3.5 stars, rounded down for cost to value ratio…read more
I consulted with Keifs Catering initially off of Thumbtack. The staff were quite responsive, and I was trying to set up a special night with my partner for our anniversary. I had heard from a few friends setting up a dinner with a private chef could be a pretty special experience, albeit pricey.
The Yelp reviews and Google reviews, alongside Keifs Catering's incredibly vegan and vegetarian friendly menu options, had me enthusiastic. Along the way, I asked for input on menu options, as well as asked about the number of options I was setting for the menu; my partner and I have small stomachs, and I was worried about too many leftovers. I was reassured that any leftovers could be eaten over the following few days. As my partner is the foodie, I was making these decisions myself and I trusted the staff I was consulting with.
The coordination was seamless, as was the online payment system. The staff arrived on time (2 individuals). The table was set partially by staff (partially by me to ensure it was truly special ambiance) and looked quite nice. The staff were incredibly friendly throughout the night.
I had assumed the items were all assembled from scratch, but was surprised that when I asked about the vegan taco appetizer ingredients, another staff member had to be contacted to find out their composition.
From the taco appetizer (3.5/5), I was immediately certain I had ordered too much food. We warned the staff and asked they pack away food as we knew it was going to be too much. Unfortunately, the spare taco shells were presumably thrown away instead of preserved and the vegan taco crumble we had to eat on its own over the following few days.
The garlic fries were delicious (5/5), and for some reason, in a similar manner, the leftover vegan chipotle was thrown away instead of preserved and packed for later consumption.
The watermelon mint salad could have tasted more fresh and crisp, but was fairly good (3/5).
The entrees were amazing, though unfortunately due to the immense amount of food ordered, was only partially enjoyable. The tofu satay skewers I could have eaten for days (and I did, 5/5), and the vibrant coconut green curry was quite tasty and worked well with the skewers (4/5).
The gorgonzola mac and cheese could have been its own appetizer and was quite tasty (4.5/5) but again, I wish I had received better advice from the staff when I set the menu.
I have a bit of a sweet tooth l, so was particularly excited about the desserts, though both of these (creme brulee was a little soft, and I'd have loved more crumble in the cobbler) left a little bit to be desired (3/5).
This was a really special first experience with a service like this, and I am so glad we tried it out, though I wish I had received a little bit better guidance from staff throughout, and wished the items had all been packed for leftover eating as expected. The price point for all of this was fair, but for these issues that would generally be minor, I really would expect no issues whatsoever for the price point.
I think this would be an amazing option for catering for a larger group!
