Closer and Closer

So I've been on a blogging hiatus. As the pressure (read: reality) of what we're about to open becomes more acute and apparent, I can't help but get caught in the proverbial headlights of the oncoming semi. Until my head could wrap around the wealth of new information that has transpired over the past few weeks, I wasn't in the right mindset to write without sounding morose, Schizophrenic, or really irritated. Like I've said before, if we had a checkbook behind us that was able to take all of these seemingly large problems and turn them into butterflies then Jolly Jason would be tap dancing like Fred Astaire whistling Dixie. However, our faith and patience are being tested as our bank account keeps getting more anemic.

The cats at Great Wall slowed their pace down a few weeks back and have only started to get things ramped up and moving at the beginning of this week. Now there's a big countdown calendar in the space that everyone gets to look at each day reminding them that this isn't a Habitat for Humanity remodel and we start paying rent really really soon. So they've taken well to this and we're starting to see more steak and less sizzle.

So here are a few shots of what's been taking place.


1) The ceiling in the bar area is being painted dark brown. We want the ceiling to disappear and the chandelier to be the focal point. 2) Tommy doing some corner work on the wainscoting. The wood we are using for the wainscot is Douglas Fir that we pulled from the church. Beautiful tight grain with the perfect patina.


1) Another wainscot shot 2) The under counter of the back bar. Built strong to withstand 12 cases of wine and a 2-group espresso machine.


1) My birthday was last week and I happened to schedule a beer tasting dinner with Craig from Wine Warehouse on that day. We went to Andalu, a restaurant he is part owner of, and tasted through a veritable bonanza of Belgian beer. The photo on the left is of two beers that certainly shined. The Douchesse de Bourgogne is a life changing beer that if you've never tried it you must do so immediately, if not sooner. 2) Another star was the Blanche de Namur, a Belgium wheat beer that will completely change your view on what most American brewers are passing as wheat beer.


1) Got another 10 samples of possible stemware choices for FA. Now, of course, everyone is preaching Riedel Riedel Riedel. Anything less and you might as well shut your doors. HOWEVER, I have a point of contention. The research I've done talking to restaurant owners says that Riedel's break at a higher rate than other, equally high end glasses. So the decision before us is to either budget more for Riedel stems or search out the underdog who can offer the same experience of Riedel but be built for restaurants. We've found some very fine contenders to date and are excited to make a selection soon.


We also stopped by the fabricators of our storefront to check their progress. Ocean Sash & Door has been serving the Bay Area since 1880 (not a typo). Our vision for the exterior has always been classic cafe. Cyrick and I are obsessed with making sure there are as few materials as possible that do not evoke a sense of warmth and comfort. The storefront bids we got early on were all from companies who fabricate out of aluminum, which is pretty much the choice in today's world. However, with the help of GW we were able to realize our vision of a storefront made entirely from wood.

Seeing it in production today was awesome. Mike, the owner, took us around his shop and showed us the goods.


1) Mike has 3 buildings on 3 blocks in The Mission. Not a small operation. This is the wood shop. 2) Exterior view of the main building.


1) Mike standing next to the frame of our front door. 2) This piece measures 8'x9', so it's a big one. There will be three large panels that will open up accordion-style on one side. The other side will also open the same way. We have southern exposure so you'll be sitting by the window, sipping a nice Muscadet, nibbling on a smoked trout salad, and thinking how great life is.


1) Full shot of our front door. Three types of wood were used: Douglas Fir, Poplar, and White Cedar

--JK

Wood working, hand made cabinetry

Almost everything at Fat Angel will be handmade. Our bar is no exception. These are some of the pieces that will be outfitted into our giant back bar. That's the deal with reclaimed materials, you spend a little more time up front but the payoff is something you can't get with the modern stuff.

Tommy Two-Toes is hand cutting our wine rack.

Stand aside Tommy. Let the professional do it.

Here's a sneak peek. Don't drool.

Color palate

Here is where Jason and I use our artistic skills. We didn't expect choosing colors could be this interesting. After two hours of research, all the colors seems to look alike.

There is a difference with these two pictures. Can you tell? Out of 123497723640 colors, we're finally down to the last two contenders.

Seriously, there is a a difference.

Here's a shot of Jason trying to paint. Hey, isn't paint suppose to be on the wall instead?

A City Built on Permits

Here's a shot of our Change of Use permit. As soon as you think you have them all taken cared of, you get blindsided with another.

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Cyrick and I in Alexander Valley with a few friends tasting our way to a killer wine list at FA

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Cyrick scored another antique chandelier from Urban Ore. This one coming in at the rock bottom price of $20. Granted, she needs a little TLC but we're old pro's at reconditioning early 20th century Edwardian light fixtures. I know, get out the boots, it's getting high. 

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My friend Ashley in town taking a look at the FA space. She approves. 

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Lets just make sure no one objects to us trying to make our neighborhood a better place to live. 

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Poor Alex. 

Amateur Electricians

Here's a quick video of Tommy, Cyrick and I testing our antique lighting fixtures. Tommy the Toucan impersonating an electrician. Obviously, from this video, he's got a lot to lean about electricity. --JK

How a store front is built, ep 2

After the foundation is laid. We have to go back and grind down the bumps and smooth out the surfaces. This is a tedious process, but that's why they get paid the big bucks.

This is a heavy duty grinder. Don't let the size fool you.

Our guy Mike from Ocean Sash & Door came to take the final measurements. He's camera shy, so we didn't get any shots of him, so you'll have to stay tuned for the next episode. Maybe he'll make an appearance. Oh, and this guy refuses to carry a cell phone. I've heard of people doing this but never really met one. --CH

Lights!

Can't begin to describe what 8 strategically placed light bulbs can do in making something look like, well, something. The crew flipped the switch on our new (pricey!) electrical upgrade yesterday and everything just popped. The space popped, breakers, lights, etc, are all good, no popping there. This along with more dry wall has made all the difference in getting a better feel for what FA's going to look like when she's all done. Cyrick and I were both happy with what we saw. The crew is stoked because they don't have to work in the dark any longer. Electricity 'aint
cheap!


1) View from the front looking back toward the kitchen and back dining room wall. 2) Hallway, kitchen on left, office on right, bathroom is in the back right corner.


1) A view of the soffit wall directly above the bar. The two black squares are AC registers sans their grills. 2) Ricky 14 feet in the air installed lighting track and drilling the holes for the 4'x6' 35 light chandelier that's going directly over the bar. 200lbs of glass and light, twinkling high above while you eat and drink.


1) Sifu making sure Ricky doesn't fall. 2) The HVAC crew came back today and finished running all the electrical. We should be ready to spark this hog up by the end of business tomorrow.


1) Audrey from Grape Expectations and Gracie-Girl. We had a killer tasting with her on Wednesday and tasted some lovely wine at unbelievable prices. We've scheduled another tasting with Audrey next week to get a better look at 12 more wines that caught our eye. 2) Craig from Wine Warehouse came by today with what's been called "the wine tasting that left the tracks", 24 wines in 2 hours. Even with spitting the alcohol took it's toll. Craig poured some outstanding wines from all over the place. However the 8 or so we tasted from the Santa Barbara area were the highlights. They are doing some great stuff down there, leaving all the bloated BS (wine and egos) to the Napa folks and concentrating on making delicious wine at prices that make sense.


1) Cyrick holding on to our newest Urban Ore find. An 8 light solid brass chandelier (crystals were taken off to wash) that we snagged for $75. We've been doing A LOT of research on lighting (old and new) over the past few months and I can tell you without a doubt that this in any antique shop would be well over $500. This light will grace our bathroom ceiling. Although we're going to miss the tubed fluorescent that's in there now, we'll have to endure this harsh looking piece from here on out. 2) Tommy holding on to 1 of the 3 wall sconces we picked up at Omega Salvage a few months back. They will end up on the dining room wall.

Can't believe it's Friday already. Where's it all going? Tell it to stop.....

More to come.

--JK

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Diane and I found a great Sauvignon Blanc at a tasting today called Ponga from Marlborough, New Zealand. Could be a contender!

How a store front is built, ep. 1

This is how it all begins. The makings of a store front.

The fabrication of Fat Angel's new store front has started, we got the go ahead from our GC to start the outside work.

This is a prequel of what you read prior. The temp wall has to go up before we remove the existing store front.

Now that it's up, the real fun begins.

J just taking a final look at what is to be removed.

Right after we got the green light from Robert to start on the store front demo, Tommy got this big grin on his face. Wonder what he's thinking.

It's go time for organized destruction!

Alex is a great addition. His strength helps push things along much faster.

Of course, we can't forget Eddie the Guat, the human wrecking ball.

So this is how a tired old store front is gently removed to make room for what is to come.

Stay tuned for more on, How a store front is built. --CH