Up to code: Joe Kaminski, construction; Matthew Sudock, interior design

Art Culinaire, Fall, 2004 by Carol M. Newman

HOW CAN A RESTAURANT WITH ZERO SEX APPEAL BECOME THE SWANKIEST JOINT ON THE BLOCK? GO TO 133 EAST 61ST BTW. PARK AND LEXINGTON AND FIND OUT FOR YOURSELF. DAVIDBURKE & DONATELLA ANCHORS A SIDE OF A STREET THAT'S BECOME SOMETHING OF A RESTAURANT ROW.

Shimmy yourself straight past the bar, and two-step it into the main dining room. Have a look around. There's whimsy on these walls. And glamour in the air. Every lunch here could be a power lunch. That includes those where children sit, munching mischievously on David Burke's shoestrings (fries, of course) or a cheesecake lollipop tree. (Adults can take a whack at the "angry lobster served on a bed of nails"). The quarters here are just close enough to pick up juicy nuggets of conversation from high-heeled women in shocking stockings taking their fashion cues from diva, Donatella Arpaia. The casual diner might place a face or two, but before there is name recognition, curbside car services sweep the gals back to Conde Nast or to their condo in NOHO.

At the time of this writing, there still was quite a bit of white winter skin hoping to see spring and the least bit of pink. But until tones change, Joe Kaminski says not to worry. "The crimson lighting in here makes everyone look like they have a tan. At davidburke & donatella, you'll look wonderful."

Before even asking a question Joe reveals the latest plans for the restaurant:

We may take over the second floor and expand. This was an existing restaurant, il Valletto, and we actually kept the flow of the room the same. We didn't have to change any accessibility issues. We didn't have to bring the bathrooms up to code and compliance because we didn't change the existing structure; instead, we cosmetically cleaned them up. If we redid the entranceway or the bathrooms then we would have to make architectural modifications that comply with ADA laws and the American Accessibility Act. The lengthy ADA definition is actually fairly clear: when a facility remodel includes moving walls, the standards for accessible design apply.

The second floor will not be without complications, many more than the first floor. We'll have to comply with codes--there's intricate work involved that's especially complex. We have to figure out how and where to put in a staircase. We'll also have to redo one of the bathrooms, put another bathroom in upstairs, and probably put in an elevator/lift for handicapped accessibility. We may possibly put a secondary kitchen upstairs. It may take several months of planning and redrawing to get it right so it flows naturally.

We turn to Matthew to find out more about the initial concept.

The space was inspirational from the get-go. It was dark and old, yes, but it had good bones. So I sat down with David, who has such a whimsical way about him and Donatella, who is glamorous, and we talked about what might work. They wanted the restaurant to have some sort of theme, but I'm not really a theme person. But David wanted something fun. So, I searched for inspiration in toy stores. I ended up zeroing in on playing cards, which have a certain sophistication about them. The deck that caught my attention was from London. The cards accompany a book, The Key to the Kingdom, an Enchanting Transformation, designed by artist/illustrator Tony Meeuwissen in 1992. We located the artist and commissioned him to make lithographs for the restaurant, which we've framed. They've added to the identity, the illustrations carried over to other areas--in the menus and decorative pieces.

I was also inspired by David Hicks (considered to be among the foremost interior designers in the 60s and 70s whose powerful colors heralded an end to the drab, postwar English look, setting a new daring pace for interior design in Europe and America.) I wanted to do something romantic and dramatic. I played with accent lighting. The color palette is neutral with color pop. Dark chocolate and vanilla set the tone. And the lipstick colors--red and scarlet--add warmth and intimacy. There's a glossy, lacquered look about everything.

You won't find any other chandelier like the one that's in the main dining room. It's a French-inspired piece with nickel plating. The nickel makes it bright, shiny and silver. I basically took things that were traditional and put a twist on them.

So how did Joe make Matthew's vision a reality?

This place was dreary--a dark, dark, dark cave! It was all brick inside and very oppressive-looking. Now it's hip and contemporary. The ceilings were low and the floors were high. But we kept the same general layout. There were--and are now--three separate compartments that divide the restaurant: The bar area, mezzanine level and the dining room. We focused on the interior: redoing the walls, lighting, floor and ceiling, which we tore out to get another 18 inches of space. We changed the air conditioning system, which was huge and ugly, pancaking the ducts to get more space. For the most part, the structure itself stayed the same. But we did a lot of cosmetic work.