Patina (L.A.)
At the new Walt Disney Concert Hall, celeb chef Joachim Splichal offers a private nine-seater with a picture-window view of all the slicing and dicing. A two-hour, four-course dinner is $85.
Commander’s Palace (New Orleans)
A four-seat table, wedged right inside the kitchen, is affectionately called the Chef’s Playground. A seven-courser is $75 and requires reservations nearly six months in advance.
Charlie Trotter’s (Chicago)
Snag one of two nightly seatings at this six-seat table adjacent to Trotter’s station. Bring a big appetite and a fat wallet–this 14-course dinner will set you back $175.
Hotel Bel Air (Bel Air, Calif.)
A Hollywood hideout: big-name celebrities mark birthdays and writers celebrate first screenplays at Table One. A seven-course dinner runs $115 and includes your choice of music in a private French Provencal room looking into the kitchen.
Daniel (New York City)
Perhaps the most difficult table to get belongs to chef Daniel Boulud, who reserves his so-called Skybox solely for charity auctions. The four-seat banquette enclosed in his private glass office high above the kitchen offers a great view of the chefs at work. Bidders have forked over as much as $50,000 for this lofty meal.
