Antek

ANTEK RESTAURANT Responsible Design on a Budget

by Barbara Lewandowska . Lewandowska Architect PLLC . March 2010

ALL CONTENT © LEWANDOWSKA ARCHITECT PLLC. WRITTEN PERMISSION NEEDED TO REPRODUCE ANY MATERIAL FROM THIS PUBLICATION

ANTEK RESTAURANT

ANTEK RESTAURANT 105 NORMAN AVE, BROOKLYN Completed 2010

When we met with Ms. Stanislawa Prenkiewicz, the owner of “Antek” Polish restaurant, I immediately knew it was going to be a fantastic project. We were served a delicious meal in a dining room which had horrible acoustics, really bad lighting, depressing colors, tacky decoration and overall dreary atmosphere. I instinctively felt good; after all it is an architect’s dream: excellent product or service, run-down, tacky space and an imaginary owner willing to hand over her dream to a professional.

LEWANDOWSKA

ARCHITECT

PLLC

Later research confirmed popular opinion was in line with my observations: all reviews praised excellent food and service but criticized the décor as “communist-era milk bar”, or ”prison cell-like”.

ANTEK RESTAURANT The real challenge was the project’s budget. It is not difficult to create a palace with unlimited resources. But I was determined to prove that good design can compensate for overflow of abundance. First ideas came along as solutions to what caused original problems: organization of space, acoustics, and lighting.

But in search for deeper meaning for the reborn “Antek�, and with close involvement of the owner, we began to focus on ecological impact of our renovation on the environment. Those investigations lead to reinvention of common materials and elevating them to ranks of finish materials. Individual pieces of colorful felt, commonly used for packaging and silverware box lining, were positioned on walls. Home Depot distributed Homasote panels (post-consumer recycled content), commonly used for insulation or concrete expansion joints, were painted and used as suspended ceiling baffles.

During materials research we discovered new material: recycled and highly compressed paper and used it throughout for table tops (durable yet warm to touch) and serving bar-counter. We dimensioned everything in such a way that there was practically no material waste. To make the tables, we refinished and reused table legs from the original restaurant, which otherwise would have been discarded. Resilient flooring from Holland uses recycled content in its tiles; this item was not low priced, but we could afford it by now.

LEWANDOWSKA

ARCHITECT

PLLC

ANTEK RESTAURANT

ANTEK RESTAURANT

ANTEK RESTAURANT

LEWANDOWSKA

ARCHITECT

PLLC

For inspiration to visitors I designed and printed “golden thoughts” focused on one subject: saving our environment for future generations. These prints are mounted on back-lighted polycarbonate panels and serve as lighting fixtures for the main space.

ZUPY

SOUPS

MALE PORCJE

P I E R O G I gOtOwane lUb SmazOne bOileD Or FrieD

GRZYBOWA MUSHROOM SOUP

$2.0

GULASZ WOLOWY BEEF GOULASH

$4.5

Z ZIEMNIAKAMI I SEREM POTATO & CHEESE

$5.5

GROCHOWA PEA SOUP

$2.0

PIECZEN WOLOWA ROAST BEEF

$4.5

Z MIESEM MEAT

$5.5

KAPUSNIAK CABBAGE SOUP

$2.0

KURCZAK PIECZONY ROAST CHICKEN

$4.0

Z KAPUSTA I GRZYBAMI SAUERKRAUT & MUSHROOM

$5.5

POMIDOROWA TOMATO SOUP

$2.0

KARKOWKA PIECZONA ROAST PORK

$4.5

MIESZANE COMBINATION PLATTER

$5.5

JARZYNOWA VEGETABLE SOUP

$2.3

KOTLET MIELONY GROUND PORK CUTLET

$4.0

OGORKOWA PICKLE SOUP

$2.0

KLOPSIKI MEATBALLS

$4.0

SZCZAWIOWA SORREL SOUP

$2.0

ZEBERKA DUSZONE SPARE RIBS

$4.0

FLAKI BEEF TRIPE SOUP

$3.6

GOLONKA GOTOWANA COOKED PIG HOCK

$4.0

ROSOL CHICKEN BROTH SOUP

$2.0

GOLONKA PIECZONA ROASTED PIG HOCK

$4.5

ROSOL Z MIESEM CHICKEN BROTH SOUP W/MEAT

$3.5

BARSZCZ UKRAINSKI UKRAINIAN BORSCHT

GOLABKI STUFFED CABBAGE

$4.0

$2.3

Dania glOwne PODaJemy z ziemniakami, ryzem, kaSza gryczna lUb makarOnem Oraz DwOma SUrOwkami main entreeS are SerVeD with maSheD POtatOS, rice, kaSha, Pear barley Or macarOni anD chOice OF twO SiDe OrDerS

BARSZCZ CZERWONY RED BORSCHT … Z USZKAMI W/DUMPLINGS

$4.1

… Z KROKIETEM W/CROqUETTE

$4.1

ZUREK WHITE BORSCHT … Z JAJKIEM W/EGG

$2.0

… Z ZIEMNIAKAMI W/POTATOES

$2.5

SUROWKI

SiDe OrDerS

bUraczki . OgOrek kiSzOny . mizeria . kiSzOna kaPUSta . Salata marchewka z grOSzkiem . kaPUSta biala, czerwOna, zaSmazana beetS . PickleS . cUcUmberS . SaUerkraUt . lettUce . PeaS & carrOtS . cOle Slaw . reD cabbage . hOt SaUerkraUt

ROZNE

eXtraS

NALESNIKI Z SEREM CHEESE BLINTZES

$5.5

KOPYTKA POTATO DUMPLINGS

$5.5

KLUSKI SLASKIE SILESIAN DUMPLINGS

$5.5

PYZY Z MIESEM POTATO DUMPLINGS W/MEAT

$5.5

PLACKI ZIEMNIACZANE POTATO PANCAKES

$5.5

LAZANKI NOODLES W/SAUERKRAUT MUSHROOM

$5.5

MAKARON Z SOSEM SPAGHETTI W/MEAT SAUCE

$5.5

KNEDLE ZE SLIWKAMI PLUM DUMPLINGS

$5.5

JABLKA W CIESCIE APPLE FRITTERS

$5.5

$1.5 PieczOne ziemniaki $2.5 Frytki, kOPytka, klUSki SlaSkie $1.5 rOaSteD POtatOeS $2.5 French FrieS, POtatO Or SileSian DUmPlingS

DROB | RYBY POUltry | FiSh

WOLOWINA beeF | Veal

WIEPRZOWINA POrk

KOTLET Z KURCZAKA CHICKEN CUTLET

$6.5

PIECZEN WOLOWA ROAST BEEF

$8.0

BRYZOL BRIZOL

$8.0

… Z PIECZARKAMI W/MUSHROOM

$8.0

PIECZEN NA DZIKO WILD STYLE ROAST BEEF

$8.0

KIELBASA SMAZONA FRIED KIELBASA

$6.5

… ZE SZPINAKIEM I SEREM W/SPINACH & CHEESE $8.0

GULASZ WOLOWY BEEF GOULASH

$8.0

BIGOS HUNTERS’ STEW

$5.5

WATROBKA Z DROBIU CHICKEN LIVER

ROLADA WOLOWA STUFFED BEEF ROLL

$8.0

KLOPSIKI W SOSIE MEATBALLS W/SAUCE

$5.5

SZASZLYK TENDER LOIN KEBAB

$8.0

GOLONKA GOTOWANA COOKED PIG HOCK

$6.0

$5.5

KURCZAK W ZIOLACH CHICKEN BREAST W/HERBS $10.0 UDKO KURY FASZEROWANE STUFFED CHICKEN LEG $8.0

KOTLET WIEDENSKI VEAL CUTLET

$9.0

GOLONKA PIECZONA ROASTED PIG HOCK

$6.5

ROLADA Z KURCZAKA STUFFED CHICKEN

$8.0

GULASZ CIELECY VEAL GOULASH

$8.0

KOTLET MIELONY GROUND PORK CUTLET

$5.0

KURCZAK PIECZONY ROAST CHICKEN

$5.5

PLACEK PO WEGIERSKU HUNGARIAN PANCAKE

$8.0

KOTLET SADECKI PORK CHOP W/SPINACH

$8.0

… Z WARZYWAMI W/VEGETABLES

$8.0

WATROBKA CIELECA VEAL LIVER

$8.0

KOTLET WIEJSKI PORK LOIN W/SAUERKRAUT

$8.0

GULASZ Z ZOLADKOW GLIZZARDS

$7.5

KOTLET SCHABOWY PORK CHOP

$6.0

… Z PIECZRKAMI W/MUSHROOMS

$8.0

KARKOWKA PIECZONA ROAST CHUCK PORK

$7.5

POLEDWICZKI WIEPRZOWE PORK TENDERLOIN

$8.0

OZORKI W SOSIE PORK TOUNGE W/SAUCE

$7.0

ZEBERKA DUSZONE SPARE RIBS

$7.5

MIELONY Z KURCZAKA GROUND CHICKEN CUTLET $8.0 PALUSZKI Z KURCZAKA CHICKEN NUGGETS

$6.0

RYBA SMAZONA FRIED FISH

$8.0

LOSOS SMAZONY FRIED SALMON … W SOSIE KOPERKOWYM W/DILL SAUCE

$10.0

… Z WARZYWAMI W/VEGETABLES

$10.0

PSTRAG SMAZONY FRIED TROUT

$11.0

DANIA Z GRILLA grilleD entreeS LOSOS SALMON

$10.0

POLEDWICA WIEPRZOWA PORK LOIN

$10.0

PIERS Z KURY BONELESS CHICKEN BREAST

$10.0

KARKOWKA CHUCK STEAK

$10.0

SHELL STEK SHELL STEAK

$16.0

RIBEYE STEK RIBEYE STEAK

$16.0

grilleD entreeS are SerVeD with French FrieS Or rOaSt POtatOeS

GOLABKI STUFFED CABBAGE POLSKI TALERZ POLISH PLATTER

LEWANDOWSKA

ARCHITECT

PLLC

Architectural design is completed by graphics consistently used on menu boards, take-out menus, promotional materials and the restaurant’s website.

$5.5 $10.0

ANTEK RESTAURANT

ANTEK RESTAURANT

CREDITS

LEWANDOWSKA

ARCHITECT

PLLC

Project

Owner Architect

Contractor Graphics Signage Completed

Antek Restaurant 105 Norman Ave, Brooklyn NY www.AntekRestaurant.com Stanislawa Prenkiewicz Lewandowska Architect PLLC www.LewandowskaArchitect.com Ray Construction Barbara Lewandowska Signs by Tomorrow February 2010