.'
According to Richard Machlin, "This re-design is a natural evolution
from
what we were to what we intended to be. It offers a level of comfort
that matches the comfort level of the food and menu. It was always
our desire to 'up' the creative ante to keep Serrano interesting
for our guests." "
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Philadelphia
Weekly's Best and Worst
Best Restaurant Makeover
SERRANO 20 S. SECOND ST., 215.928.0770
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| With
its wall of gilded mirrors, multiple chandeliers and crimson
velvet drapes, this Old City institution's new look might
best be described as "Bohemian bordello." But add a blazing
fireplace and a belle jolie mural by local children's book
illustrator Pam Paparone and you have the ingredients for
a stimulating evening. And the food's great, too. Try the
Brazilian rib eye awash in a chili cinnamon citrus sauce. |
David
arranged the framework and sent us shopping. Nothing was
purchased new. The re-design pulls from different global regions.
The look incorporates our menu by visually arousing the senses
with complements and contrasts in rich finishes and textures."
According to Schultz,"The lighting alone creates an atmosphere
by the way it strikes the surfaces and edges. The lighting draws
you into itself, creating a contrast between material and space.
Contemporary theme restaurants have a short lifespan. They demand
only an immediate response. Rarely do they evolve." Fabric. glass,
wood, brick and light all playfully dance with Serrano's philosophy
of old world comfort and cuisine.
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