Front Row Dining

Cariño

A modern Mexican restaurant with an in-house masa program, Cariño is inspired by Chef Norman Fenton’s time road-tripping across Mexico, from Oaxaca to Michoacán, and cooking in Tulum, along with his fine dining training at Chicago&#8217;s Schwa and The Aviary. The dining room seats 20 guests, but the 7-seat chef&#8217;s counter contains the best seats in the house. It&#8217;s here that diners receive a couple extra courses, with surprise supplements like fresh shaved truffles, all while watching each plate come to life.

The concept

The Counter at Odell's

Chef Miles Odell is best known for his wildly popular bagel shop, but this new chef&#8217;s counter experience is inspired by his three years in Japan, serving as a culinary ambassador selected by the Japanese Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries and working at three-star MICHELIN restaurant Gion Sasaki in Kyoto. The restaurant transforms from a warm and sunny bagel shop by day to sleek fine dining at night. Guests gather at a 12-seat oak counter to watch Odell and his sous chefs grill every skewer and press each piece of sushi, handing pieces of nigiri directly to guests.

Friends Only

Chef Ray Lee opened Friends Only omakase counter to double as a research and development kitchen for sister restaurant Akikos, experimenting with dry-aging techniques for fish and testing out ideas for new dishes. There are just 10 spots at a custom walnut counter with two seatings each night. With a herringbone oak floor, leather upholstery, and etched porcelain wall panels, every detail is thoughtfully crafted.

The concept 

Her Place Supper Club

You&#8217;re invited to Chef Amanda Shulman&#8217;s place for a supper party, and the convivial, casual vibe and open kitchen feel like you&#8217;re at a friend&#8217;s home rather than a restaurant. Mismatched wooden chairs and vintage framed posters set the tone for a laidback night ahead. Dining at the counter is akin to skipping ahead in a novel, getting a sneak peek of each course coming together before it&#8217;s served.

iggy’s

Hospitality veterans and brothers Ryan and Matthew Poli unleash their full creative prowess at iggy’s, their Italian pasta restaurant in Nashville’s Wedgewood-Houston neighborhood. Chef Ryan runs the back of house, while Matthew, who is a sommelier, oversees the front. Central to the dining room is a stunning 13-seat maple chef&#8217;s counter that wraps around the open kitchen.

The Concept

This 14-seat traditional kaiseki counter is discreetly located behind all-day cafe and cocktail bar HALL, operated by the same team. Chef Hiroki Odo trained in Japan at legendary kaiseki restaurant Kyoto Wakuden before moving to New York in 2012. At odo, he&#8217;s a Japanese culinary ambassador of the highest level, connecting with local fishermen, butchers, and farmers to bring in the best product.

Pasta | Bar

The most stylish tenant in an otherwise ordinary strip mall, Pasta | Bar, offers an eclectic California-inspired tasting menu with several creative pasta courses by husband-and-wife team Margarita Kallas-Lee and Phillip Frankland Lee. Start with a welcome cocktail and several canapés in a fashionably appointed lounge before moving to a semi-circular 12-seat copper counter. Almost every course includes a tableside flourish and Chef DJ Nelson and his crew are known to banter with guests as they present and describe each dish. Diners are welcome to mingle in the kitchen at the end of the meal with Polaroids taken to commemorate special occasions.

Queen's English

Chef Henji Cheung pays homage to his childhood growing up in Hong Kong with modern, Cantonese-inspired cuisine. Walk through the dining room lined with shimmering pink-and-gold chinoiserie wallpaper and perch at the six-seat quartz chef&#8217;s counter with a custom teak and walnut geometric face by artist Frederico Puyo. Cheung entertains diners like he’s hosting a cooking show while his wife, Sarah Thompson, oversees the beverage program and dining room.

Restaurant Yuu

The kitchen is a stage at Chef Yuu Shimano’s Brooklyn-based, French-Japanese restaurant. Guests are seated at a sleek black stone counter in an industrial brick building with a soaring ceiling. Start with bite-sized snacks and chilled or warm hinoki-infused oshibori before the thick velvety curtain is suddenly whisked open and the kitchen revealed. Shimano&#8217;s team of chefs introduce themselves and the show begins.

SHINGO

At this 14-seat hinoki counter, you’ll be served traditional edomae sushi—and encouraged to eat with your hands. The restaurant was built by master woodworkers in Kyoto, then deconstructed, transported and rebuilt in Coral Gables. Chef Shingo Akikuni is an Osaka native and shares Japanese culture with guests through every bite and with each polite bow. Austere design with handmade ceramics and omotenashi (Japanese hospitality) create an atmosphere that allows guests to be fully present and enjoy the simple but sublime pleasure of sushi.

Boundaries between the kitchen and dining room dissolve when you are face-to-face with the chefs plating your food. These restaurants offer a glimpse of the technique and creativity behind each dish, where the chef becomes an entertainer and the kitchen becomes their stage.

What's in a name poster - abstract image of chopsticks with noodles

What’s in a Name

Ashes & Diamonds

For Kashy Khaledi, inspiration struck while watching the 1958 Polish war film Ashes &amp; Diamonds. A line from a poem in the movie now graces every cork in A&amp;D&#8217;s bottles: Ashes hold the glory of a star-like diamond, the morning star of everlasting triumph.

The name

Atomix

After wowing New York with Atoboy, their casual Korean-inspired restaurant highlighting banchan, Chef Junghyun “JP” Park and his wife Ellia, who oversees front of house operations, raised the stakes with a 14-seat, two-Michelin-starred tasting menu concept called Atomix. Continuing the theme of &#8220;ato,&#8221; meaning &#8220;gift&#8221; in Korean, they aim to create meaningful experiences. “The most important thing for hospitality is to impact someone’s life,” Ellia told Cherry Bombe. “If I can make a small impact, that is our ultimate goal.”

The name 

Chikahan

As Houston&#8217;s first Filipino-inspired tasting menu restaurant, Chikahan derives its name from the Tagalog &#8220;chika chika,&#8221; meaning chit-chat or gossip. “The name Chikahan was intentional,” Chef-owner Andrew Musico tells us. “In Filipino culture, chikahan is more than just gossip—it’s the kind of lively conversation that happens when people gather around food. It’s storytelling, laughter, catching up, and sometimes, even a little playful banter.”

ILÉ

ILÉ, meaning &#8220;home&#8221; in the West African Yoruba language, embodies its name completely. This unique restaurant is set inside the chef&#8217;s actual home, offering guests a truly personal invitation to experience West African cuisine and hospitality.

Jook Sing

Jook Sing refers to a term of endearment toward a person of Asian descent born in Western countries, having a foot in both cultures. “Jook Sing embraces the multicultural crossover many of us experience—the sense of not fully belonging,” partner Josue Mancero tells us. “Our menu is far from traditional, and we&#8217;re proud of that. It&#8217;s a story of someone inspired by their Eastern traditions but shaped by Western culture. From the graffiti on our walls to the hip-hop playing, we live this blend every day.”

Kamonegi

In Japanese, &#8220;kamo ga negi wo shotte kuru&#8221; (a duck flies in with a leek) suggests that one good thing leads to another. “Kamonegi means duck and leek, namely that a duck bringing a leek in its mouth is one good thing that brings another,” Chef-owner Matsuko Soma shared with Seattle. “I think our fortune recently is a reflection of the name we chose. I hope to keep living up to the recognition we’ve received and just work harder.”

Kiln

With pure intense heat, a kiln changes raw materials while retaining their essential soul. That&#8217;s what makes San Francisco’s Kiln special: the sum of its parts—from staff to dishes to decor—metaphorically passes through the kiln each night to create a magical experience. “When something gets fired into a kiln, it transforms,&#8217; co-owner John Wesley told Eater SF. &#8216;In a restaurant setting, that’s applied to food and, hopefully, guests, but also staff. People that come in and spend time here should leave different than when they came in.'&#8221;

Masseria

When creating the restaurant, Chef Nicholas Stefanelli wanted it to feel like the sprawling country farming estates, called masserias, that dot the Puglian countryside, his family’s ancestral home. That warmth is felt throughout as Stefanelli and his team strive to make you feel like family, a goal he pursues each night.

Paadee

Paadee, meaning &#8220;to bring good things,&#8221; follows the philosophy that walking the path of happiness looks like leaving guests fully satisfied. The restaurant aims to serve comforting Thai food that both evokes the owner’s childhood memories and reinvigorates guests’ spirits.

Tatemó

When the pandemic derailed restaurant plans, the Tatemó team pivoted to selling colorful nixtamalized heirloom maize tortillas and masa at Houston farmers markets. This setback evolved into success through pop-ups, eventually leading to the 2022 opening of their maize-driven tasting-menu restaurant. The name Tatemó, from Spanish &#8220;tatemar&#8221; (to roast, toast, or grill), reflects their motto: Sin maize no hay pais—without corn there is no country.

We often choose where to dine based on buzz, food, or a chef’s reputation—but how often do we consider the meaning behind a restaurant’s name? Like a person&#8217;s identity, the name carries significance and story.
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For this month’s Tock 10 collection, we look more closely at what’s in a name.

The Firsts

Alinea

This is the story of an ambitious young chef from Saint Clair, Michigan who set out to open one of the world’s most groundbreaking restaurants. After training with the likes of Thomas Keller and Ferran Adrià, Grant Achatz came onto the scene with provocative dishes, often presented on custom Crucial Detail service pieces, that challenged and delighted diners. The world fell in love with foams, explosions, and vapors—because behind every technique and unexpected presentation was something undeniably delicious.

Origin

Lazy Bear

After being laid off from a law firm in 2009, David Barzelay began hosting elaborate dinner parties out of his San Francisco apartment. The underground operation quickly gained notoriety and eventually moved into a covert warehouse to accommodate growing demand. In 2014, Barzelay secured a permanent location in the Mission District, where he built an open kitchen and placed two long elm tables in the dining room to maintain a dinner party ethos. One year in and Lazy Bear earned its first Michelin star.

Staplehouse

When Ryan and Jen Hidinger began hosting a supper club out of their Atlanta home in 2009, it was marketed as a prelude to their upcoming restaurant. Sadly, Ryan passed away from cancer before they could open the doors. In honoring his legacy, Jen teamed up with Ryan’s sister, Kara Hidinger, and her husband Ryan Smith, to see the project through. With an outpouring of support from the community, Staplehouse opened in 2015 as a subsidiary of the Giving Kitchen, with Jen calling it a “beacon of hope.”

Kadence

In 2017, Mark Berdin and Jennifer Bañagale opened Kadence in a monochromatic black building, in between a liquor store and floral shop. They ran out of funds for signage, but by then, had already built a loyal following via Kappo, a tiny East End Market sushi stand. Kadence offered a permanent space and the opportunity to expand on their dream: a spirited omakase counter inspired by a Barcelona tapas bar.

Spoon and Stable

In late 2014, Chef Gavin Kaysen opened his highly-anticipated Minneapolis restaurant in a 1906-era horse stable. It was a monumental homecoming for the chef, who stepped down from his role at the esteemed Café Boulud to return to his roots. “This is my dream come true,” Kaysen told Mpls.St.Paul that year. “In the town that I grew up in, that I’m able to provide what I’ve learned and what I’ve experienced in my life in cooking and hospitality.”

otoko x watertrade

When Yoshi Okai opened a 12-seat omakase counter in 2016, he was told it was never going to work. Most Americans were not yet familiar with the concept of omakase, or I leave it up to you. But that didn’t stop the Kyoto-born chef, who found his way to Austin by way of Los Angeles as a punk rock musician. Through dishes like charcoal-kissed “BBQ” hamachi, topped with fennel and house soy sauce, Okai was able to win Texans over, honoring both Japanese tradition and local flavors. “Tastes like Texas, maybe?” Okai said, then went on to be named one of Food &amp; Wine’s Best New Chefs of 2017.

Cow by Bear

The legend of Cow by Bear dates back to 2011, when an anonymous chef suited up in a bear costume began hosting dinner pop-ups out of a San Diego apartment. The rather unconventional concept quickly became one of the city’s most sought-after experiences, moving from one undisclosed location to the next. There was something electrifying about the mysterious chef, a roomful of strangers, and an ever-changing menu, which centered around a 50-day dry-aged ribeye, because what else would get a bear truly excited?

Smyth

In 2003, John Shields and Karen Urie were working at the legendary Charlie Trotter’s, John as a sous chef, and Karen as head pastry chef. The two eventually married, and in 2008, embarked on a new adventure, moving to the one-stoplight town of Chilhowie, Virginia, to reimagine a destination restaurant called Town House. It was here that the Shields’ found their creative voices, earning praise from the likes of the New York Times and Food &amp; Wine. After four years, the couple returned to Chicago to open a fine dining restaurant that would encompass their love for foraged ingredients and their time together in Smyth County, Virginia.

OSAKANA

Chef and former fish wholesaler Yuji Haraguchi founded OSAKANA in 2016 to fill an obvious hole in the market. “Witnessing this gap between the quality and potential of U.S.-caught fish and the fastidiousness of Japanese handling practices gave Haraguchi the seeds of an idea,” the New Yorker reported that year. Haraguchi set out to create a pristine fish counter and education center, where he could raise awareness about local catches and Japanese culture through humidity-controlled displays and hands-on classes.

Inn of the Seventh Ray

Before they opened a restaurant, Lucile and Ralph Yaney worked as psychotherapists in Beverly Hills. On their daily commute from Topanga in the nearby Santa Monica Mountains, the couple passed an old junkyard with a dilapidated church. On a whim one day, they stopped to explore, and felt an immediate and inexplicable connection with the land, rumored to be a meeting place of the Chumash, Native American people who lived in the area thousands of years ago. Lucile and Ralph restored the property and founded the restaurant, Inn of the Seventh Ray, in 1973 with the vision to share their passion for what they called high-vibration foods.

The innovators. The risk-takers. The trailblazers. In celebration of Tock’s ten-year anniversary, we’re highlighting the restaurants that first took a chance on a new reservation platform.
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These are the ones that forged their own path, shaping hospitality over the past decade.

Collections

Cities

Celebrating the people, passion, and stories behind great hospitality with Tock 10.

Alinea

Chicago, IL

Origin

Then & now

Why we love it

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