I told you how much that place would be prior to your visit. If you really were shocked afterward, then you really are what I have said all along...an idiot.
BTW, if you think that I can imagine a six-month pregnant woman sitting through a 2.5-3 hour dinner...you'd be wrong.
I told you how much that place would be prior to your visit. If you really were shocked afterward, then you really are what I have said all along...an idiot.
I didn't believe you.
Never again.
I think my fine dining appetite might have been forever squashed during this foray downtown.
Great meals yes....but at these prices, I'll just go to a steak joint and a local restaurant from now on.
It wasn't too long. Dinner was only 2-2 1/2 hours...we had a nice time actually eating without kids and chaos.
And yes Clam - I had the pairing. The first 5 glasses were great...but the dessert pairings were out of this world. And I'm not usually a dessert wine guy.
I am not a dessert wine fan, but I have always found that when we had pairings, the dessert wines were awesome. BTW how would you compare Everest to Charlie Trotter's? We have not been to CT's.
“Think left and think right and think low and think high. Oh, the thinks you can think up if only you try!”—Dr. Seuss
Fan, did you take a tour of the Kitchen? Did you go Saturday? Charlie's mother will give you a tour on Saturdays of the kitchen and wine cellar. I almost passed out seeing a 1961 Latour sitting on the shelf.
Were you hungry an hour later like we were?
Great experience, probably top 5 best dinner experience I have ever had, but I am down on Charlie now that he went anti Fois Gras and basically made Chicago a laughing stock in the culinary world.
Scotty, Everest is incredible. I would say another top 5. We spent a New Years Eve at Everest. It was amazing.
I think Charlie lost his fastball a few years ago. Maybe my patientce to sit through the 3 hr service isn't what it once was, but of the 5-6 times I've been it seems as though each one was just a little less enjoyable. If I'm throwing out top coin these days I'd rather go to a great steak place and splurge on the wine. Believe me "Monkfish Cheek with Black Trumpet Mushrooms & Smoked Bacon" sounds delicious, but just give me a nice Ribeye with a great red and I'll be happy.
I went once, many years ago. Awesome food, but I'm glad my Ps were picking up the tab. I'm afraid my palate is not sufficiently refined to justify the price.
"Who allowed the guest chef to season the fish???!!!"
Charlie hasn't worked in the kitchen in years. Chef Matt has been running the show since I was last in that kitchen. Trotter approves menus. Period. He is but a name at this point.
I'm with Ruydah. I can no longer sit through those affairs. I have yet another guest chef opportunity that was won at an auction. Haven't done it...don't know if I even want to do it again. You can only be interested in doing that twice max, IMO. Plus...season the wrong thing....hell, season anything....and you get yelled at.
Never go to French Laundry then. Our dinner was 5 and a half hours long. 13 courses, 6 bottles of wine for 4 people (Flowers Chard, Bryant, Colgin, Harlan, Viv Grande, '82 D'yquem). It was incredible, but we had to get up and walk around it was so long. Flat out the best food and wine experience I have ever had, but it was way too long.
Don't go to Alinea either, that is a 4 hour experience on average.
My single experience at Charlie Trotter's is forever etched in my mind among life's highlights. It was wonderful! Expensive, yes, but just a stellar meal. We told oursleves going in that it was a "once in a lifetime experience," but heading out, all I could think was that once was not going to be enough!
