Chef's Table for 2 (or similar experience)?

Hello,

I am trying to plan a nice, romantic dinner (and something a little out of the ordinary) for my wife for our upcoming anniversary. Because she loves to cook, I had the idea of getting us reservations at a Chef's Table in the kitchen of a nice restaurant but after searching through this site and a few others for ideas, I've encountered a problem—most Chef's Tables in the city (like Trotters, Aria, Chef's Station, etc.) have a minimum requirement of 6-12 guests…

Does anyone know of a Chef's Table for two people in the city or suburbs? Or, maybe somewhere that would offer a similar experience—for example, a table next to an open kitchen where you can see a little bit of the action? Budget is not really a concern for this particular occasion.

Thank you for your help and suggestions.
GS

You might want to consider the kitchen bar at Avenues. Not sure if that qualifies as romantic, but I have had one of my best meals ever at Avenues. The bar looks right into the kitchen. When I ate there last there was no one at the bar and I kind of wish that we were there. I know that they are OK with solo diners there, so two would not be a problem. I recommended this to one solo diner and he had a great time and said that the chefs were always walking by to ask how things were. Its the same menu as the rest of the restaurant, and same dress code, so neither inexpensive nor casual.

Flight in Glenview has a small bar looking into the kitchen - could be great for two ...

Flight
1820 Tower Drive
Glenview, IL 60026
847-729-9463
flighwinebar.com

Not exactly what you asked for, but Roy's has a multi-person bar set up for dining only which looks right onto the kitchen action. Certainly not quiet and maybe not traditionally romantic, but I get the sense that your idea of romantic here is do something that you know your wife will enjoy (which is, of course, romantic).

Roy's
720 N. State Street
Chicago
(312) 787-7599

I once dined at Avec with a companion, and we were given the "chef's table" which was essentially two seats at the end of the bar in front of the food preparation area. I love Avec and had a great meal and a wonderful time, but I don't know if this is the atmosphere you were looking for. We got an excellent view of the food preparation, but it was quite bustling and loud. Even more so than Avec is normally.

Hey... if budget really ISN'T a concern, I'm sure Trotters, Tru et. al. would be happy to charge you for 5-6 and seat only two

we ate at the kitchen table for 2 at 312 the other week- was pleasant.

Giallo wrote:I once dined at Avec with a companion, and we were given the "chef's table" which was essentially two seats at the end of the bar in front of the food preparation area. I love Avec and had a great meal and a wonderful time, but I don't know if this is the atmosphere you were looking for. We got an excellent view of the food preparation, but it was quite bustling and loud. Even more so than Avec is normally.

I've done this multiple times at Avec, the first by accident, and afterwards quite on purpose. I'm not sure it fits the occasion here, but , on top of getting a great view of the action, the cooks I've watched have been very engaging to boot, willing to answer questions about ingredients, preparation, etc. I love doing this.

Getting a little further afield, my brother-in-law got my sister a very cool gift for her birthday a few years back. I'm not sure if it's an advertised package, or something arranged specially, but, per the gift, she got up one Saturday morning and went to the market with Roberto Donna (they live in DC) of Galileo/Laboratorio, and spent the day in the kitchen at the restaurant. I'm not sure how much of the day, and how much of her experience was particpatory/observatory. At some point she returned home, got ready, and then they went back and had the tasting menu. I think there were 8 guests, rather than 2, but she said both the meal and the experience were wonderful.

Don't know if there are similar opportunities in town, and surely this is no cheap gift, but it sure is cool.

Aaron Deacon wrote:Don't know if there are similar opportunities in town, and surely this is no cheap gift, but it sure is cool.

I've seen Charlie Trotter offer a similar opportunity (usually as a charity auction item). I seem to remember someone posting about that experience here a while back. IIRC, they were dissapointed overall.

stevez wrote:

Aaron Deacon wrote:Don't know if there are similar opportunities in town, and surely this is no cheap gift, but it sure is cool.

I've seen Charlie Trotter offer a similar opportunity (usually as a charity auction item). I seem to remember someone posting about that experience here a while back. IIRC, they were dissapointed overall.

It wasn't me who posted about it, but I did that (through a charity auction) and had a great time. I believe it's a solo affair, though. Only so much space on the line.

stevez wrote:

Aaron Deacon wrote:Don't know if there are similar opportunities in town, and surely this is no cheap gift, but it sure is cool.

I've seen Charlie Trotter offer a similar opportunity (usually as a charity auction item). I seem to remember someone posting about that experience here a while back. IIRC, they were dissapointed overall.

I know Cantu of Moto is offering it in a charity auction as well.

Another alternative is to hire a personal chef to prepare the romantic dinner in your home.

Check out www.chicagopersonachefs.com

Dmnkly wrote:

stevez wrote:

Aaron Deacon wrote:Don't know if there are similar opportunities in town, and surely this is no cheap gift, but it sure is cool.

I've seen Charlie Trotter offer a similar opportunity (usually as a charity auction item). I seem to remember someone posting about that experience here a while back. IIRC, they were dissapointed overall.

It wasn't me who posted about it, but I did that (through a charity auction) and had a great time. I believe it's a solo affair, though. Only so much space on the line.

I was a "chef for a day" at Trotter's and also had a blast. Surprisingly, they had me doing a lot of cooking. Sometimes I've seen these up for auction on Ebay.

Don't forget Buca Di Beppo:

http://www.lthforum.com/bb/viewtopic.ph ... uca++beppo



I have to keep sending sarcasm back in time since it didn't come across then.

I sent you a private message - in case you're lax in checking those (as I often am), I just wanted to let you know that we (FIG, that is) offers in home personal chef experiences for 2 guests.

Let me know if you're interested.

Aaron Deacon wrote:Getting a little further afield, my brother-in-law got my sister a very cool gift for her birthday a few years back. I'm not sure if it's an advertised package, or something arranged specially, but, per the gift, she got up one Saturday morning and went to the market with Roberto Donna (they live in DC) of Galileo/Laboratorio, and spent the day in the kitchen at the restaurant. I'm not sure how much of the day, and how much of her experience was particpatory/observatory. At some point she returned home, got ready, and then they went back and had the tasting menu. I think there were 8 guests, rather than 2, but she said both the meal and the experience were wonderful.

Not to head off on a tangent, and I realize this is of no help in this context, but my wife and I participated in a different package offered by Donna in Laboratorio back when we lived in DC. It was a blast, and very hands on. And, I know that the full day package, beginning with a trip to the market as described above, is a regular, advertised package. So, if anyone is headed to DC at some point and has the time/inclination for that kind of experience, I can recommend this one with no hesitation.

If you call and ask Trotters may offer a table for 2 in the Kitchen. You will likely need to pay for all 4 seats in order to get the kitchen table. My fiance arrranged the Kitchen table for our engagement...I believe the price for everything came to around $900. steep...but an unforgetable experience.

lisa3255 wrote:If you call and ask Trotters may offer a table for 2 in the Kitchen. You will likely need to pay for all 4 seats in order to get the kitchen table. My fiance arrranged the Kitchen table for our engagement...I believe the price for everything came to around $900. steep...but an unforgetable experience.

That reminds me - when we ate there about a year ago, they said that they would seat two at the chefs table, but at a $100 additional cost per person, but I was under the impression that this was the standard fee regardless of party size. Our tab was around $700 for two in the normal dining room, so $900 in the kitchen seems about right. Seemed a little steep to me, but I am sure it would be interesting.