Avoid Reservations: Create Your Own Restaurant!

La Cuisine de Klein debuted on February 2. 2019 and boarded up its windows the same night. It was a one-night-only culinary experience for two. While I don't think Michelin awarded me with any stars, or even a "Bib Gourmand" nod, the review I cared about was my wife. It was a night she still remembers fondly.

Here is a quick summary of what to do...

-Come up with your restaurant name.

-Create a sign for the front door with your restaurant name.

-Make a makeshift "host/hostess" counter with a fake reservation sheet (you can fake greet her with her "reservations"🤣)

-MAKE MENUS! This was the most time-consuming, but fun task. I created a tasting menu with all of her favorite items. For each item, I wrote a fun & silly description. On top of the tasting menu, I designed a beverage/cocktail menu. NOTE: Do your best to buy everything on the menu. If you miss something, no biggie! I forgot an item and it turned out to be a good laugh.

-Decorate your restaurant! Tip: Go to the dollar store! I bought table covers, black curtains, placemats, etc. for a really low price.

-Be your own DJ and establish the musical mood for your restaurant.

-Set up the bathroom to seem like a restaurant bathroom. I found a sign that read, "Employees Must Wash Their Hands." That was a big hit. Get paper towels, mints, and whatever you want to make it feel like a bathroom of a restaurant.

🤓 Pull out that inner foodie nerd and have fun with it! There are endless ways to build upon this idea. I designed my restaurant to be a "1on1 Culinary Experience with Chef Matt." That way I could take her "order," cook, serve, and still maintain the roleplay fun.

TRY IT OUT soon and let me know what you think of the experience! Your partner will adore the effort and thought that you put into it. We laughed about our special night for months and all of the little moments we shared.

I want to hear stories of how your unique date experience went!😍