When it comes to eating out, most of us are familiar with the standard restaurant routine. The waiter comes to our table, takes our dinner order and returns to the table with our food. The chances of the diners actually coming face-to-face with the chef cooking their food is typically slim to none.
Now, there’s a Boston chef looking to change that. Beginning this past July, Chef Phillip Tang of East by Northeast implemented a new way of dining in his restaurant, dubbed The Chef’s Window.
The new tasting experience is offered only at the restaurant’s counter by the kitchen with the goal of breaking down the barrier between the chef and the diner. And as someone who has experienced the East by Northeast Chef’s Window, I can tell you that it truly does just that.
Similar to an interaction with a bartender, the chef prepares and presents each dish to his guests. During the five-course tasting, diners have the opportunity to ask questions and interact with Chef Tang. Not only is the food absolutely fantastic, but the diner walks away with a much better understanding of the restaurant’s Chinese-American fusion cuisine.
While experiencing The Chef’s Window first-hand, Chef Tang explained that this type of tasting allows for a more flexible menu. “We go to the market the day of a tasting,” Chef Tang tells me. “And what’s in the market dictates what we make that night.”
Here, Chef Tang tells us more about The Chef’s Window experience and what diners should expect.
Marian White: How is the Chef’s Window tasting at East by Northeast different from other tasting menus in the city?
Phillip Tang: The Chef’s Window was added as an opportunity for the kitchen to have a more direct interaction with the diner’s experience. It gives us a chance to play with new dishes, as well as large format dishes that can be difficult for us to offer normally with our small plate concept. The diner has the chance to engage with the chef, and delve a bit deeper into the creation of the dish, whether it is technique or the idea behind it.
MW: Can you tell us how you source your foods for the Chef’s Window tastings?
PT: The dishes tend to lean a bit more towards seafood for the Window. We have a great relationship with New Deal Fish Market and we love to stop in, grab what looks best to us and create dishes around that. New England offers so much great seafood that it seems a shame not to take advantage of that.
MW: What dishes have you created recently for the Chef’s Window tastings? Any favorites?
PT: We really like the salt crusted fish. When it comes out of the oven with a golden crust it looks pretty impressive, but it is also a really great way to prepare fish. We wrap the fish in bamboo leaf and stuff the fish with ginger and scallion. The grassy flavor of the bamboo leaf really permeates the whole thing.
MW: What dishes are you excited to create for future tastings – anything in the works?
PT: We are planning on doing a double cut lamb chop, pan-roasted and basted with a cumin and Chinese peppercorn brown butter. Getting a good roast on the bone keeps the interior moist and tender. In the fall we definitely plan on using more duck on the Chef’s Window menu. Fall produce such as apples and a variety of squashes all pair well with duck.
MW: Do you think this type of Chef’s Window tasting is becoming a trend?
PT: No, I wouldn’t call it a trend quite yet, but there are more places experimenting with breaking down the barrier between the cook and the diner.
MW: What’s next for East by Northeast?
PT: This past August we did a renovation of our dining room, giving it a fresh coat of paint and new decorations. It had been four years and it was time for a little change in the dining room. We are working towards our five-year anniversary at the end of the year, so we are planning a special dinner, but nothing is finalized yet.
For more information about the five-course Chef’s Window tasting and to make your reservations, check here.
Image courtesy of East by Northeast
