I was 32 when I started cooking; up until then, I just ate. --Julia Child
I was a guest a the "invite-only" chef's table at Talula's Table this past weekend (thanks, David!). It's located in Kennett Square, PA, outside of Philadelphia. A gourmet market and cheese shop, you'll find the staff at Talula's serving coffee and pastries by day. At night, the brightly decorated spot serves less than two dozen lucky people each evening.
A group of 12 arrived in style via a limo and took their seats at the Farm Table, the focus point of the main room and a reservation that is booked an entire year in advance. The only other table, the chef's table, is of course, in the kitchen, and eight lucky folks, including Chris and myself got to see all of the action in person.
A group of 12 arrived in style via a limo and took their seats at the Farm Table, the focus point of the main room and a reservation that is booked an entire year in advance. The only other table, the chef's table, is of course, in the kitchen, and eight lucky folks, including Chris and myself got to see all of the action in person.
Before we headed back to the heat of the kitchen, we gathered in the front of the store at a round table, sharing flutes of chilly Prosecco and nibbles from the kitchen like corn and Gruyere mini-muffins, shredded duck on buttermilk biscuit bites, shot glasses filled with a refreshing watermelon cooler trimmed in mint and sugar, etc. Dinner seemed very promising...
Our meal was made a few feet away from our bar-height table, and from our perch we could see as each dish was crafted and artfully arranged. The local, handmade, and seasonal foods were complimented by outstanding wines brought by the guests (the eight of us brought--and drank more than a dozen bottles of wine!). Baskets brimming with fresh-baked bread, including salty, hot-pretzel-like bites were a nice touch (how many times have you had to ask for more bread at a restaurant? Not the case here.), and after one of our companions mentioned the Risotto was so good he'd give his first born son to have more, a plastic to-go container of it appeared at the table. Score!
It was a delightful meal shared with lovely people and it made me even more devoted to finding a way to open my own special place someday.
It was a delightful meal shared with lovely people and it made me even more devoted to finding a way to open my own special place someday.
Here's the menu:
One change was that our dessert was:
I think that was even better than the cherry option, since Chris is not a huge fan of cherries. (He always lucks out!) My favorite dish was the Smoked Haddock, and Chris loved the Petite Poussin and Mushroom Risotto. But everything was really tasty.
I didn't take photos of the food because I find it terribly rude to take pictures while others are eating, so you have to trust me that it was a delightful meal and pleasing to the eye. Hopefully, I don't have to wait another year to experience a meal like this again. And, if you're ever in the Philly area and are feeling lucky, you might want to try for your own Talula's experience.
Summer Cornmeal and Almond Cake
House-made Ricotta
with Cream Cheese Ice Cream
I think that was even better than the cherry option, since Chris is not a huge fan of cherries. (He always lucks out!) My favorite dish was the Smoked Haddock, and Chris loved the Petite Poussin and Mushroom Risotto. But everything was really tasty.
I didn't take photos of the food because I find it terribly rude to take pictures while others are eating, so you have to trust me that it was a delightful meal and pleasing to the eye. Hopefully, I don't have to wait another year to experience a meal like this again. And, if you're ever in the Philly area and are feeling lucky, you might want to try for your own Talula's experience.
xoxoxo
