Awesome, unique dining experience

[12string]

Friends took us to dinner at one of their favorite spots last night.

This place is hard to get into, it takes at least weeks to get a spot.  It's open when it's open, there's no real set calendar.  If you manage to get reservations, you pay the flat price per person when making reservations.  There's about 30 seats, dinner is at 7, when you get there, you get a list of the 5 courses to be served that night.  Each course is served to the whole place at the same time, plenty of time to finish, we were there about 3 hours.

The food is fantastic, really creative, I ate a lot of foods I would not imagine putting together.  The chef just has an amazing touch with textures, flavors, even colors

Oh, and it just happens to be 100% vegan.  

Miss Rachel's Pantry, in Philly

[Ralphie ★]

Interesting. Daughter 2 might like it, except that she is cheap like me. Maybe for a special occasion. 

[Parsnip Totin Jack ★]

@12string or @Ralphie have either of you dined at The Victor Cafe? It’s on Dickinson St across from the old RCA Victor Record Works. A coworker and I were in town for an audit at the PNSY branch office and the manager recommended we go there. He told us that opera singers would ride the train down from NYC to make recordings and while the wax was pressed, they’d cross the street to Victor Cafe and eat. If they stoood up and sang for the restaurant, the meal was on the house. When we were there, the servers would occasionally break into songs. Sound system was top notch and they have lots of the old 78 rpm records on site, but use digital versions for singing or just background music. The Italian food was really good too. 
https://victorcafe.com/history

[bikeman564™]

That sounds awesome.

 

[Kirby ★]

Interesting.  I'll have to see if the Gas Station does anything similar.

[Zephyr]

I have done a number of dinners like that.  On some the 'Frint of House' would come out and explain  the dish and sometimes how it came together.  They would also talk about the paired wines with each course.  We always enjoyed that type of experience

[12string]

1 hour ago, Parsnip Totin Jack said:

@12string or @Ralphie have either of you dined at The Victor Cafe? It’s on Dickinson St across from the old RCA Victor Record Works. A coworker and I were in town for an audit at the PNSY branch office and the manager recommended we go there. He told us that opera singers would ride the train down from NYC to make recordings and while the wax was pressed, they’d cross the street to Victor Cafe and eat. If they stoood up and sang for the restaurant, the meal was on the house. When we were there, the servers would occasionally break into songs. Sound system was top notch and they have lots of the old 78 rpm records on site, but use digital versions for singing or just background music. The Italian food was really good too. 
https://victorcafe.com/history

Heard good things about it, but never got there.

[12string]

10 minutes ago, Zephyr said:

I have done a number of dinners like that.  On some the 'Frint of House' would come out and explain  the dish and sometimes how it came together.  They would also talk about the paired wines with each course.  We always enjoyed that type of experience

My wife asked about the "butter", so the chef came out to explain it.  She started with "oh it's really easy" then dove into emulsification and culturing yeasts..............

I do enjoy doing the chef's tastings when offerered.

It was a BYOB,  I had a nice Traminette - that I left on the table at home.

[MickinMD ★]

4 hours ago, 12string said:

Friends took us to dinner at one of their favorite spots last night.

This place is hard to get into, it takes at least weeks to get a spot.  It's open when it's open, there's no real set calendar.  If you manage to get reservations, you pay the flat price per person when making reservations.  There's about 30 seats, dinner is at 7, when you get there, you get a list of the 5 courses to be served that night.  Each course is served to the whole place at the same time, plenty of time to finish, we were there about 3 hours.

The food is fantastic, really creative, I ate a lot of foods I would not imagine putting together.  The chef just has an amazing touch with textures, flavors, even colors

Oh, and it just happens to be 100% vegan.  

Miss Rachel's Pantry, in Philly

Sounds like an awesome place.  I'm not vegan or vegetarian, but it sounds like great food!

I'll have to put this in a file and a browser link.

Maybe I'll try it if I can get some of my fellow meat-eaters to go for it.  Maybe combined with a trip to Philadelphia Mills Mall or some sightseeing.  I have a cousin who lives in nearby Bristol and I've often met another cousin, the former Morris Township Mayor from Morristown, NJ since we each live 2 hrs. from the Mall, at that Mall to spend several hours with her for a day.

[maddmaxx ★]

I'm even cheaper than Ralph.

[MoseySusan ★]

3 hours seated in a restaurant with the same people… Did anyone remember the wine? 

[Ralphie ★]

2 hours ago, Parsnip Totin Jack said:

@12string or @Ralphie have either of you dined at The Victor Cafe? It’s on Dickinson St across from the old RCA Victor Record Works. A coworker and I were in town for an audit at the PNSY branch office and the manager recommended we go there. He told us that opera singers would ride the train down from NYC to make recordings and while the wax was pressed, they’d cross the street to Victor Cafe and eat. If they stoood up and sang for the restaurant, the meal was on the house. When we were there, the servers would occasionally break into songs. Sound system was top notch and they have lots of the old 78 rpm records on site, but use digital versions for singing or just background music. The Italian food was really good too. 
https://victorcafe.com/history

Nope, never even heard of it or of anyone going there.  But I have been to a place in Media PA that is sort of similar with singing waitstaff.