This was honestly the worst tasting menu experience we've ever had in our entire lives. There was not a single dish that we found enjoyable. The flavors were not balanced, interesting or creative. There was no synthesis or symmetry to the progression of courses we were served; just random dishes without any nuance. I actually quit the wine pairing about half-way through because none of the wines suited the profiles of the food, they seemed to be selected arbitrarily and none of them were well matched, interesting or unique. My wife has a severe gluten allergy which was communicated to the kitchen numerous times, and yet she was served gluten at least twice throughout our meal. One time, upon pointing out the error to the server (after nearly being poisoned-she has a very real allergy!) they simply took the plate away, picked the ingredient off her plate right in front of us and then handed it right back to her. That's completely unacceptable and not something we'd encounter in most casual restaurants, let alone a chefs table at a fine dining establishment! She was offered no substitutions for most dishes that contained gluten. If I was served bread or a dipping sauce, she received nothing. The one time she did receive a substitution, it felt like a complete afterthought - it was literally just a sliced tomato. What a joke! We honestly wanted to throw in the towel by the third or fourth course, but we ended up sitting through what felt like an overlong and unrewarding experience. It never improved. Many dishes were cleared without having taken more than two bites and the servers didn't seem to express any concern. When eventually confronted about the gluten issue towards the close of the evening, all we received was an apology and validation, but no actual resolution or attempt to make it right. The chefs table itself was not particularly interesting, there was little interaction with the kitchen and we basically just watched someone opening various Tupperwares and plating the same ingredients over and over like an assembly line production; it felt completely soulless. We left disappointed, hungry and unsatisfied. In a city like this with so many amazing flavorful food options, it really felt like a complete waste of money and honestly, a sham. The restaurant also does not respond to criticism and chooses to ignore feedback when emailed directly. For this reason alone, I would never recommend and strongly urge you to avoid dining here. There are too many better options. Em is all smoke and mirrors. read more
