Anatole’s New Steakhouse Appeals to Car/Art Nerds
SĒR Steak and Spirits opened Monday at the Hilton Anatole to replace Nana. The new restaurant’s name is pronounced “sear,” though whenever I see a purposefully cryptic name like this I imagine all the diners who’ll pronounce it “sir” on a first date or something. And all the print mediums — including ours — that’d put the E and R in lowercase, then probably kill that accent mark faster than someone playing Whac-a-Mole. Sorry.
Anyway, I just visited SĒR’s website and was befuddled again, like, “they’re branding themselves by showing fancy alternating Flash images of Rolls-Royce hood ornaments? Anyone remotely down-to-earth is going to be turned off by this. And what about copyright issues? What about … oh!”
I stand corrected. Seems the restaurant has a sizable collection of antique hood ornaments (“mascots”) from the early 20th Century. And they’re really gorgeous, if the web photos and teaser are any indication:
From aerodynamic Art Deco goddesses to curious custom sculptures, the dedicated and well-to-do motorists of the day decorated their cars with totems that immortalized their hobbies, their eccentricities and — at times — their most intimate secrets.
These unique pieces embody an enduring spirit of luxury and craftsmanship, and they’re featured throughout the restaurant as works of art, as namesakes for private dining spaces and as inspirations for SĒR’s signature spirits.
Tell me if you’ve had a chance to swing by. I’m curious.
