Better Than Food Network

Last Christmas my aunt & uncle gave me & Topher the perfect present (for us, anyway): a gift certificate to A Chef's Kitchen in Williamsburg, VA. It's been sitting on my desk at home, waiting patiently, and this past weekend it finally got used.

The weekend's festivities started with a ride on the Jamestown-Scotland ferry across the James River, from Surry to Williamsburg. Then we met up with our friends Randy & Kim and headed to Merchants Square. There we snacked on a cheese plate and a bottle of wine (Andrew Murray Vineyards"Esperance" red blend) from The Cheese Shop and walked around historic Colonial Williamsburg.

After a quick change of clothes at our hotel, we headed back out and grabbed a cocktail at the Blue Talon Bistro (their menu looked awesome, and I definitely want to go back there for dinner sometime). Then we made our way to the main event.

For those of you that are unfamiliar with A Chef's Kitchen (as I was until we received the gift certificate and I started doing a little research), Chef John Gonzales came up with the idea "because he 'felt sorry for the audiences on the Food Network,' who never get to eat the meals they watch being prepared," according to Frommer's Virginia.

The restaurant is set up stadium-style with three rows of ~8 seats each and an open kitchen. Chef Gonzales and his sous chef Sam Hall prepare your dinner there in front of you, teaching you how to make each dish as they go along (they even give you a recipe booklet to take home). There's only one seating each night, and the meal takes ~3 hours, with half an hour for champagne and hors d'oeuvres at the beginning. The meal was good, but the experience was great!

What We Ate:

• appetizers: goat cheese balls rolled in crushed pistachios, and olive tapenade on toast - paired with champagne
• Parsnip & Chive Bisque with Applewood Smoked Bacon & Sour Cream
• Mâche, Carrot, & Apple Slaw with Golden Raisins & Toasted Pecans - paired with a (not oaky) chardonnay - very good! a healthy, colorful, & flavorful dish that I would definitely like to make at home
• Skillet Baked Corn Bread with European-style Butter
• Shrimp & Butternut Squash Risotto with Fresh Thyme - paired with a sauvignon blanc - well made (the shrimp weren't overcooked, and the risotto was just the right consistency - not crunchy, not mushy), but a little too sweet
• Seared Broadleaf Farms Venison with Braised Boneless Berkshire Spare Ribs over Mashed Celeriac & Virginia Apple Purée - paired with a regional Spanish red wine that I can't remember - this was the absolute, hands-down highlight of the evening! the spare ribs were so tender, juicy, & flavorful that my mouth is watering just thinking about them ... and I really want to start eating celeriac at home
• Lemon Mousse with a Chocolate Shortbread Cookie & Port Braised Figs - the three elements of this dessert were good (especially the shortbread), but somehow the combination of the three just didn't work

The Scoop:

A Chef's Kitchen is located at 501 Prince George Street (near Merchants Square and William & Mary) in downtown Williamsburg, VA. Dinner is served Wed-Sun at 6:30pm. Reservations are required and should be made well in advance by calling 757-564-8500.