For those who haven’t already joined, you’re cordially invited to become the newest recruits in a cuisine club that welcomes the lively at
heart and the hungry in the neighborhood. The man behind the Hillcrest’s latest venue with the rousing menu: Rich Sweeney. Whether you recognize this tall drink of water from his appearance on the fifth season of Top Chef or you’re lucky enough to know him personally, we’re all grateful that his fateful stopover from Provincetown six years ago has been extended indefinitely. Richard got into this business for the best possible reason: “It’s what I love to do. I always cooked for the family, loved it from the get-go. That’s what I tell culinary students, ‘Make sure this is what you love because when you first start out, you will absolutely hate life.’ When you’re doing nothing but scrubbing potatoes and cutting fries and chopping onions and cleaning mushrooms all day, that’s not the glamorous picture you signed up for.”
Smoked Gouda Mac and Cheese
Housemade Cheddar-Chive Tater Tots
By no stretch of the imagination does Richard consider himself a white- linen-table-cloth-kind of chef, however. “I came up with a concept for this restaurant so that you’d feel just as
comfortable coming in dressed up to go to a downtown show as you would if you came in with flip-flops and a t-shirt after being at the park all day. During the first week, that’s how it was! A friend of mine is a vice-principal of a school, so he’s sitting there all dressed up from work, and right next to him are people in tank tops and shorts! That’s what I wanted! I want everyone to fit in and feel comfortable. As long as you’re coming in to have a good time, you’re dressed right to come here. We’ve even had a few drag queens in! You know you’ve made it when drag queens come to your restaurant!”
If unity was what he aimed for, it’s a dead-on bull’s-eye. Our Gang, the original
title of the show The Little Rascals, featured ethnic minorities and females standing as equals to their white male counterparts. But there’s an even better connection to the restaurant’s theme. “When I was a kid, I used to look like George “Spanky” McFarland, so my nickname
was Spanky growing up,” admitted Richard. “My boyfriend Steve and I had already talked about naming it something like R Place or R Spot…trying to do something with the letter R [for Richard] but we kind of gave up on it. I was walking through a parking lot and I thought, ‘I wonder if I can name it something from Our Gang.’ So I sent out a text to everybody asking, ‘What about R Gang?’ My mom called me laugh- ing hysterically and said, ‘Yes! Just promise me you’re going to get a chef’s jacket that says Spanky on it!’ I haven’t yet, but it’s in the works. I had the girls at Chef Works kind of giggling at me when I explained that one. ‘Yeah, I need a chef’s coat that says Chef Spanky on it.’ (laughter)” Richard does love injecting fun into the workplace, but that doesn’t sidetrack him
from accomplishing multiple goals. “Right around Pride is when we’re going to start opening up for Sunday Brunch—maybe keeping the kitchen open through late-night.” Much like the culinary icon Julia Child, Richard knows that not every kitchen offers the luxury of one-size-fits-all.
Watermelon-Cucumber Gazpacho “I’m six-foot-four. When I was in school, we had standard-sized tables, but we also
had a ton of inch-thick cutting boards that I could stack and make it as high as I needed to learn the proper knife skills standing comfortably. Then I get out in the real world and I’m hunched over, still doing it the right way, but my back hurts!” True, in real life we can’t always rely on having our specific needs catered to or even
acknowledged. But sexuality should never have to be a factor. “Because of [Top Chef], my sexual orientation is now a little more common knowl-
edge. But the way I always look at it, I never denied it but I never walked into a job and said, ‘Hey, the homo’s here!’ I’m not a gay chef, I’m a chef who happens to be gay! I had another food writer come and ask me if this is going to be a gay restaurant. I said that just because this restaurant is gay-owned and operated, it doesn’t mean guys come in wearing a feather boa and stiletto heels and all the girls put on fake moustaches and tape their boobs down. It’s a neighborhood place, and in this neighborhood, you have a great mix of straight, gay and everything in-between.” So the chef is utterly charming, but what about the restaurant? We were lucky to have
caught word of the soft opening in June and we were treated to pleasant surprises in both the less-is-more décor and the refreshing combinations of flavors made available. Upon entering, the restaurant’s clean lines immediately draw guests’ eyes to the vast patio seating that flanks the corner orange fireplace, giving the room a warm, relaxed ambiance. Modern-meets-traditional. Seamlessly. The Portobello Mushroom “Fries” immediately caught our eyes. More traditional
menu items like Salisbury Steak, Tomato Basil Soup are kept novel with inventive touches—like soak-proof polenta croutons! We also had the pleasure of sampling the subtle nuttiness of the Pork Tenderloin Skewers with Mint Pesto and the Pre-Pickle Salad—a deconstruction of an American favorite, the dill pickle. Another star offering, the Ahi Tartare with Avocado Butter, is served on a long rectangular plate—presented three crackers built high with tuna, avocado and fresh herbs. We would have loved a couple more of these on the plate. It seems we’ve found our permanent hangout, gang. And we have Rich Sweeney and his loyal brigade to thank for it.
R Gang Eatery is located at 3683 Fifth Avenue. Call 619.677.2845 or visit
RGangEatery.com. JULY 2010 | RAGE monthly 77
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