Smoke + Cedar Opens!
How excited were we for the opening of this new restaurant? From Naccarato Restaurant Group–the creators of our favorite restaurant, Pacific Grill–comes Smoke + Cedar.
We were honored to be selected early on in the process to work with Chef/Owner Gordon Naccarato on naming and branding for this new restaurant.
Here is the final logo as it looks over the welcome area. The contrast between the cedar and the metal ended up beautifully. The crossed cedar bough and elk antler in the logo were illustrated by Michaela Eaves, a great illustrator who we are always happy to work with.
This smoking elk stag was drawn by artist Chuck Knigge. We love how it has been adopted as the mascot of Smoke + Cedar, on the bar coasters and as a hand-painted stencil on one wall. An iconic look … with a touch of whimsy.
And the menu!
Mary designed the menu to use a cedar plank as the base, giving the menus the feel of something you might find in a national park–perfect for the feeling of Smoke + Cedar. Working with a woodworker, the wood was burnt, varnished, and one edge was scalloped. These turned out beautifully and feel great in the hand.
Chef-Owner Gordon Naccarato says:
The logo that Side x Side created perfectly captured the feeling I had in mind for Smoke + Cedar. It was difficult to choose from the various options they dreamed up–they were all so clever and visually arresting.
Working with Erik and Mary was a pleasure and they were very easy to bounce ideas back & forth. When I needed a meeting they were quick to respond, and provided timely information to help guide the process. All my ideas were shaped by them and were ultimately better than what I would have come up with alone.
Thanks, Gordon! We will see you soon at Smoke + Cedar! We know it will be a frequent spot for us over the years to come.
