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LA.COM: How did you get into designing menus?
Jason: We were always foodies, and I think we find ourselves looking at everything around us and thinking, "Wow, I wish we could re-design that." Menus were a natural extension of that, since we spend so much of our time in restaurants.
Nadine: We noticed that over the years, food was evolving. The food was becoming more sophisticated, but the menus themselves weren't keeping up. We saw that disconnect, and thought that there should be a better way for restaurants to present their dishes to guests. Our first menu design client was a Seattle restaurant called Purple Café. They came to us after having seen our portfolio books, and wanted a similar design for their wine lists. It was then that the light went off, and we realized this was a service that we should be offering to restaurants all across the country.
LA.COM: How does the menu design affect or influence the overall experience of eating in a restaurant?
Nadine: The physical menu is the first introduction that guests have to the food itself, and menus should mirror the quality of the food on the plate. We felt that there was a disconnect for many of these restaurants that invest so much time and energy to create a visually stunning restaurant that looks great the moment you walk in the door, and then you're seated and presented with a lackluster menu. That was a jarring disconnect for us, and we feel like the menus are one of the best places to create a seamless interplay between the ambiance of a restaurant, and the aesthetic of the food itself.
LA.COM: How is menu design different from the other work that you do?
Jason: In terms of how we interact with the client, we don't treat restaurants any differently than our designers, artists or photographers. Both portfolios and menus are formats for presenting information-presenting an aesthetic-with either words (menu descriptions) or images (photographs). We want the menus to be the beginning of a dialogue that connects the design of a concept with the product, which, in the case of the restaurant, is the meal itself.
Nadine: The main difference, from a logistical perspective, is that restaurants need to be able to change their menus daily, so a screw-post design that works for photographers might not be as practical for a restaurant. That's why we design our menus in such a way that they are fitted to standard sized sheets of paper (letter, legal, or tabloid) that restaurants can print from their offices, and change out as often as needed. We've taken a very practical approach to our designs, and try to think ahead in such a way that no matter what the restaurant uses for materials, the menus always show as a success.
LA.COM: Have you had any odd design requests?
Nadine: We work with all kinds of odd materials-we've matched menus to the leather being used in the seating arrangements. We've established a reputation for thinking outside the box-we often have clients pre-source materials and send to us to use in the construction of menus. Because we want the menu to be a mirror to the restaurant, we do everything we can to utilize the materials chosen by client.
LA.COM: What restaurants in Los Angeles are you currently working with?
Jason and Nadine: We work with Akasha, Spago, and Wolfgang Puck Bar & Grill at LA Live.
LA.COM: What are some of your favorite restaurants to eat at in Los Angeles?
Nadine: Akasha is our very favorite, of course! But we love Nancy Silverton-sitting at the mozzarella bar at Mozza Osteria is one of my very favorite experiences. I also love Border Grill-20 years later, they still have some of the best tamales in the city.
Jason: We also love Wa Sushi, but you must do the omakase, and let the chef send out whatever's best.
