610 Magnolia

So in celebration of my wife completing all of her work towards being a nationally certified teacher, we are going to 610 in September. We won't find out the results of her work until December, but we are celebrating the fact that she finished such a monumental task! Anyway, we have never been to 610, but obviously know who Chef Lee is. Any thoughts from the board on what to expect? Any erosional experiences you wouldn't mind sharing? Thanks everyone and have a great day!
Kris

[Robin Garr]

Kris, it's long been one of my favorites, both under Ed and its founder and long-term owner, Ed Garber. As you may know, the menu changes frequently, and the dishes consistently show Ed's touches - creative "fusion" of American/European traditions with his native Asian inspirations, many small plates, stunningly plated. The environment at 610 is very attractive, upscale casual, and service is generally very high-level. Not much not to like! It's not cheap, but the prix fixe full-dinner concept makes the toll less stunning than you might think at first if you compare the dinner prices to a la carte entrees at other high-end joints.

We had a less than perfect experience at my last visit there, but it wasn't really 610's fault: A very large party had reserved a group, and they asked that all the tables be shoved together for a birthday party. They drank too much, got too loud, jumped up and milled around the room and assembled for group pictures ... although it wasn't an outright brawl, they just kind of turned the usually classy venue into something a little more like a TGI Friday. But I can't blame 610 for that at all, and there wasn't really much they could do except quietly apologize to the rest of their clientele.

Robin,
Thank you so much for sharing your insight. I really appreciate it. Hope all is well with you!
Kris

Kris,
We ate there last Thursday night and had a stellar meal. Service was fantastic, and they always do a great job explaining the components of the dishes. The dining room is beautiful and lets in a lot of light while the sun is still out, and nice soft lighting at night. It is a pretty small dining room so I can see where it would be annoyingly loud with the large group, however on Thursday night it was almost too quiet. We seemed to be the only table that was really conversing with eachother (there were 4 of us) and the "silence was deafening" when we first sat down so to speak. It did pick up a little later but not much. I am sure either way, that you will enjoy it immensely and have some fantastic food.

Note that it's a tasting menu all the time - I think 5 or 7 courses. There are usually a couple of choices in the courses. Lot's of technique and interesting ingredients, etc. A real foodie place for sure.

So in celebration of my wife completing all of her work towards being a nationally certified teacher, we are going to 610 in September. We won't find out the results of her work until December, but we are celebrating the fact that she finished such a monumental task!

First and foremost, a hearty congratulations to your wife for completing the test and portfolio, and good luck on the results. My wife achieved her National Board Certification this past December, so I can attest to the hard work and sacrifices she (and probably you as well) have had to make over the past year. It is a ridiculous amount of work, and achieving certification is truly an honor (less than 5% of educators nationwide I think).

Second, good for you for recognizing all that and taking her somewhere special to celebrate. I think you'll really like 610 Magnolia, and she certainly earned it.

Don't have the time for a long post but let me say we were blown away by our meal at 610 tonight. Food,presentation, and service were all top notch and unlike anything we have ever experienced. I was hesitant to spend that much on one meal but it was worth every penny!

Brad if you read this, congrats to your wife on her national boards! We are anxiously awaiting my wife's results!