Brian T.
Yelp
The Kitchen is a great concept of introducing and giving up-and-coming chefs an opportunity to shine in Seattle. Unfortunately, the management and the execution is poor and unprofessional, which gives off a poor and "scammy" vibe.
My wife and I made reservations in advance for a special occasion, which was a pretty penny. Nonetheless, given some of the cool reviews on social media paired with the special event, we pulled the trigger and decided to spend our night at the Kitchen.
The night went pretty poorly, which made us both frown with disappointment. Despite the chef's genuine attempt to woo us with his food, the management of the night threw our evening off.
A red flag appeared when the manager offered wine to pair with our food, stating that they had a professional provide the wine pairing. I was interested and asked for a red. The manager poured the red into a wine glass behind the counter and served it to me. My wife and I were interested about the wine brand, and the manager showed us the wine bottle, clueless about its origins and only stating it was made in California.
The wine, kid you not, was Barefoot wine.
I used to work at CVS, and Barefoot wine was commonly stocked in store. A large bottle could be bought for about $10. And the manager was serving a glass for way more than that - $14 for a glass of Barefoot wine. We're no wine sommeliers, but we could taste the poor quality of that wine. Red flag #1.
After downing the wine, the manager came back to me and insisted I try their mixed blend wine. He came with the bottle (thankfully not Barefoot) and poured it into the same glass that I was drinking from. No new glass, no verbal exchange. I took it as a poorly executed, but friendly gesture for the night - lo and behold, my final bill was charged for 2 glasses of wine that night. Red flag #2.
The special event was marred by this experience, and we were still hungry at the end of the night. We had the opportunity to talk with the chef, and it sounded like he was limited with what he had in the back - an electric stove. And with one person serving a group of us, it proved difficult to manage a large serving and quality food in a timely manner.
But at the end of the day, it was the cluelessness and lackadaisical effort with the wine. You can go to your local convenience store and get a giant bottle of Barefoot for less than what the Kitchen charges. And with a hefty deposit to pay, you'd think they would offer better options.
I hate to say it, but this felt a bit scammy to me. I preach this over and over again, but I need to hammer it home in my own brain that social media is often overhyped and untrustworthy, with the Kitchen being a prime example of it.
