Restaurant Chat: Stephen Starr discusses inspirations, regrets and plans

Inquirer: Craig LaBan's special guest today is Stephen Starr, the man behind many familiar Philadelphia restaurants, including Buddakan, Morimoto, Alma de Cuba, El Vez, The Continental, Barclay Prime, Pod and Tangerine. He's also expanded into New York and Atlantic City.

Craig: Good afternoon, my hungry friends, and welcome back to our weekly chat on the Philly food beat. Today we have a special guest: Stephen Starr joins us from a remote computer located in the nerve center of the Starr Restaurant Empire at Second and Market. And he's ready to answer your questions live. Few individuals have helped define our local eating scene over the last decade quite as much as Stephen Starr, whose concept-driven restaurants have set the standard for high-energy, high-design, mega-restaurant dining.

Craig: Since transforming an old diner into a martini bar/global tapas phenomenon at the Continental in Old City in 1995, he's had his share of hits and (a few misses, too). But Starr now runs 17 restaurants between Philly (where there are 11), NYC (2) and Atlantic City (4). His company employs 1,600 people, making it one of the top 100 employers in the entire region. On an average Saturday night alone, his restaurants serve an average of 9,800 meals, generating about $459,000 in gross revenues. That's a lot of fish tacos and calamari salad, Stephen! Welcome to today's chat! We'll be taking questions from readers – but no reservations, of course, for Saturday night at Parc. I have a few of my questions, too. So let's get started.

Craig: How do you think the Philadelphia restaurant scene has changed or evolved in the past 10 years? And how do you define its character vis-à-vis some of the other markets you've entered – for example New York City, or Florida, which I know you've explored?

Stephen: Ten years ago, the restaurant scene in Philadelphia was very uninteresting. Prior to that, there was a renaissance in the late '70s and '80s but by 2001 the renaissance was long gone. Beginning with Striped bass, which was owned by Neil Stein, and then Continental and Buddakan, the scene started to blossom.

Nicholas: What is your current relationship with Jose Garces now that he has become a star in the Philadelphia restaurant world. Did you speak with him after his Iron Chef victory?

Stephen: I haven't seen Jose in quite awhile but I'm very proud of all of his success. It's like watch your son graduate from college and becoming very successful.