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Diners can try new dishes, chat with creators at a number of local restaurants
By Lisa Abraham
Beacon Journal food writer
Published on Wednesday, Jun 03, 2009
You can go to dinner and a movie, dinner and a show or dinner and a game. Or you could consider making the dinner the evening's entertainment
For food enthusiasts, sitting at the chef's table is a way to eat, drink and be entertained all at once.
In this time of economic stress when many of us are skipping vacations and watching what we spend on entertainment, a chef's dinner is a fun way to splurge without breaking the bank.
The dining becomes an adventure, as Gail and Tom Tobin recently found out when they hosted a chef's dinner at the Vue Restaurant & Lounge in Hudson.
The Tobins, of Hudson, purchased their chef's dinner at a charity auction, and were pleasantly surprised by the variety of dishes placed before them.
''It's something that you just don't think about doing,'' Gail Tobin said.
The Tobins hosted friends Joe and Katherine Rusnak of Hudson for the meal, which began with an amuse of minted sweet pea soup served cold in a tall shot glass with a crispy plantain chip.
Vue chef Rick Carson put together a menu of three courses and dessert to follow the sweet pea shooter, each of which had its own wine pairing.
Carson and sommelier Shawn Tatarowicz personally presented each plate and pour, describing in detail the food and drink they were serving and answering questions.
''It's one of my favorite things to do,'' Carson said, noting that a chef's dinner allows him to flex his culinary muscles and come up with a unique meal for diners.
Many restaurants offer some type of chef's dinner and some actually have chef's tables, which overlook the kitchen and provide an insider's view to the hustle and bustle that goes on there.
At Downtown 140 in Hudson, chef Sean Monday has a four-seat table that overlooks his small galley kitchen. Diners who sit there typically order off the menu, but can interact with Monday and his other chefs while eating. With a week or two's notice, Monday will prepare a special chef's dinner menu for any party.
Monday said it is nearly impossible not to interact with the diners because Downtown 140's chef's table is literally a window to the kitchen.
''We have some people that only come in here to sit there because they enjoy that experience. . . . It's definitely a lot of fun for the customers. They really see how a kitchen runs and sometimes how the stress levels are. . . . It's just a whole new, different experience,'' he said.
For foodies, chef's dinners are a way to try different foods and learn about trends.
Chef Christopher Shydlowski, owner of Christopher's Aurora Bistro in Aurora, said when you have a chance to talk to the chef about every course, take advantage and come armed with questions.
Shydlowski said he gets a request for a chef's dinner about once every six weeks from customers. ''Basically, it's anywhere from five to 12 courses — however many the host or hostess chooses,'' he said. Shydlowski prefers at least six people in the party for a chef's dinner.
''I come out to them and talk to them about what they are eating, about food, about myself or the restaurant,'' he said. ''I answer any questions they might have about food.''
Shydlowski said his dinners average about $140 per person for six courses with wine, and about $95 for six courses without wine, plus tax and tip.
''Ninety percent of the chef's tables I've done, they are pretty enthusiastic and it's a good time for them and for myself,'' he said.
Chefs will talk to the host before the meal to find out if there is anyone in the group with food allergies or if there are any foods to be avoided, such as pork or beef.
While he likes to work with unusual ingredients like wild boar or elk, Shydlowski said is just as happy to work with the basics — chicken or beef — because he feels challenged to present them in a new or different way.
''I ask how adventurous they are,'' he said.
Chef Carson said he served sweetbreads at a chef's dinner, but it was only after the diners had enjoyed them that they bothered to ask what they were eating. (Sweetbreads are the thymus gland and pancreas from a calf or lamb.)
Trying new foods should be one of the best parts of a chef's dinner for the customers.
For the Tobins, the first course of fried green tomato served with radish, fennel, watercress and yellow watermelon was a treat.
''I never had fried green tomatoes before. I loved it,'' Tom Tobin said.
Gail Tobin was equally pleased with the fiddlehead ferns that accompanied the second course of vanilla poached lobster. She had never eaten them before, but now will look for them on menus, she said.
Shydlowski said diners often are reluctant to order something unfamiliar from the regular menu, but when it's placed in front of them during a chef's dinner, they'll dive right in.
Of course, that doesn't mean they'll try it again. Gail Tobin said while she enjoyed the sweet pea shooter, the cold soup wasn't something she would seek out a second time.
Wine pairings always are optional with a chef's dinner, and will increase the cost of the meal. Without wine, a four-course chef's dinner ranges between $55 to $65 per person at the Vue or Downtown 140. Wines up the amount to $75 to $80 per person, those chefs said.
But having wines selected by a professional sommelier also can be a learning experience.
Even though there was a different wine with every course, Gail Tobin said she did not feel there was too much because it went so well with each item.
When Tatarowicz served the Tobins' table a glass of prosecco, an Italian sparkling wine, as a starter, Gail Tobin said she was caught by surprise. She expects bubbly to be used for a special toast, not simply as an opener.
''That was a nice surprise,'' she said, nothing that the sparkling beverage set a festive tone for the meal. ''It kind of got you into it.''
Lisa A. Abraham can be reached at 330-996-3737 or labraham@thebeaconjournal.com.
You can go to dinner and a movie, dinner and a show or dinner and a game. Or you could consider making the dinner the evening's entertainment
Get the full article here.
Comments
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Posted 09:21 AM, 06/03/2009
A perfect example of people who (despite the fact the money went to charity) have too much money. Bet they didn't get it working 9 to 5.
People are stealing bologna to survive - and these haves (as opposed to have-nots) are worthy of an article?
Sour grapes, whatever...
Probably drove their Lexus SUV...
Akron, OH
Posted 11:52 AM, 06/03/2009
It is rumored that Akron's grand gourmand Marco, inspired by the article, showed up at the Vue last evening.
The maitre d' immediately recognized him and asked,
"Table for six?"
Medina, OH
Posted 12:44 PM, 06/03/2009
Jan, do personally know anyone stealing bologna?
Should Obama spend some more magic, neverending "stimulus" money to send you to a nice restaurant once a week?
You are right on one thing though, I bet these people didn't become "the haves" by working 9-5. I bet it was from a lot longer hours that most successful people work to run a business or build a good career. They should probably share it with you shouldn't they?
"Without wine, a four-course chef's dinner ranges between $55 to $65 per person at the Vue or Downtown 140. Wines up the amount to $75 to $80 per person, those chefs said."
That is a pretty affordable splurge for many. Thanks for the advice Lisa.
Akron, OH
Posted 04:32 AM, 06/04/2009
No comment.
Posted 02:13 PM, 06/04/2009
It amuses me that chefs these days prop themselves up to pose as some kind of celebrity.
