The Chef and I

Fabulous food and service. All fresh cooked meal.

I love foodie places and this one was certain to be that as I looked at the menu and reviews. I was disappointed and possibly is was more about the selection than the overall menu. So we had Lobster and Crab Bisque it was the smallest amount of Bisque for $12.00 that I've experienced. It also looked like it was covered with grease but after asking the wait staff I was told it was a special paprika oil. Still not appetizing. Now on to the salad. Love the spaghetti squash and pecans topping on arugula but the 2 big slices of goat cheese on the side of the plate were left me wondering what I was going to do with that much goat cheese. I ordered the chicken as the wait staff said it was fabulous I was not impressed the texture of the chicken was bland, however the cream corn base while spicy was the highlight of the meal. Wish I could say better things about the food as it was great fun watching the Chef orchestrate all the preparation up close.

The food was amazing and very creative. We did the 3 course tasting menu and everything was the perfect amount and delicious. The entire staff was very attentive about making sure he had a great dining experience.

This us an exceptionally great restaurant! Well worth it. Tried 7 course tasting menu and every course was great!

Really loud. Several large groups. Kind of annoying. Is there a way to baffle the noise?

Service and staff exceptional and truly into the quality of food and ambiance. Small plates large and luscious. Home prepped bacon and goat cheese to die for.

First and probably only review. But felt compelled based on this experience. First off every single morsel of food was amazing. It was truly insanity. It reminded me of the first time I watched departed and the end scenes were like my tastebuds getting popped over and over, never knowing what was coming next. There wasn’t a bite without a Mark Wahlberg punch in the tastebuds.

Next the service: We had a counter seat on the end of the bar where Michael (who was working day 2 of his Chef and I career) greeted us with an “I’m new here but we’re going to work through this together” approach. He was electric, inserted himself when needed, went and got suggestions for us, and made consistent rounds to check on our waters. The next gem in the treasure chest of flavor, was Julia. The line chef who cooked in front of us. She kept us entertained, made amazing suggestions and kept us laughing throughout the night. Couldn’t have asked for a better experience. Apologies for not remember the rest of the staffs name but every single person in Chef and I made us feel like family.

I’ve never left a review in detail on open table, but this experience compelled me to give y’all an idea of this place’s charm and explosive euphoria of taste in every bite. From Baltimore, but will he suggesting this to every person I hear going to Nashville in the future. Absolutely perfect.

Thanks!

This was our third trip to the Chef and I. It has become our favorite Nashville restaurant. The food is outstanding, full of unique flavors and beautiful presentation. Staff is great and selections are out of the ordinary. You have got to try the rosemary ice cream with olive oil! Thanks Chris and staff.

The tasting menu was an excellent way to sample some of the Chef's favorites. Try the wine pairings as well. That way you can sit back, relax, and enjoy a great meal.

The food was EXCELLENT!!! If you are in Nashville, try this place!

AWESOME FOOD AND THE ENTIRE STAFF WAS EXCELLENT AND VERY ATTENTIVE !
Excellent !!!

This was my second visit. Food was good not great. Too expensive for the tasting.

Amazing food, drinks and service. Would definitely recommend and would love to visit again when in Nashville.

Finally a restaurant in Nashville that doesn't take itself too seriously!! I swear if I go to another pretentious "small plates" serving restaurant I'm going to flip over the table of small plates! Anyway, rage aside, I liked sitting at the counter and watching the action - it gets a little odoriferous however and I found myself growing weary of that. But, folks in the kitchen are amiable and chatty so that balanced it out some.

It was a little loud in the restaurant so something to consider if you're on a first date or just want a mite mellow dining experience.

Everything was delicious and the wine and cocktails were too!

Gal at the valet couldn't have been more awesome, friendly or enthusiastic. She definitely set the tone - good call having someone that gregarious as the first point of contact.

I'll definitely recommend this place to friends and I'll happily go back.

Interesting food and cocktails. Great place to get together with friends. Overpriced and service was slow, but overall a good experience.

We ate here tonight for our anniversary. We would probably give 3.5 stars if we could. Pros: overall the food was excellent and well cooked. The crab cake and beef tartar were our favorites. We had the chef tasting with 5 plates. While portions were small, with an appetizer and dessert, we did not leave hungry. The wine pairings were perfect and very good!! They allow you to split everything which is nice. Cons: the duck was ground which is gross. The scallops were sliced in half and thin. You lose the flavor! The coffee was weak. The preparation was slow and the first course came out before our appetizer. Overall service was good and we would visit again. But for the price, they need to step it up a notch.

Outstanding! Can't wait to go back.

I loved the chipotle patty melt and the potatoes were absolutely awesome. I’ll be coming back

The food was amazing / dishes were creative, interesting and unique. Our server was attentive and informative. We loved everything we ordered, from the cauliflower to the Brussels sprouts to the hangar steak. We will be back!

Absolutely fantastic from beginning to end. Unique vibe and ambiance. Service and staff is top notch. Cannot wait to return.

I love thus place...a foodies paradise! I ha e never had a bad dish here. The chefs really take pride in their food and want to hear your input

This was our 5th time to go and first time to sit at the counter. The food was amazing as always and we had a wonderful time sitting at the counter watching the food prep! We did the tasting menu and wine pairings - amazing! The food was exquisite and the pairings were awesome!!!! Only advice if you do the wine pairings, take Uber or Lyft. :-) Thanks!

Terrific tasting menu with wine pairings. Sit at the bar in front of the chef. Everything was superb.

Much like a fondue restaurant or a Brazilian steakhouse, the ambience substitutes for food and service. The flavors are imbalanced and worthy of a strong home effort from an average amateur chef... not once did a chef / cook say hello or engage with us at the counter top... food was slow, 30 min between courses... and the waiter must have been trained in Paris, we barely saw him. Go elsewhere for the price and the pretentious tab that suggests a 20, 25, or 30% gratuity.

The tasting menu was fantastic! Scotty and Dane are the best!!
Loud though, so wondering if there should be noise cancelling

The food was good but I found it to be highly overpriced. I appreciated the small plates, but 2 of the 5 small plates were not to the level of a $230 bill for 2 people. We did the tasting menu with wine pairings. We found the seats at the counter to be fun to watch, but too close together.

Service was fantastic but all the food was layered with olive oil. Even the Lobster Bisque had a layer of olive oil on top of the broth; it looked like oil sitting on water. We ordered the Hanger Steak and Scallop dish. Both had a broth that had a layer of grease/oil on it. The place had a great atmosphere but they’ve got to minimize drenching food in olive oil and relying on minimized flavored broth as the main flavor punch to the dish. Put the power of flavor into the actual main meats/seafoods.

Did the shareables menu which had a ton of great options along with the spaghetti squash salad that was absolutely fantastic.

The restaurant has a casual setting. The Chef table counter is exhilarating and the Chef's surprised menu is definitely worth trying. The food flavor and selection is very good with excellent vegetable fusions. However, the wine choices are limited.

Hands down one of the most memorable dining experiences I’ve ever had! Phenomenal food and truly talented chefs curating the perfect menu!

Wow! This place is off the hook! Unbelievable food, service and ambiance! Have to try! Lump Crab lobster bisque is fire!

Tasting menu was a ripoff compared the portion sizes of their appetizers and entrees. For $85/person - just get several apps and entrees and split.

Also - we were are the chefs table, but never got interaction with any of the kitchen staff (which seems common based on other reviews).

Food was great! Service was great! We’ll be back!

Great atmosphere and amazing food. Did the 7 course tasting and was not disappointed.

It was a wonderful dining experience. Make sure to do the tasting menu. A + + +

Lovely dinner

The Food, Service and Atmosphere was great!! Try the Brett Michael cocktail!!

This was probably our dozenth visit to The chef and I. It has never disappointed. As always, the service was awesome. Everyone there from the valet, waitstaff, bartenders and chefs go out of there way to make you feel special. Not to mention the food is close your eyes and chew slowly good.
We love Scottie and chef Chris!

As someone who loves to cook (and of course eat) the Chef and I was an awesome experience. We were seated directly in front of the meat side of the kitchen, greeted by the chefs and had a perfect view of a talented and always smiling young chef who never seemed to waver or fold from the pressure. We had fun trying to figure out which of the may menu items he was working on. We ordered the 5 course sampling menu and everything was delicious and perfectly prepared, giant U-7 seared scallop, fresh pork sausage egg 'benedict', sliced steak bruschetta, pork belly, and a creative take of beef wellington served on top of several types of cheese.
Every item was delicious and nicely plated. Watching the chef's work together as a team surrounded by a counter full of guests cannot be easy for them, but they sure made it look so. A great dining experience, make a reservation for the counter way in advance of your visit for a front row seat!

I love that you can watch the chefs cook and then plating taking place as well. It was also really authentic in that the Exevutive Chef even brought some of our entrees to us with a small description of each. It was absolutely delightful.