Chef's Table — Restaurant in Waynesville

A very nice, quaint, slightly tight seating restaurant with quality food. It's our second visit at Chefs, the reputation and quality speaks for itself. A tiny restaurant made to seat as many guests possible. Reservations are HIGHLY recommended, especially at a dining hour. The restaurant has two sitting areas, the small in front which you see through the window and when you walk in. Then there's a walk down a narrow passage, passing by the kitchen and pickup area, leading you to rear section. There is a table for two, (Very small) right in that alley as I call it, by the kitchen and pickup area. Avoid that if you can. We had reservations, were there a few minutes early with the restaurant being 3 quarters empty. The hostess decided to place my wife an I at this passage table, by the kitchen. Of course we asked for different seating, which took several minutes of discussion with I assume the manager? I understand many want particular seats, and their are reservations, however we had reservations, were there on time, we are no different. The experience was not a nice welcome, hostess exuding a frustrated vibe. We subsequently got the window table. The selections of meals in terms of quantity are normal, and you won't spend hours looking over pages of meals. The meals offered, however, are prepared in a manner making you feel you as if you are in Beverly Hills. I ordered the Cesar salad for pre meal and the Duck entree. The Cesear salad was fresh and crisp, a perfect amount of dressing. My only complaint was the serving of anchovies which I ordered on the side, I got two slices? The duck was amazing however surprisingly a little over cooked on the exterior, dry and crunchy. This was a minor issue, once past the skin, the duck was amazing however for the price and expectation I'm addressing all issues. Service was nice, formal, not overly warm, but very professional none the less. Wine list is very nice from $ to $$$$$. In the end, we would possibly return again, it is a restaurant geard for special occasions or a very nice night out. Stay away from the table in the passage way, I don't understand why they would place a table in that location for guests out on a...

Like another reviewer wrote, my husband and I have dined in numerous fine restaurants around the world, including Michelin-starred restaurants. I was born and raised in France and consider myself somewhat of a foodie. This was our second visit to the Chef's Table in Waynesville and while the first experience had been outstanding, this one really topped it. My husband had the duck breast in orange sauce, which is a dish I make as part of my repertoire and that he always raves about. He could not believe what an amazing rendition the chef had created, and declared it the BEST RESTAURANT DISH HE HAD EVER EATEN IN HIS ENTIRE LIFE !!!! I now have a tall order to try and replicate this delicious combination of a juicy duck breast coated with a blood orange pepper and mesquite smoked sea salt rub, served in a velvety sweet and slightly tangy orange sauce, accompanied by a creamy risotto and perfectly cooked green beans... Truly a masterpiece. I had chosen the deconstructed Beef Wellington which was also a 5 star dish, a perfectly cooked filet mignon wedged between two pieces of puff pastry, in a creamy rosemary mushroom sauce, served with caramelized onions, roasted potatoes and sauteed spinach. It was a copious plate and I saved half of it to go, only because I wanted to save room to finish my meal with something sweet. One negative comment I would make, although I hate to say anything negative after such an amazing dinner experience, but the dessert selection is very limited and we were only offered a choice of raspberry sorbet or pistachio gelato. We chose the gelato, which was delicious, but I would have hoped for a broader offering including some pastries... possibly something with chocolate... The wine list is a world class list, as evidenced by its multiple Wine Enthusiast and Wine Spectator awards, yet has some very affordable selections. I recommend the Chef's Table to anyone interested in quality food made from quality ingredients. Thank you Josh for bringing this level of cuisine to the mountains of...

I have lived in New York and Washington DC and have dined internationally. My wife and I visited this restaurant on a whim. When we arrived, they were fully booked, but we were able to get a seat at the bar. This actually worked in our favor, as we were able to watch the chef prepare our meals in front of us.

The service was attentive without being pretentious, which was perfect for the restaurant setting and locale. All of the ingredients are locally sourced or come from the chef's personal farm. This is a true farm to table restaurant which is refreshing in a country where so much food comes frozen from manufacturing lines.

The wine list was extensive and there was an appropriate paring for each meal. My wife had the Riesling and it was excellent.

We started with the Goat Cheese and Risotto Balls and the Brie Salad. The portions were surprisingly large given the price. The Goat Cheese and Risotto Balls in particular, had an interesting texture and were prepared perfectly. There are many ways a deep fried appetizer can go wrong, but the chef's execution was flawless.

I had the filet for my main course. The preparation was very simple; no sauces or heavy seasoning, which was smart, since it did not need it. The quality of the ingredients spoke for itself. My wife and the chicken with bourbon sauce and confessed she wanted to lick the plate when she was finished. Both of us finished our entire meals which says something, because almost always leave a restaurant with leftovers.

Simply put, this was one of the best dining experiences I've had. Experience is the operative word. The food was so good I wanted to go back the next day, but my wife did not want to cheapen the novelty of the night before.

Any reviewer that says otherwise does not know the value of a good meal. The value of the meal and the experience was priceless. Well, everything comes at a price, but meals like this would cost 3x as much in a major city. If you are ever in the Asheville area, I would highly recommend...