PS 7's chef-owner Peter Smith loves fish. And not just the kind you cook. An avid diver since his teens (Bora Bora is his top dive destination), Smith wanted to surround himself with reminders of the deep blue at work. Hence the undulating indigo wall that is the central design motif in the dining room and the whimsical fish bowls in the restrooms.
Smith has a 100-gallon salt water reef tank at home, but that wasn't practical at PS 7's. But even the low-tech fishbowls take some fancy footwork. Most of the time the 30 goldfish hang out in a tank with a pump, filter, and climate control in the restaurant's office. Come show time — lunch and dinner — the fish come out to play. They're transferred to the restroom fish bowls — two in each bathroom each with four or five fish — an instant mood lifter, for anyone who happens by. When the restaurant closes, they're returned to the office tank for the night. And we thought the chef was the star of the show.
For more on PS7's, here's my review from the February issue.
