WD-50
New York, NY
Located on Clinton Street in the Lower East Side, WD-50 was the restaurant where chef Wylie Dufresne established his playful, challenging, and pioneering molecular gastronomy that has been described as "unfathomably influential." Creations like squid linguini with the squid rendered as the pasta, served with shavings of Serrano ham and Asian pear bound together with paprika spiced yogurt, were typical of the cuisine that earned accolades, including being listed among S. Pellegrino World's 50 Best Restaurants. WD-50 occupied the space of a former bodega and the design was intentionally eclectic, without a singular aesthetic, in order to support Dufresne's ever evolving explorations in creating new ways of thinking about and making food. The focus of the room was a proscenium-like opening into the kitchen, presenting the work at the central cooking island as theater. A vivid mosaic mural dominates the washroom where a mirror would normally be located, and a wall of bamboo without details or handles conceals doors to the stalls.
Project by Asfour Guzy Architects.