Parisian Restaurant (10243) - The first floor is done!

The first floor is now complete - inside, outside, backside, frontside. :)

Let's start with a look at the rear of the restaurant - we've never really had a peek back here before. It's a tidy little area that looks surprisingly well kept. There is even an awning over the back door. The expected collection of garbage bins is here, though surprisingly the large bin is located directly below one of the main windows into the dining room. Not really the sort of view I would want if I were a patron. And please don't open that window in the summer time!

There is also a nice climbing vine plant crawling up the back wall, giving it some lushness and life. And if we look close enough, we can see a rat sniffing around the green garbage can - there must be some old cheese in there or something. Better not let the health inspectors see that!

If we take a peek inside the trash bin, we can see there is the usual collection of foodstuffs in there ... I can see a couple of bones, some rotting fruit ...

And now we move around to the front of the building. The stairs leading to the second floor are completed and there is even a very fashionable street light on the corner.

The upstairs terrace of the restaurant is also complete - and again, the decor is very elegant and fits with the overall look and feel of the downstairs part of the restaurant. There are a couple of lamps to light the area with a tasteful hanging planter attached to each lamp post. This is once again a small dining area with seating only for 4 and a small wine bar located against the wall.

Parisian Restaurant (10243) The restaurant is almost done!

The building is really starting to look like a real restaurant now. We've got drapes in the dining rooms, walls fully built up including windows, awnings and external lights. The stairs heading up to the second floor are complete and ready for use. We've even got the menu board outside and a large awning protecting the front entrance.

Here is a snapshot of the front entrance - it is looking MUCH more elegant and very French! There are some plants (they look like spider plants) behind the park bench and by the railing of the stairs. This adds some much needed color to the area which is otherwise pretty dark with a prevalence of browns, blacks and greys. You can also see the elegant marble colonnades that flank the front entrance and really make the restaurant look classy. There is also a menu board out front that patrons can peruse as they await their tables (which will likely be a long wait given the very limited number of seats in the establishment!) There is also a large sign atop the front entrance awning proclaiming the name of the restaurant, which of course is Chez Albert.

Here we see a closer view of the stairs going up to the second level. The stairs are framed by hand-carved wooden rails so tipsy patrons don't end up taking a tumble as they are moving up and down. You'll also notice that there is a window looking into the kitchen from the base of the stairs - so much the better to be able to tempt people into dining at the restaurant.

Continuing with our examination of the exterior of the restaurant, we see a series of subtle lantern lights that hang unobtrusively above the terraced dining area. They yellow shade of the lights casts enough light that diners can see perfectly well at night but not enough to be blinding. Their method of attachment to the main structure of the building via wrought iron struts is also pleasingly graceful. The large bay windows allow a clear view right through the restaurant so that guests inside can see what is going on outside and vice versa.

We now move into the interior of the establishment. The windows are frame with a heavy set of drapes that are sure to keep out all light when they are drawn. These will be particularly useful if the interior of the restaurant is booked for a special occasion and the guests want to have some privacy for their celebrations. With the drapes in place, there is no longer any room to maneuver around the tables on that side of the room, leaving the dining room even more cramped than it originally seemed.

And finally, we see an overall shot of the building as it currently stands. There are just a few small details left to complete the first floor of the building. We can hardly wait to see what the second floor looks like!

Parisian Restaurant (10243) - Let's Build a Wall!

Construction continues on our restaurant as we've put up the back wall of the building. We've also started on some of the interior details and amenities, including the wine cabinet in the dining room and a clock in the kitchen.

Here we see the wine cabinet with the most popular vintages on display. There are a number of drawers in the cabinet as well, presumably to keep things like openers, glasses, etc. Pierre is also bustling over to refill madamme's glass.

And there is the clock, hanging in a very visible place on the kitchen wall. It definitely needs a central location so the chef can keep an eye on his timing between delivery of courses. You never want to keep your patrons waiting too long at a fine establishment like Chez Albert!

And here we have a shot of the entire assembly as it currently stands. I have yet to decide whether I like the shade of green that is used. On the one hand, I think it's an elegantly muted color (you don't want anything garish in a fancy restaurant) while not being too boring (as a beige or white would be). But on the other, as my mom says, it's a baby diaper poo green, which is kind of disgusting for a dining establishment.