Shining Light

Philadelphia Chef Daniel Stern showcases a something-for-everyone New American menu in a polished, urban space at new restaurant Rae.

By Kate Leahy, Associate Editor -- Restaurants & Institutions, 2/1/2007

Opened: December 2006

Footprint: 6,000 square feet

Average Check: $65

Average Guest Count: 200 to 300 for lunch; 200 for dinner

Staff: 70 (20% part time)

Seating: main dining room, bar and private dining: 220; ballroom: 200

Key Equipment: A six-burner island gas stove, pasta cooker, fryer, griddle and broiler.

Key Design Element: A glass wine room on the mezzanine level serves as both wine showcase and small private dining room.

Living Large: Last year, Chef Daniel Stern opened Gayle with just 40 seats. His confidence and operational skills further honed, with Rae he aimed much higher in both capacity and menu reach. "We do catering, we have meeting spaces and a ballroom that seats 100 people. I really consider it a hotel-style operation," Stern says.

On the spot: Rae’s location in a corporate building adjacent to Philadelphia’s busy train station is designed for power meetings, large functions and social dining. Yet food doesn’t come second. Philadelphia-based DAS Architects designed the open kitchen and glassed-in bakeshop as the dining room’s centerpiece.

Flex time: Customers help craft the experience at Rae. Its menu is divided between classic "standards" with separate sides and modern "renditions" while a multiroom design is flexible enough to accommodate both intimate dining and casual lunch. "If I am to be part of a person’s weekly or daily routine, I need to offer them something different every day," Stern says.