While you were trying to hold your eyes open at work earlier today Craig LaBan began interviewing Stephen Starr today at 2pm. Readers also sent in questions for Starr. The entire interview is posted on the Inquirer, but who has time to read all of that anyways? Our intern, that’s who! The boys talk some talk, get a bit snippy, and all of it just confirms that you will never be like Stephen Starr, no matter how hard you try. We read all the dialog and sought out the best quotes just for you, enjoy!

After the jump, the best highlights from the online interview.

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.

Son? Call a grown man your “son” in our ‘hood, and you’d get slapped.

Craig: Stephen – aside from setting trends, your restaurants have also set sonic records for some of the noisiest spaces in town. Jones remains the only place to ever break the 100-reading on my decibel meter. When I walk by Parc, I’m thinking we have a contender to break that mark. So, what’s with the noise in your restaurants? Is it a deliberate design to create that signature “vibe”, or just a function of, well, a busy restaurant?

Stephen: I believe that the noise at many of my restaurants is the sound of success. People talking, laughing, music playing. However, I am now becoming more sensitive to the fact that many people want a quieter enviornment. When I first started, the baby boomers where in their 30′s. As they approach their 50 and 60′s, the restaurant experience they wanted is different. So will be more sensitive going forward to accousical considerations. [...] In terms of Parc, the overwhelming success in terms of the numbers plus the hard surfaces that are common in the french bistro in Paris (ex. Tile floors, mirrors, plaster ceiling) contribute to the noise issue. We have hired an accousical engineer to make recommendations to cut some of the noise. This should be done in the next 4-5 weeks. I also believe Craig LeBan is one of the more sensitive critics to the decibal level.

Was it just me, or did he just kind of call Craig a pussy?

Craig: You’ve often described yourself as a sort of anti-foodie – a tuna sandwich kind of guy. How does that work, given all the taste-driven decisions you have to make in the course of creating a restaurant? And which of your restaurants serve the best tuna sandwich?

Stephen: I am not an anti-foodie. I taste more food than a thousand food critics. My taste buds are bombarded by flavors and sauces on a daily basis. So it is a vacation for my mouth and my health to be able to eat a simple tuna fish sandwich or some hummus or a bowl of spagehetti with lemon juice and salt.

Craig: Stephen – If you eat 1,000 times my weekly intake, I don’t know how you even fit through the door at Buddakan.

Oh, just get a room already, you two.

Craig: How many restaurants can one guy own, Stephen? What kind of limits have you set for yourself and the company in the future? Also, what other fields do you see yourself entering outside restaurants?
[...] Stephen humming a Dylan tune in the background over the phone….”How many restaurants can one guy own…how many…”

Stephen: I do restaurants that I get excited over. I don’t say to myself, “How many restaurant can one guy own?” If i get moved by an idea, I wanna do it. I think this has been a key component to my success. I cannot do the amount of restaurants I’ve done in Philadelphia in other markets so I want to concentrate in Philadelphia and New York. I would like to pursue the opening of an hotel here in Philadelphia in the future.”

You don’t say.

Craig: We’re going to wrap this conversation up pretty soon. But first, one more question….Who do you admire most outside your company on the local scene? Who do you think might be the “next Stephen Starr”? And which Starr kitchen alums cooking on their own out there are you most proud of?

Stephen: I do not see a person or company in Philadelphia crazy enough to do what we’ve been doing over the last two years. However, I’m extremely proud of Jose Garces who I think is a tremendous chef who took a lot of what he learned with Douglas and myself and created a formula that has given him great success. Also, Aimee Olexy has just been amazing ever since she left us at Blue Angel many years ago.”

And so they were anointed.