The Chef's Table — Restaurant in Stuart

The Chef’s Table Steakhouse, Suntree, 7720 N Wickham Road, Melbourne, FL- 5-Stars

Top 5 Alert!

We have a new entrant in the Big Boy’s Top 5 Restaurants in Brevard, The Chef’s Table, self-described on Yelp as a “Prime Steakhouse that specializes in Angus Brand Prime Beef, fresh seafood and local produce.” Prior to visiting this Suntree establishment, I thought of David Dashi—executive chef and owner of Amici’s Italian Restaurant next door—as just another local restauranteur along the lines of Brano’s Italian Grill in Cocoa Beach, and Alfredo’s Paradiso Kitchen in Merritt Island, both of whom talk a good game, but sell poorly-prepared, low-quality ingredients for exorbitant prices.

That said, I was promised by a prominent food purveyor that unlike Dashi’s other clip joints, food at The Chefs Table consists of only high-quality ingredients. They were not wrong. The fare here is top shelf and properly prepared. The Chef’s Table also offers a panoply of quality craft potables. Having fallen off the wagon last month, I ordered a Rye Manhattan cocktail. The Manhattan is a tricky drink, as the overuse of bitters can throw it off. However, this cocktail was lovingly prepared by Brevard County’s top waiter, David Denny, who was manning the bar that evening. I had requested this talented garçon as my server, but occupied as he was offering up laudable libations, our waiter for the evening ended up being Chad. What Chad lacked in charisma, he made up for in efficiency, knowledge, and exuberant attention to detail.

The table started off with Fresh Burrata and Tuna Carpaccio, which produced an exquisite palate punch from the fried capers. Yes, you heard me correctly, fried capers. Absolute genius!

For my entrees, I picked 12-ounce New York Strip, rare and the Pan-Seared Scallops served with Wild Mushroom Risotto. The bed of creamy risotto on which the scallops were layered was divine. The only weakness in this entire meal was the size of the scallops. For forty smackers, I want to see jumbo scallops. However, the preparation was on point with a crisp delicate crust. For sides, we ordered the Lobster Mac ‘N’ Cheese, Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Smoked Bacon, Fresh Creamed Spinach, and Oven-Roasted Beets with Goat Cheese.

I am running out of space, so just let me say, “Bravo!”

The Big Boy says, “If you are looking to have a special evening with a loved one—or can afford glorious dining every night—go to The Chef’s Table...

What an awesome dining experience! First off, the service was friendly and meticulous. The ladies working the front of the house did an outstanding job. Our glasses where never empty. They were both attentive, informative, and doted on both my wife and I the entire evening. The food was beyond what I was expecting. The chef hit a home run with every dish. The fried green tomatoes starter made me want to eat fried green tomatoes every day. Those fried green tomatoes. None other. The audacity of that chimichurri sauce! Then came the main course. My hanger steak was seasoned and cooked to perfection. The wine sauce was pure nectar of the gods. The carrots and all other accompaniments completed the symphony that was my dish. There was nothing on the plate that did not belong there. More importantly there was nothing this plate lacked. Chef came out at the end of our meal and graciously spent some some time with my wife and I (we were celebrating our 21st anniversary). The end of our meal was an exquisite creme brulee. Just like everything else tonight, it was perfect. This is one of those places that you need to go visit. Seriously. It's a brilliant gem sparkling in an ocean of forgettable places. Once you've tasted fresh farm to table cooking done perfectly, everything else will...

I respect chefs as artists, but going here was uncomfortable for us and we won’t be back. All in all, everything did wind up being delicious, but… my friend and I hoped to do the tasting menu with wine pairing but she’s seriously allergic to seafood. We asked what was on the tasting menu and the server couldn’t tell us because evidently it’s different for every table. Which I would normally think is cool to be surprised, but we asked if we could request no seafood because of her allergy and our server wouldn’t even request it or the chef. 😒 We were told that it would be a smattering of different things off of the menu, so I still don’t understand why if there is a legitimate allergy we couldn’t have indulged in the tasting menu with that tweak? 😔 I asked if I could change out arugula (because I’ll admit I despise arugula, I think it’s bitter and it makes me choke) in a salad for mixed greens and the server said no, the chef makes all the dishes to complement all of the ingredients in the dish. Okay, that I get. Know about the Chef’s Table everything is “harmonious” and scrumptious, just DO NOT ask for any change WHATSOEVER, even if you have allergies that would require you to break out...