On Sat, 08 Nov 2003 03:34:39 GMT, Sheryl Rosen
> wrote:

>in article , modom at
wrote on 11/7/03 9:48 PM:
<snip>
>> But I have to admit my favorite eatery name (tonight at least) has to
>> be the moniker for Gordon Matta Clark's 1970s artists' coop kitchen in
>> NYC: Food.
>>
>
>Now this is something I've been thinking about posting here, but haven'thad
>the opportunity until now.
>
>I do not care for this new trend of naming restaurants, stores, etc one word
>names.
>
>There is a restaurant nearby me called "Wish". Silly.
>
>I have heard of many new, trendy restaurants in NYC, especially, being named
>with one-word names. Here's a samplling from "Citysearch.com"
>
>Mix March Hunters Jane
>Veritas Icon Punch Taste Deborah
>Sage Alias Relish Village Clove
>Zoe Anytime Craft First Prune Town Josephina
>WD-50 Pop Thalia Inside Jefferson Compass
>Merge Pfiff Amuse Thom Elmo Butter No.9
>Choice Nikki Eugene Charlotte Demi Public
>Island
>
>
>Enough!!!! (there's probably a restaurant named "Enough" somewhere, too, if
>not, yet, there will be, soon).
>
>When did this trend start?

Probably with "Eats." :>

>Does anyone agree it's pretentious?

Not necessarily. Mario Batali has (or had) several one-word-name
restaurants: Po (not only one word, but only two letters!), Babbo,
Lupa, Esce. Then there's Lutec and Aureole.

>It's one thing to name a restaurant "Elmo's". One would assume either the
>chef or the owner were named "Elmo". It makes sense. It's like saying
>"Elmo's restaurant", only the "restaurant" part is understood. That's cool.
>That works. It's descriptive. But the restaurant is just called "Elmo".
>Like it's a person. Strikes me as pretentious with a capital P.

Some of the high end restaurants in NYC do have one name, eg. "Daniel"
and "Bouley"

>And really, who would want to eat at a restaurant named "PRUNE"? Or "Pfiff"?
>
>I am obviously not up on what's hip, chic and trendy, thankfully, because I
>think the new naming style is goofy and silly.

Those are all fairly established restaurants, I don't think one word
per se is a new trend.

OTOH, some of the examples you gave do sound odd as a name for a
restaurant ("Butter"? "Town"? "Public"? "Merge"?). But others are
nice, eg "Sage." I don't know why they strike me differently :>


>Your bakery should be called "Michael's European Bakery". Because that's
>what it is. It says everything the name of a business needs to say: "This
>is a bakery. We sell baked goods like those found in Europe. Michael owns
>it." And when you branch out into soup and sandwiches, add the words "and
>Deli" to the sign!!!
>
>Voila!
>
>One logically named bakery.

Whimsey can be nice. There is a bakery around here called "Himalaya
Joy Bakery" It's a nice, conventional restaurant, no Himalayan
treats, run by women who are in a cult.

Sue(tm)
Lead me not into temptation... I can find it myself!