Sur La Table

This review is for the cooking classes.
We took a Taste of Southern cooking class here to make Nashville Hot Chicken, succotash, buttermilk biscuits and mint julep ice cream. While the instructor was very friendly and informative, the experience was far from what we expected.
Unlike most cooking classes you’ve seen on TV (or if you’ve ever watched Master Chef), not everybody has their own station with a stove, oven, etc. — instead, at least this Sur la Table (don’t know if it’s the same elsewhere) had one large stovetop and a few ovens at the instructor’s table, and the rest of us were at a table with no built-​in equipment. We all had to share one sink, and for a «stove top,» they set up some portable, butane-​powered single stove tops that you’d take camping.
We also didn’t get to make the ice cream ourselves — they didn’t have the equipment for that. So the instructor just made it and then we all got to have a little bit of it. No hands on learning there.
There was also so little portable equipment to share that we had to work in teams of 4, which meant that each person only got to do one small task, rather than each of us learning the whole thing or at least working in teams of 2 (most of us were couples).
It wasn’t a BAD experience, but for $ 80 per person, I really would have preferred it be more hands on and that I would have learned more. Instead, I don’t think I learned much at all and basically just paid for the privilege of making my own food, although they did clean up for us.
Probably won’t do it again.

First I will gush that I love the items in this store. They also offered citrus water to parched shoppers, which in this hot weather is much appreciated. I probably drank too much of it while I was waiting.
I went in specifically to ask about cooking classes for my birthday. I wanted/​want to splurge on an experience that I can forever take with me and giggle with my friends. When I talked with the gentleman behind the counter he seemed irritated that I was keeping him from something he needed to do. I informed him I wanted to celebrate my birthday and asked about prices and also told him my friends tend to commit to activities at the last minute. This did not improve his mood. The conversation emphasized that it is a great pain for anyone to walk into a cooking class. I feel like I got lectured on how to be considerate rather than informed about the classes. Trying to smoothly disengage, I try to small talk about my friends and what to do.
The response was get friends who can commit to your birthday. Ummm… ouch! He did attempt to phrase it nicely, but it really just insulted my friends which insults me.
My friends and I do not have 9 – 5 jobs which is why I was free to walk through your lovely store and why scheduling takes monumental pre-​planning… –_​–
I prefer a straight up «no» rather than a lecture on etiquette. If you are too busy, asking me to wait until you are available or signaling someone else to help me is also preferable. Basically a pleasant conversation that is delayed is always better than a rushed barely civil conversation. I want to feel good about spending my money and giving it to people who have been patient and helpful with my questions and desire to share a unique experience with others. If I feel in the way just for talking with you I don’t want to pay you to put up with me.

I give Sur La Table five stars because our experience was perfect. We strolled in having just reversed our course on the sidewalk in order to check out the pet store. «What’s this,» we said. «It’s kitchen stuff! Let’s take a look!»
Oooh. Scanpan. Allclad. Copper stuff. Can’t afford that and don’t cook well enough to miss it, but we get that this store has quality.
What’s that sound? The quiet in-​store music is soothing and slow paced. That’s nice!
And, space to walk around. That’s nice, too!
We just came from another, more budget focused store (okay it was Bed, Bath & Beyond) where frantic music, narrow isles, and piles of goods all the way up to the ceiling had left us dizzy and disoriented. Here we began to recover.
Oh, say, coffee pots! We wandered over to the coffee section to admire. They had fewer than the other store, of higher quality, displayed to you could see them without hunting. No junk. No plastic bendy-​pots.
Warren (I think was his name) came over to talk with us. He noticed our fatigue and made us espresso from a glorious little Nesscafe machine. We were already feeling better from the soothing environment. The espresso took us the rest of the way.
Warren was great. Articulate and with broad knowledge and experience, we just enjoyed listening to him talk. Everything was fine until I turned around and saw…
Moccamaster.
I have lusted for years after one of these midcentury design triumphs. Thse are known for some of the best drip coffee in the world, with a five year warranty, all in the perfect sculptural geometry of function over form.
Naturally I had to ask. Warren already knew that I preferred drip coffee. We had surveyed the benefits of Chemex and the pitfalls of Kurig. Where did Warren place Moccamaster?
At or near the top, eh? This other one came out ahead in a competition? Hmmm. I still like the Moccamaster. Yes, I prefer a glass carafe… You do have that?
Checked the internet: Sur La Table has the best price.
To Boo Boo: «Where is the return receipt for the BB&B machine?»
The final straw: Sur La Table offers a discount for US military. Must be good people.
We left happy and will return. Maybe we can take their classes and learn to use more than just the coffee pot! In the mean time, I will go and finish this fantastic pot of coffee…

Sure I could go to a big box store and shop for the cheaper versions of the kitchen items I’m looking for… but I enjoy the experience of shopping at Sur La Table. That is until today. When I was ready to check out with my purchase there was already a customer who was being totally ignored… when he asked for assistance, the employee who came from the back of the store acted as if she was being inconvenienced by having to check us out. Not once did she say «please» or «thank you» during the entire transaction. So much for my enjoyable shopping experience! Two stars for the excellent products they sell – minus three stars for the customer service.

Just called this store in a desperate hunt for a last minute holiday gift! The salesperson I spoke with, Karen, was so very helpful and amazing! She thoroughly searched the store and then told me she was out of them but then she searched all over the East coast for me and phoned me back to say she’d found one in NYC and could have it shipped to me. That is customer service that will keep me shopping there! So fantastic. Thank you!

I used to really love this location of Sur la Table. There seems to be an entire turnover in the staff (which is to be expected in retail), but the ONLY PERSON who offered help was one of the assistant chefs, who was walking back into a class (didn’t want her to stop that, honestly).
I know I walked the ENTIRE store, browsing shelves, picking up items, etc., and was never asked if I needed help.
I’ll start back going to the Alexandria store where the staff is a lot more friendly.
Why two instead of one star? Wide selection. Parking stinks (hey, it’s Pentagon Row… to be expected).

Sur La Table has been around since ’72, first debuting in Seattle’s Pike Place; they are known to have a nice selection of culinary tools and equipment (cookware, knives, grilling tools, baking tools, dinnerware, etc.), as well as in-​store events and cooking classes you can sign up for. I came in here with my husband to check out their Nespresso machines for a gift; Warren came on right over and assisted me right away — he was very informative and gave me all the details in comparing all of the models. I definitely loved the fact that he was very knowledgeable and appreciated his recommendations! Karen, who is another SA, was also awesome — she gave me even further details and answered all my questions. Both were just so plain WONDERFUL, and I loved the fact that they were both so helpful and friendly. I also loved the fact that Sur La Table’s prices are pretty competitive compared to other kitchen stores (ex. W-​S), as they have bundle deals and coupons! Limited metered-​parking can be found along Joyce, but there is a spot where you can park for free on Sundays in front of the store!
+ask for Warren or Karen: D

Love the products. Service is stellar. Never taken the classes.
Had a knife sharpened there. Went late Sat afternoon. Said they’d be ready Mon afternoon at the earliest. Sun afternoon they called and said it was ready.
Left my water bottle. Picking it up tomorrow…

I frequent this location and each time I go, I get great customer service. The store is clean and laid out well to help you find whatever you may be looking for. If you go at certain times during the year, almost anything you want can be on sale. Another perk that I love is to test out the espresso machines. You can grab a sample cappuccino while browsing around the store.

This is a pretty solid kitchen store that has something of everything. I used to think that Sur la Table was super high end, but now i generally think they are just high quality and have a few knick knacks that you may not find elsewhere, hello turkish coffee ibrick!
I popped in over the December holidays to grab a few gifts. The sales staff were amazing! It was no problem finding anything i wanted and there were lots of items. In fact, there wasn’t really a lack of anything I could see. I think the only limitation of a store like this is maybe they won’t have 5 different models of kitchen aid mixers, but they’ll have two of them! They seem to go out of their way to stock multiple price points for each item, too.
The only downside of this location is parking. It’s kind of a hassle because the parking lot is shared by way too many stores, including Harris Teeter. Just something to consider.

a tremendous thanks to the staff at Sur La Table (Joe & Thalia & co.) for surpassing all expectations and making our staff holiday party an overwhelming success. for a notoriously difficult-​to-​please group of coworkers, everyone left Homemade Pasta Class with beaming smiles on their faces. bossman was thrilled, too. «You can see the joy on their faces,» he says. seriously.
we had a hard time finding a place that accommodate our group size (20), and i had ruled out Sur La Table because it was initially out of our budget. a few adjustments here & there and Joe worked out a group price to meet our budget restrictions. we applied for an ABC license as the staff suggested (which also saved a bundle, letting us purchase our own wine & beer for the event) and received it in a couple of weeks — plenty of time for the event. we picked up an assortment of beverages before the class (Joe recommended some pairings to go with the pasta sauces) and dropped them off at the store the night before the class.
we arrived in the kitchen at Sur La Table to find an unexpected tray of hors d’oeuvres, along with a lovely orange juice mixer for our non-​alcoholic beverages, wines and beers on ice, espresso machine ready & waiting, and place settings with recipe booklets, coupons, and candy canes. :) Joe was terrific — very informative, easygoing, helpful, and patient, even when we burned the pine nuts or dropped the kitchen aid attachments for the billionth time. and they washed ALL THE DISHES. :O he took great care with our dietary restrictions (vegetarian, vegan), designed a menu that could be easily adapted for egg– and dairy-​free, and made sure that we had separate ingredients and equipment. he demonstrated a number of pasta shapes, helped us experiment with fillings and additions to the dough, and kept the class moving along at a moderate and engaging pace. my coworkers were happy to spend the mid-​class break putting their coupons to use on christmas gifts for their families. they even surprised us with mini-​cupcakes for dessert!
and the store… wow. i found a macaron kit (WITH pastry bag and recipes!) and a reasonably priced candy thermometer. coworkers were thrilled with the selection of stocking stuffers and electronics in a wide range of prices. among their treasures — novelty kitchen timers, hand mixers, a popcorn air-​popper, tongs in a rainbow of colors, ornaments, and a rubber chicken wine stopper. :)
coworkers can’t stop gushing about how much fun we had in this class. very highly recommend it. now i’ve got my eye on a few upcoming classes for myself.

I’m a sucker for this place. Hear me out, if you love kitchen ware and gadgets, Sur La Table has what you crave! I went in sunday during that «big snowstorm» because I was making gingerbread men cookies and could not find gingerbread men cookie cutters anywhere in the 3 previous stores I had visited. I walk in and am greeted by their AMAZING staffswoman (blonde hair, glasses) seriously, I don’t think I’ve ever encountered a more welcoming, warm and hospitable saleswoman in a store like her EVER in my life. Like girlfriend, I want to come back and be friends with you in and out of the store because you are that cool! We got to chatting about Le Creuset pots after she saw me lusting after them (seriously, someone marry me so I can register for a whole set– ooh and a Kitchen Aid! etc.) Focus Joanna Focus, we came in here for cookie cutters! She led me to a whole bunch of assorted cookie cutters and another section for gingerbread men and gulp I went crazy! Tons of kitchen stuff here I’m in love.
Also, they host cooking classes in the back of their store. Check out their schedule and class offerings, I want to enroll in one (some) ASAP!

I’ve always found Sur La Table to be the friendlier, more affordable version of Williams Sonoma, which appeals to both my wallet and my personality. They have a wide selection of kitchen appliances, cooking tools, and dishware — it’s very much a reputable place where they have just about everything one needs to dish out a good meal.
Sadly, this location is far from the usual happy experience I have at their various branches around the country. I was essentially ignored throughout the store, and the cashier who checked out my small last-​minute Thanksgiving purchase was dismissive and sullen. Her attitude completely changed to a gushy, friendly one for the customers in front and behind me in line, who were notably buying big ticket items. Wow.
Needless to say, the next time I have an out-​of-​state holiday cooking emergency, I’ll skip the snotty attitude and go somewhere else.

I love Sur la Table — if I’m looking for anything out of the norm they usually have it. I find I have to ask for help at all of their stores which annoys me a little but, still, I will go there before williams sonoma.

Great kitchen stuff, good prices and military discount!

The best thing about this store is that I can find kitchen products that I can’t really find anywhere else like the baguette baking pan. The employees that I encountered are friendly and helpful.

YES, you need it. YES, they have it. and YES, I love it.
my culinary themepark.
that is all.

One of of favorite stores for kitchen goods. Store is well stocked for it being a smallish store.
Staff is very friendly and helpful.
We have even taken a few cooking classes here and the instructors are very knowledgeable and been efficient in the teaching process.
Prices here a bit more than Bed Bath and Beyond but the entire shopping experience is worth it IMO.

So this store is like candy to me. I just love it — its a great store to kill time at and browse. Though their prices can be a little high, they almost always have good sales (mostly on the small things). Last year they had a great knife sale going on after Thanksgiving. This year was a little different.
One of these days I will get around to taking some of their classes. Hopefully this will happen soon — then I’ll have more to write about!

I DID IT! I DID IT! I DID IT!
I walked in here and walked out with ONLY what I came in for. Mind you, yes it was only a pair of tongs, but this is really a momentous occasion in my long love affair with Sur La Table.
Usually it goes…
— Enter store
— Wandering around
— Pick up a gillion things I don’t need
— Pick up some tremendously chic sauté pan or something and imagine my tiny condo is really a wonderful apartment on Paris’ Left Bank
— Put everything down with the realization that about all my kitchen as in common with La France is a block of Roquefort
— Leave demoralized
OR (and scenario 2 is all to often the case)
— Enter store
— Wander around collecting up interesting bits of culinary madness
— Gratefully accept basket from the friendly staff before I drop something
— «Oh there is what I actually came in here for. Ooooo but look at this.»
— Wander around some more
— «Holy crap, where did the hour go»
— Finally make my way to the register and have nice chat as I check out
— Leave store with bag o’ goodies and dreams of chicken piard, fingerling potatoes and a lovely lemon caper sauce
— Get Visa bill a few weeks later (more «holy crap» ensues)
I adore coming to Sur La Table. Its like my wonderful capitalistic therapy for a long irritating day in the office. I can always drop by and find exactly what I need whether its a tiny baller for pearling a zucchini, unique gifts for my foodie friends, or some other kitchen goodie.
Some day I will have one of those homes with the dream kitchen (you know, one of those that has the magnificent decked out island the size of Manhattan) and then I’m coming in here and like Julia Roberts taking on Rodeo Drive, I’m going to walk in here and just get one of everything.
Oh, my tongs. Yep got them and for less then I’d already priced them at Target, Bed Bath and Beyond and a few other stores.
All the things I was so good about putting back down:
— a ceramic knife
— an 8″ crêpe pan I’d been ogling for so long (an it was even on sale today — I have such restraint LOL)
— a timer shaped like a fat cat
— a new mandoline, and
— a set of circular biscuit/​cookie cutters.
:-)