Fun Dining in Sweden: Aquavit Opens Abroad

For years Aquavit in New York has been the best-known Swedish restaurant in the world. This month we had the thrill of opening a restaurant in Stockholm. The end result is what we like to call FUN dining, rather than FINE dining.

Planning the new restaurant with my partner Hakan and the major hotel group, Clarion Sign, has been a great pleasure. The first thing we asked ourselves was, where do Swedes like to go when they come to New York? The answer: steakhouses. So, we put in a grill where we could prepare big cuts of meat and fish. I never thought I'd cook an 18 ounce ribeye, but so far it's turned out to be a big hit.

But it's not just a steak destination, more like a steakhouse light. At the center of the new restaurant we built a raw seafood bar, a concept that's fairly new to Sweden. We offer a choice of three, five, or seven tastes. So, although Aquavit is considered a Swedish restaurant in New York, we ended up with an American-inspired restaurant in Sweden, featuring Scandinavian design and details. It has a casual vibe, and during the summer months we'll feature outdoor dining.

One of the nicest things about running a restaurant in Stockholm has been the chance to see familiar faces. We knew the staff from their visit to New York when they trained in the kitchen and in the front of the house. Plus, eight cooks who had worked with us in America now work at the Stockholm Aquavit.

Nearly 1,400 people came to the opening party, including my mom and my sister. For me, that was the most joyful part--getting to share my work and my food with my family.