HI there,
We went to Zahav in Philadelphia last night - took months and months of trying to get online to book a reservation for a suitable day/time, but finally got it.
Drove down (1 hr drive, not too bad from Marlboro), and easily found parking.
Food and decor was great.
Service and staff was great - extremely personable, well acquainted with menu, replenish drinks, water regularly.
but the thing that struck me the most was how we gave up our table at the end of the meal.
We were seated at 530 for our dinner (on time of our resrvation), and we were finished at 8. But we were still just chatting for a few minutes before getting up. But the maitre d’ came up to us, and asked us to follow him - he would like to show us the kitchen. He asked us to take all of our belongings and follow him. He took us into the back, several of the chefs described to us what they do as we walked through the kitchen, and he guided us out the other side, to the reception and out the door. Only when we got outside did we realize that they did this to get the table cleared and ready for the folks waiting to sit down. But we thought the tour was special and fantastic; so, whereas some places may ask diners to hurry up, finish and leave so that the table can be reset (creating a crappy final experience), in this case they did something that still let us leave in a very positive frame.
I just wanted to share that… Regarding the food, it was fantastic - all very flavorable, plentiful, unique.
Never heard/experienced that any restaurant ask you to hurry up - does this really happen ? We love to eat in restaurants with open kitchen and often ask for kitchen counter places but I would be pretty annoyed when they “ask” so obvious to turn the table
Happens all the time here in the Boston area (well the "it’s time to leave we need the table back - not the kitchen tour exit). It’s happened to us several times - the last time was sort of the “straw that broke the camel’s back” for us and driving into downtown Boston for dinners.
Yes, it does.
At some of our restaurants we tell diners at the time the reservation is made that the table is limited to (for example) 90 minutes. So when the 90 minutes is up, we gently remind them that their reservation time is coming to a close.
That’s exactly what I found so positive- whereas it could be quite annoying to be told to give up your table for the next party, here it was come with us is like to show you the kitchen and meet the staff.
This turned out into a positive experience overall and we really didn’t recognize that it was a turnover
I hear you - it was a clever bait and switch (not in a bad way). One of our favorite restaurants used to offer an “after dinner drink/coffee” on the house - at the bar - when they were really in need of a table. We always thought that was a very classy move as well.
That’s unfortunately now very common now for nearly all restaurants that there is a note on OpenTable/Resy/Tock before you make a reservation on how long you can keep the table but that is information before I visit the restaurant and so I can make a decision beforehand if I still want to visit them. But it is annoying (and a dealbreaker for us) if there would be no note and they ask you to leave during the visit
Now I curious at which restaurants it happened in Boston ?
Drink/cocktail on the house is indeed a much better move if they really want to turn the table but at least for us a kitchen visit is way too obvious and “blunt”
It’s also impractical.
Some kitchens are setup for a “customer tour” (think French Laundry) but most are not.
In fact, for most restaurants allowing guest into the kitchen area would be either an OSHA violation, or an uninsured risk, or both.
It’s happened to me only once, at Chez Panisse. The headwaiter asked if we would mind moving to the bar and enjoy complimentary glasses of dessert wine. We’d already had a lot of wine, so we smiled, paid the bill, and left.
Is there too much wine ? 
We had to drive home. In fact, we walked around the Berkeley hills for a couple of hours first.
Here was my post about one of times (with a lot of other venting about Boston restaurants). Looks like at least one of them was at Bar Mezzana (in Boston), which seems to still be open. So good for them.
Glad you enjoyed it. I’m kinda baffled you had such a hard time snagging a rez, but I guess it keeps popping up on those Best of lists.
We went twice about 8 or 9 years ago. First time the food was incredibly salty, second time was better but gave both of us GI discomfort. We’ve not been back since.
At Zahav or at one of the Boston restaurants??
Zahav.
not boston proper, but watertown — close enough:)
barcinco, christmas eve; we’re on time for our 7pm reservation; hostess says the party has had to bill for a bit, and they should be leaving soon. 30 minutes later, were still waiting. hostess wasn’t sure what to do — i’m guessing they were regulars and she didn’t want to piss them off.
the place was packed and because it was christmas eve, the last reservation was 7:30. she was trying to figure out an alternative when they finally left. she was lovely and comped a couple of appetizers.from their booth, they could see how many people were waiting. must have been absolutely clueless — more likely, totally entitled — to pull a stunt like that on christmas eve.
I like to remind the resto bosses that timing of service is in their hands, not mine…especially if they cannot seat you when you arrive at your reserved time.
