Talula’s Table treats food enthusiasts as honored guests with an exquisite eight-course gourmet tasting menu served around a welcoming farmhouse table. By day, the cozy boutique in Kennett Square, Pennsylvania is a gourmet market offering Italian coffee, homemade pastry, cheese, and prepared foods. By night, the hand-carved table becomes the centerpiece as the market transforms into a private dining room reserved for whole parties, with a reputation as one of the toughest bookings in the U.S.
Local Foods and Flavor Inspire the Talented Chefs
Talula’s Table applies the same principles that guided Django, the owners’ acclaimed B.Y.O.B. in Philadelphia: food from local farms, superior ingredients, daily fresh fish, homemade breads, and seasonally inspired menus. Unlike their former restaurant, however, this new business in the picturesque Brandywine Valley allows Aimee Olexy and Bryan Sikora to focus on creating great meals for just one table a night . . . instead of thirty-eight. “We only expected to be busy about two nights a month,” says Bryan, who was named Best Chef by Philadelphia Magazine in 2004. But with just one serving a night, combined with the buzz that followed the talented chefs from their last venture, their table is always full.
Waiting Nine Months for That Special Table
When Florence Lu of West Chester, Pennsylvania called for reservations at 9:30 a.m. on January 2nd, she learned that weekends were already booked for the entire year. The first Thursday available (her second choice) wasn’t until October 23rd. Having recently celebrated the New Year, Mrs. Lu would need to wait for falling leaves, pumpkins, and Halloween to join her foodie friends for a once-in-a-lifetime dining experience. Of course, that’s the beauty of dining at Talula’s Table: enjoying the private, leisurely-paced eight-course meal with up to a dozen close friends. “It’s like a friend’s dinner party,” says Mrs. Lu, “but no one has to do any work.”
Unexpected Elements Complement a Dazzling Meal
Friends came from as far away as New York City when the big day arrived. Inside they sipped sparkling wine amidst shelves of gourmet teas, olive oil, and artisan cheeses. The B.Y.O.B encourages guests to bring their own wine by e-mailing the menu with suggestions for food and wine pairings. Once the whites and reds were placed on the long table beside jelly jars of water, the meal began with Pemaquid oysters on the half shell with preserved lemon and saffron foam.
The next course was a clear favorite. The aromatic broth of the Cinderella Pumpkin and Duck Consommé allowed the distinct pumpkin and duck flavors to come through, while garnishes of duck confit, foie gras, and duck sausage perfectly complemented the dish. Indeed, it was the unexpected and sometimes unfamiliar elements that added layers of flavor to each of the creative offerings: the late crop shard hidden beneath the Wild Alaskan Halibut; the tomato fondue and cranberry beans alongside the Beef Short Rib Chili; the cocoa roasted beets and Tawny Port sauce spooned over the Venison Tenderloin. While the melt-in-the-mouth Handkerchief Pasta was a highlight for most, its mushroom ragout was a bit salty for some palates; a minor misstep in an otherwise dazzling production. Still, as the happy diners returned to their cars past fallen autumn leaves, they knew the evening was as much about friends as it was about food.
Reservations for Talula’s Table are now accepted one year in advance upon the shop’s opening at 7 a.m. each day.
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