Seeing Red
Thanks to two Belgian?born brothers, The Red Bar in Grayton Beach is the place for music, ample portions of seafood, and unparalleled people watching.
by Nancy Henderson / photography by Jason Wallis
They painted the former general store lipstick red, modeled it after a bar their dad had once owned in Belgium, and aimed for a ?French Bohemian pop?culture tribute? with odd furnishings collected at yard sales and flea markets. Owners and brothers Oli and Philippe Petit dubbed the restaurant itself Picolo?s, their surname translated into Italian (Petit, which means ?small? in French, ?just didn?t sound very good,? they say). The simple menu, with five nightly choices scrolled on portable chalkboards, was an accident. ?I didn?t have time to go to the printer?s,? the fast?talking Oli says with a grin. ?So I figured that for the first few days I?d just write the menu on the blackboard until I made my mark in the kitchen. And the people went wild over the board.? And that unorthodox practice of serving the salad alongside the entr?e? Well, that was merely a way to fill up the oversize platters.
The Red Bar?s allure certainly hasn?t waned since Oli and Philippe Petit opened the quirky establishment in 1995. The brothers grew up in Liege, Belgium, a gregarious city known for its fine French cuisine. In 1990, at his best friend?s urging, Oli came to Grayton Beach; that summer, he waited on tables and worked as a chef at the Bay Caf?, where The Red Bar now stands. When the building went up for lease five years later, he seized the opportunity to start his own business and begged the help of Philippe, who was doing the bookkeeping at a restaurant their father, Louie, had opened in Little Rock, Arkansas. ?I told him to please come and save me ?cause I had no idea what I was doing with the books,? Oli recalls. Philippe helped out during spring break and marveled at the ?waves of people? who thronged the eatery. ?It was unreal the volume that the place generated,? says Philippe, age forty. The two soon became business partners, with thirty?eight?year?old Oli as chef and Philippe, the quiet one, handling the finances.
One of the first 30?A restaurants to stay open year?round, The Red Bar features live music nightly and a house jazz band whose drummer, John ?Jabo? Starks, has been a sideman for B. B. King and James Brown. Rock singer Sheryl Crow is a regular patron, as are NFL quarterback Peyton Manning and actor Greg Kinnear. But the locals get the real preferential treatment, the Petits assert, from shorter waits to favorite cocktails that magically appear on the bar. ?Nothing,? says Philippe, ?flirts with the ego as much as when you remember.?
The brothers? opposite personalities have worked in their favor. ?He?s the brain. I?m the legs. That?s why this partnership works,? Oli says. ?That?s the downfall of many restaurant partners. Everybody wants to be in the front getting the attention, or everybody wants to be in the books and know where every penny?s going. Here there?s a trust, a respect. He could care less if I put red, blue, or green on the walls, or if I play jazz or punk music, as long as the place works. And me?as long as the staff and the bills are paid and I get a little pocket money every once in a while, I?m happy and ready to go.?
Dusk is still a half?hour away and already Picolo?s & The Red Bar is casting a ruby glow on Grayton Beach. Inside: sheer madness. College girls giggle and check their cell phones. Friends relax in mismatched, yet chic, chairs and sample each other?s grilled mahimahi and shrimp?and?scallop?stuffed eggplant. Parents and kids swarm the two dining rooms sandwiching the packed bar. Posters from Gauguin to The Godfather, and everything in between, plaster the ceiling and walls. Revolving disco balls and strings of red holiday lights dangle above vinyl booth benches held together by silver duct tape.
Molly Petersen, a culinary school student and Seagrove Beach resident, rests on a well?used, mustard?hued Victorian sofa while her favorite band, Dread Clampitt, takes a break. She?s here almost every Sunday and Monday, when the eclectic ?hipbilly? bluegrass group entertains patrons. ?It?s more than just a bar,? Petersen says, raising her voice above the din of the crowd. ?I like the atmosphere. It?s one of those places where you walk in and everybody is your friend.?
As soon as the band starts up again, Petersen, four other girls, and one guy head for the small, rug?strewn dance floor. Other men sip beer and watch from the sidelines as the lone male dancer twirls and spins each woman in a simple, two?step rhythm. Petersen sways to the music and lip?syncs the vocals before heading toward the door. Suddenly she pauses, listening to the first notes of the next song, and does a U?turn. ?I gotta dance,? she says, and reclaims her place on the floor
Thank you very much for the post ,very humbling........
CONGRATULATIONS Oli and Phillipe......ya'll rule!