hospitalitystyle.com

(Fall 2011) posted on Tue Oct 25, 2011 EDT

Leap of Faith: A former church rectory in the heart of New York gets resurrected for a new life as Todd English’s CrossBar restaurant.

By Mary Scoviak

• 
• 
• 

CrossBar, the latest offer from culinary star Todd English, serves up dinner with a generous side of theater. Unlike many celebrity chef restaurants, English’s self-described “approachable and affordable” eatery connected to New York’s Limelight concept makes the design as provocative as the fare. Just as his meat-centric menu seems pretty bold in these increasingly vegetarian times, CMS Architecture and Design’s decision to play up the building’s origins as a church’s rectory provides ample food for thought. Diners wouldn’t expect a white linen tablecloth restaurant in the Flatiron/Chelsea neighborhood, not even from a James Beard award winner. But they probably wouldn’t imagine they’d be enjoying their serrano-wrapped pork tenderloin or crispy pork belly at an onyx and cast-iron communal table shaped like a cross, either.

Drama like this is the new gold standard for style-setting restaurants. Working with a $1.5 million budget for the 99-seat restaurant, New York-based CMS layers points of interest throughout CrossBar’s two levels. The cruciform references keep the setting’s history top-of-mind. Actual church pews serve as the banquettes. Red and black constitute the basic palette—equally right for the Goth set as for Francophiles who get the satire of “Le Rouge et Le Noir (The Red and the Black),” a reference to church and state.

Preserving the unique architectural elements such as existing brick walls and heavy timbered joists did more than serve up the right mood. “It was one of the biggest money savers in the project. It helped us realize economies of scale while showing off the original finishes and wooden ceiling beams,” says Chris Smith, principal with CMS.

What couldn’t be saved was re-invented, like the new tin ceiling. “Making materials look as if they were born in that rectory was a major challenge, as was creating impact in this fairly small space,” says Smith. CMS bridged the old/new gap with fresh takes on the classics, such as the graphic black-and-white concrete tile floor, the hand-blocked velvet panels used as wall accents and the antique iron and glass chandeliers.

“Both on the menu and in the design, we felt it was important to mix it up,” says English. “Restaurants are about good food, good service, friends and a stimulating visual environment—not price point.”