When I first went to Next Door, the food was a wonderful distraction from the new space's aesthetics or lack thereof. The dining room was about as spare and bleak as you could possibly imagine. Naked walls, pea soup green paint and lack of lighting all combined to make the space feel like a spartan dining experiment of sorts.
Fast forward to last week, when I drove by and saw work being done on the place. Turns out a quick makeover by Tony Ortiz has given some much-needed life to the decor, matching the vibrant flavors that are the trademark of Chef Zod.
There are a couple of Montclair restaurants that could stand some revamping or dare we say it, a whole new look. If Baristanet was willing to broadcast an HGTV-esque show online, where we send Ortiz in to do his magic on unsuspecting restaurateurs, where would you like him to go next?
Ortiz is no stranger to extreme makeovers -- take a look at a project he's been doing to help people in Costa Rica, here.
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Actually haven't been there in a couple of years, so maybe it's been spruced up, but I always thought Church Street Cafe or Kitchen or whatever it's called could use a revamp.