Book excerpt: Cafes, cabarets and restaurants have been some of the most common gathering spots for everyone in the social strata for centuries. Today's avant-garde designers and architects are reinventing the genre of restaurant design to take into account environmental sustainability, recycled materials, and relating the restaurant to the historical use of its building. Projects featured in this book are impressive examples of cohesive designed dining environments and are paired with detailed floor plans handy for industry professionals.