How much does it cost to eat dinner at Charlie Trotter's?

Cafe Society
#1

My brother’s (in-law) birthday is coming up and since I spent all of their wedding gift money on my sister, I was thinking of getting him a gift certificate to this restaurant. Does anyone know what a meal for 2 might cost there? I was thinking of giving him a $200 dollar gift certificate for this restaurant (mainly because I have heard people mention it and they allow for online gift certificates).

I cannot, for the life of me, find prices for their tasting menus online.

Also, if anyone knows any other nice restaurants in the Chicago area that offer online gift certificates, please feel free to post suggestions.

#2

The Zagat guide lists Charlie Trotter’s as ridiculously expensive – $119 per person. (That is dinner, with one drink.)

#3

Thanks, I don’t have the Chicago Zagat’s but have always felt they sort of under-bill the actual cost.

#4

We ate there four or five years ago. The price at that time ran around $115 per person, for their fixed course meal, excluding the cost of wines and tip. They were very flexible about meeting individual requests (we had a vegetarian with us, and a couple of people who wouldn’t eat pork or shellfish, and they adjusted everything accordingly.)

It was a fantastic meal, and a great “floor show.” OK, it’s not really a floor show, but when they brought out each course, the main waiter gave a little shpiel about how it was cooked, the history of the recipe, etc. Charlie himself came around to ask how we liked things and to sign his book, and his mother took us on a tour of the kitchen after we had dined. It was great fun, and obviously a top-notch meal.

#5

I’ve been eating there off and on since it opened. Loved it at first mainly because of lack of pretenses. The point of the experience is enjoying the food. Our first time the husband of the other coupled asked about a dessert (before prefix degustation was the only way to go) -warm feuliette of banna in three chocolate sauce - and before our waitress could answer I chimed in that “it’s bannas in Bosco” … to which thew waitress excitedly said “Yes! But with real good Bosco!” They understand the infantile pleasure of food.

I’ve also won guest chef … well slave … in their kitchen for a day at a silent auction and it was fun, and done the table in the kitchen.

His Mom, doesn’t seem to hang there much any more. In fact he’s rarely there either. And other resturants have chefs trained by him or doing his style. But it is still a place to go to at least once.

Anyway Chicago mag says to expect 145 for the Grand, 125 for the vegetable one, and 200 for the kitchen table (all per) … plus drinks

#6

It can also depend on how many courses you have. I believe you can choose between 5, 7, or more courses on a fixed price menu. I’m not certain about the number of courses offered, and the kitchen table costs more.

#7

I used to work with Charlie’s brother at the Chicago Film Festival. Nice guy. I’ve never met Charlie, and no way would I ever eat at his restaurant, not in a million years, but I just had to ask…

(bolding mine) What does that mean?

#8

Fixed price tasting menu.

#9

To fill that out a bit:

You can order from the menu (a la carte) or have a meal of a number of courses at a set price (prix fixe). With the set menu, you usually get a small number of choices for each course. Some of these may attract an extra charge (supplement), meaning that the prix ain’t fixe.

Degustation (or whatever it’s called in the place you’re at - omakase at a Japanese place) means that you are asking the chef to show you over a larger number of small courses what s/he is about. This can mean anything from a slightly glorified fixed menu to 20 small tastes of what the chef thinks you might like based on your conversation.