Sur La Table

I booked a Halloween baking class with my daughter as a b-​day gift for her. She was looking forward to a ‘mommy and me’ experience. We knew that it was a group class and I’ve taken cooking lessons in this format before at different establishments. Typically you and your partner have a personal workstation to share for the 2 of you and the recipes are made from scratch. In this class 4 workstations total were set up for 15 people who signed up for the class (only 11 showed up). As a result we were grouped with another, charming family. They were very sweet and patient and willing to share and take turns. Some of the batter was already pre-​made and we just measured it our. For the full price of $ 45 per person, this was NOT the experience I paid for or expected. It was very disappointing.
The store staff were very kind in trying to offer a consolation courtesy discount on a merchandise purchase as well as a complimentary bottle of olive oil (all of which was very much appreciated). Still I would NOT recommend this class, if this is their typical modus operandi for such classes. IT’S NOT WORTH YOUR MONEY. TAKE A COOKING CLASS ELSEWHERE. Based on my experience in the class I was going to give a 1 star review. Their attempts at appeasement earned the 2^nd star.

I took a cooking class at Sur La Table last night and it was wonderful! I will absolutely be back and soon!!! It was a class size of 8 so really hands on and the teacher could easily come around and check on us. The instructor Stephanie was so great! She was cute, charming and obviously knows her stuff! We made a delicious fennel and apple salad, salmon with asparagus risotto. We also had the BEST cake I’ve EVER had. Rhubarb and raspberry upside down cake! With homemade ice cream!!! Lord I’m drooling thinking about it right now. This was well worth the money. Much better than going to dinner. If you are thinking about Chopping Block in the city… Come here instead! Smaller classes and cheaper. So yummy!!!

The website advertise a 2 hrs cooking class scheduled from 6:30 to 8:30pm on Friday, but this particular class went until 9:30 pm. Why go past the advertised time? The Theme was a French cuisine cooking experience. The class was less hands on and lots of talking. There were not enough food bc they overbooked by allowing in-​store registration of additional people. 16 people total in the class so the little room was overcrowded. Definitely not worth the $ 160 per couple. I’ve seen better

We bought a very expensive coffee maker from here and it worked fine for about 9 months and then stopped working. We shipped it to the manufacturer for repair, but they didn’t fix the problem. They offered for us to resend it in or get a refurbished one. I was not happy with wasting my time or getting a refurbished one when I spent $ 1500 on the machine. I spoke to the manager Steven at Sur La Table, and he offered to exchange our coffee maker for a new one. Customer service like this is unparalleled. I will definitely continue to purchase items from them.

I love the fact that Northbrook Court has a Sur La Table location. The mall itself is indoors and it’s always kept immaculately clean. As other Sur La Tables, they have a great selection in cookware, dinnerware, kitchen tools and accessories, as well as special in-​store events and cooking classes. This particular Sur La Table is pretty awesome, all thanks to the assistant manager, Linda! She was so gracious, informative, knowledgeable, and very helpful in terms of answering all questions in regards to a particular coffee machine we were looking at. The customer service that we received from Linda was just wonderful, as she is so genuinely nice! You are able to peruse the store without any pressure, but when you’re ready to purchase, she’ll take care of you really well! Definitely a great place to stop in to look around or if you’re a lover of kitchen stuff: D
+ask for Linda! :D

What do I like about going to Sur La Table… as a guy who cooks (wife only bakes), I can walk in here and get assistance with ease. If I go into that «other» store, I have to beg for assistance while they try to help my non-​kitchen savy wife. So after that, it’s all uphill. Hoping I can get my knives sharpened, take a date-​night class with my better half and get some more fine cutlery!

WANNA TWIST
The other night my wife and I were attending an event and the bartender asked if I wanted a lemon wedge or a twist in my drink. I asked for a twist and he pulled out a Channel knife and I was impressed. He cut a strip of the lemon peel right there and I could smell the fresh lemon in the air. It was an amazing experience. He explained to me that if you cut it fresh, then the oils of the lemon are right there.
So we walked in here, with the intentions of finding a channel knife. The store was completely packed. Luckily, we found a sales guy and he took us to a section where they had two channel knives to choose from. One was $ 10 and the other $ 13. The salesman encouraged me to get the $ 13. Of course he did! He then asked if I wanted to try it first. I said yes and he went to get me a lemon. How cool is that? I have always liked Sur La Table but now I love it.
He came back and handed me a lemon but I asked him to go first, so I could observe. I really don’t think he has ever used one but it was better then me going first. It looked easy enough, so I jumped in. While I was cutting lemon twists, the sales guy said he would be right back.
I knew he wasn’t coming back because this store was swamped. I tried both models. The expensive one made nice cuts but was awkward to use. You actually had to have your hand touching the lemon zester. That’s a little bit dangerous. And the cheaper one cut the most awkward looking twists ever. I’d be embarrassed to share those with my guests.
So we walked away. I was sad I wasn’t going to have a new toy. Hopefully I’ll be able to find the channel knife I’m looking for but today was not the day.
As we left the packed store, I looked around for my sales guy and he was stuck behind the counter ringing out a customer. I was gonna say thanks but he didn’t need me bothering him. I hope he realizes how much I loved the lemon he gave me. You know what they say… when life gives you lemons get a channel knife!

I happened to stumble upon this store because my sister was raving about it and I figured it would be the best place to find my last holiday gift for her. So, my review is solely for the store itself, however, I hope to take a cooking class in the near future, and I will def have to update my review then.
This store has EVERYTHING and ANYTHING that you need, want, desire, or dream of for the kitchen. Not only did I tackle my sisters gift, I crossed off another 2 people from my list. There were quite a few things on sale, but it may have been an after Christmas sale, so I don’t know how they are on sales throughout the rest of the year. As for me, I found so many cute things as well. I am in the process of moving into my boyfriends, so this whole cooking/​kitchen/​housewife thing is all very new to me. With that being said, I am not sure exactly what I need, but as time goes on, I will be back here over and over as I get familiar with cooking :)
Sur La Table is a decently big store on the second floor of Northbrook Court near Neiman Marcus. They have a room in the back for cooking — I believe they offer all kinds of different classes. The lady helping me was unbelievably nice and helpful, which made my experience even better!
All I can say is that I will be stopping in here EVERYTIME from now on… as long as I am in NBC!

I don’t get that much of a chance to visit my company’s northern offices but I definitely see some motivation to weasel a few more visits here and there.
Sur La Table is one of my favorites places to shop and the Northbrook location does not disappoint. It’s pretty similar to the one I frequent down in the city but this one does classes. I haven’t taken them up on one yet but I’ll plan on it soon enough.
The store itself is laid out nicely and they definitely have things I expect them to have. The staff seems very nice, helpful and willing to answer whatever questions I have.