DINING IN 5 DIMENSIONS

The MAGIC OF RAW LAB is manifested through 2 CORE CHARACTERISTICS that create the opportunity for 5 PILLARS and 4 UNIQUE FEATURES which allow us to consistently deliver 20+ POINTS OF DISCOVERY. These features are created from a fundamental paradigm shift in how our service was modeled and executed. This not only solves problems but creates new opportunities. RAW LAB becomes a dining adventure or a a culinary expedition through time and space.

2 CORE CHARACTERISTICS…

These are the DNA of RAW LAB. They allow us to create an entirely new hospitality / culinary / experiential model. This allows us to create a singular dining experience. They are:

  • The FUSION of a SERVICE STYLE

    • (Omakase) and a CUISINE (Marine Cuisine, Raw Bar, Seafood)

  • OUR USE OF SPACE

    • Allows for the elimination of a floor staff, kitchen staff, tables and other attributes of a “Restaurant”.

    • Makes every seat the best seat in the house

    • Engages & Enchants the consumer in ways restaurants with table service, chef’s tables and tasting menus cannot

    • Creates Intimacy

The existence of these 2 CORE CHARACTERISTICS results in the creation of two groups of attributes: 5 PILLARS & 4 UNIQUE FEATURES. Finally, all of this allows for the consistent delivery of 20+ POINTS OF DISCOVERY which

5 PILLARS…

  1. Oyster Flight

  2. Caviar Trip

  3. Wine Travel

  4. Marine Cuisine

  5. Sea Salt Complex

OYSTER FLIGHT

The oyster service is presented through a flight of oysters. An experiment is possible here for our guests. And through our method, a result may be realized by the guest. “Which Accoutrement Do You Prefer”. This will inform how you dress your oysters elsewhere. Also, in this process we will explore the Metrics of Quality of oysters, Characteristics of Oysters and how best to enjoy them. THE RESULT: A completely new understanding of oysters, a greater appreciation of them and the techniques for getting significantly more enjoyment and nutrition out of this very expensive protein.

CAVIAR TRIP

We developed this in RAW LAB, in real time, in a collaborative experience with our guests. We stumbled upon this technique as a result of the way our model was created. With a specific technique used by professionals who produce and trade in caviar (the bump) and our own methodology of what to do (and not to do) with it once its in your mouth. Many guests who fully commit to this find themselves in a bit of a trance or little bit hypnotized. It’s like a very short, mild “trip”. THE RESULT: You’ll understand what fine caviar is and isn’t as well as how to best enjoy it to its full potential. You’ll come to understand why that matters with a $2,000 a pound product. WARNING: You may realized you’ve never really enjoyed caviar as much as you do with our method. THE GOOD NEWS: You’ll be able to do this (and share it with others) for the rest of your life.

WINE TRAVEL

Our wine service is like a grand tour of wine producing regions, grapes, methods and terror. We’ll feature up to 15 wines (some very intentionally paired with a bite or a course, others less so). We’ll enjoy wine from all 6 wine producing continents and 10-12 regions/nations. It is like traveling around the world, with wine. THE RESULT: You’ll enjoy 12 -15 different wines. You will probably discover wines you’ve never heard of. And, likely, you’ll fall in love with one or two of them.

MARINE CUISINE

This is our culinary ethic for “Seafood”. Featured in our menu and core to this ethic are “Best Choices” for the following metrics: SAFE + HEALTHY + RESPONSIBLE + SUSTAINABLE. We think of it as Seafood v.3.0 or SMART SEAFOOD. THE RESULT: You’ll understand the difference between good and great product, best practices in fishing and aquaculture and come to a better understanding of the differences between facts and myths common in “seafood”. Your best choices by these metrics will inform your ordering in other establishments and how you source seafood for home cooking.

SEA SALT COMPLEX

Through our meal we’ll feature at least 10 Sea Salts. Some are from ancient / extinct oceans. Others from modern / living oceans. Sea salts as old as 500 million years are used. You’ll benefit from the 80+ minerals found in Sea salts vs dead, factory produced table salt, which is high in sodium and essentially, metabolically, useless (minus the iodine). Table salt, in excess, can be damaging to your health as well, and is very often over-used in restaurants as a way to make people order more drinks. Sea salts are natural and highly soluble and most often produced by artisans. We make it a point to remind our guests that we are 70% water and that water has as much salt content (salinity) as the ocean. So, we are, in fact, SALT WATER CREATURES! Fueling your body with natural, highly-soluble, mineral & electrolyte rich sea salt from near and far (in time and space) is key to vitality and enhanced metabolic function in both the physical and metaphysical plane.

4 UNIQUE FEATURES

The Core Characteristics lead to the Five Pillars which support the four UNIQUE FEATURES.

  1. PARTICIPATION & ENGAGEMENT

  2. LE SALON

  3. Choreography & THEATER

  4. Atmosphere, ESCAPE & ENERGY

PARTICIPATION

When you custom design and build a U-Shaped bar with an ice moat that features a bespoke / functional ice sculpture which is central to the service you have built a “set” or a “stage”. With this amenity, the guests are very much a part of the show. They participate directly in it all. In every part of the service / performance there are comparisons made and conversations had, from start to finish. Questions are asked and answered. Myths are busted. Experiences, opinions and observations between guests are shared. Engagement is universal and it seems phones only come out to take pictures and make videos. And it ends with an exhilarating finish - a jam session. Instruments are handed out to guests (cowbell, tambourine, bongos, maracas…etc). 12 adults turn into kids again for 3 songs. Just before checks are presented a rush of blood comes to everyone’s body. It forces movement after a big meal. And that feels good. Its ridiculous and fun. It’s just one more way in which all of the guests are actors in the play, participant to the experien

LE SALON

Moreover, the U-Shaped Bar, in fact, created something we discovered to magical. What it created is a Salon, literally, in the 16th - 18th Century / European / Renaissance & Age of Enlightenment definition of the term. READ WIKIPEDIA’S DEFINITION / HISTORY OF IT HERE. In this form of a gathering, a host (usually a maven on a subject) curates a performance / presentation for a group of influential guests. These guests participate in, discuss and evaluate the content, talents and merits of the performance / presentation and / or performer, in real time, as a group, before, during and after the performance.

CHOREOGRAPHY & THEATER

Many moments are highly choreographed. Timing has been polished to the maximum effect. This creates culinary theater…a performance, all of which can be witness, by every guest, in real time. Some moments are, admittedly, way over the top, intentionally. Some are less so. Either way, it’s fun and part of why this is DINNER & A SHOW. Music supports an escape into a surreal place. Courses (even some bites and their preparations) have a soundtrack. Most of the music is very unusual or unfamiliar. Nearly all songs feature lyrics that are not in English. Songs with lyrics typically feature Portuguese, Spanish, Italian, Pidgin, French, Patois and/or African dialects. Its weird, fun, and cool. Guests consistently ask for access to the playlists which we happily provide. Nothing is played by accident and its not uncommon to see guests grooving in their seats. Volume goes up and down with the moment. And the sound system is impeccable. like a concert or being in the round in a musical production.

ATMOSPHERE, ENERGY & ESCAPE

When you eliminate common items from the view of guests (anything you’d see at home) and build out ways to feature uncommon objects (things you rarely see) you can create an alternative universe. . Our space has the feeling of being underwater, on another planet, in the future. Light and decor are used to suspend time and reality. Gone or hidden are the typical decorations and equipment you are often surrounded by in a dining room. The principal feature is our living plant canopy which is created by our use of space. Guests are able to escape from life for a while. Finally, the energy this all creates between the guests is metaphysical. The result is a mystical space and experience.

20 + POINTS OF DISCOVERY

CORE CHARACTERISTICS + FIVE PILLARS + UNIQUE FEATURES creates 20+ POINTS OF DISCOVERYUSE OF SPACE

  1. ICE ICE BABY - An ice moat / bespoke ice sculpture created daily which is integral to how the wine service is conducted as well as the food preparation and presentation. - SINGULAR

  2. WELCOME TOAST - A glass of champagne in your hand within 30 seconds of entering the room - RARE

  3. ROOT - Fresh Grated Horseradish Root (a la minute) on an oyster - SINGULAR / RARE

  4. RHIZOME - Fresh Grated Wasabi Rhizome (a la minute) on an oyster - SINGULAR

  5. TOUCHING - Holding / Feeling a Wasabi Rhizome and the Oroshiki (Wasabi Grater) - SINGULAR / RARE

  6. FEELING - Holding / Feeling a Wasabi Paddle (Stingray Skin on Wood) - SINGULAR / RARE

  7. PERFECT PAIRING - Perfection in a French Mignonette (explained) which delivers the most famous and oldest pairing of all time (Salt & Pepper) in the most elegant, obvious and simple way but is generally impossible for any Raw Bar or Restaurant using table service / platter service style to deliver - SINGULAR

  8. SMOKIN’ - Cold Smoked Oyster with its own sound and light show - SINGULAR

  9. SEEING IT ALL - Watching every dish made, live, in real time - SINGULAR

  10. PORRON - Txocolina enjoyed the Basque Way with The Porron with coaching for extra style, grace and aplomb - RARE

  11. SHRIMP CEVICHE - The chips we use - RARE AF, in America

  12. LOBSTER BISQUE - Ultra-Chunky Style - RARE

  13. BEYOND SUSHI GRADE SALMON - The finest salmon on Earth

  14. LOBSTER CAESAR - You’llm dream about it. - UNIQUE

  15. CHILLED SALAD FORK - RARE

  16. SALMON TOWER - Salt + Fat + Acid + Heat - RARE

  17. DOLCE - How to enjoy a HEALTHY, sweet end to a meal - RARE

  18. COACHING & GUIDANCE - Where else can you dine WITH the Chef for the entire experience, ask questions, hear his answers to other peoples questions…etc - SINGULAR

  19. SALON - The experience is, in fact a “Salon de Marine Cuisine” where at host receives guests to experience a performance, together, allowing them to share their observations with each other, in real time. This is EXACTLY what a Salon is defined as in the 15th & 18th Century Italian & French traditions through the Renaissance & Age of Enlightenment. - SINGULAR

    LEARN MORE ABOUT THE NATURE AND HISTORY OF THE SALON HERE

  20. BOTTOMLESS OLD BAY GOLD FISH - In both regular & hot styles. Silly and fun but if you are from the Chessapeake area, you know its not just that. Irreverent and silly but also fun. - UNIQUE

  21. ATMOSPHERE - Dining beneath a canopy of living plants in a space that feels like an Octopus’ Garden. Guests are transported into a fantasy land. A sense of escape is inevitable. You’ll feel like a fish in an aquarium on another planet, in the year 3075 - SINGULAR

  22. SOUNDTRACK - Highly curated playlists have been created and choreographed to dozens of moments, treatments and actions. Music is critical to the performance. Very little of it will be familiar to you. Lots of songs in languages other than English. - SINGULAR

  23. LIGHTING - Changes, Evolves, Supports certain presentations…etc. - SINGULAR

  24. DINNER & A SHOW - Without the hassle of getting from dinner to show. AND, yer among the players. The show features EVERYONE, not just the Chef who is also your DJ, Bartender, Sommelier, Mermmelier and Host. - SINGULAR

  25. BELLS, GONGS & CHIMES - Used throughout the experience. Silly, but fun. - SINGULAR

  26. JAM SESSION - How it all ends. Grab an instrument. Play a long. - SINGULAR