Étoile is in the the Cockerton house of 1883, a single-family residence.   It remained a dwelling until it was transformed into a commercial space and now offers a farm-to-table tasting menu (with optional wine pairings) four nights a week.  Led by Chef Chris Dupont, the menu starts at 7:00 but the bar opens at 6:00.  They advise you when you make the reservation to be on time and come early if you want to have cocktails or browse around the house.  They have 24 seats available and so each night varies with the configuration of tables.  They have a number of rules for dining there, with non-refundable deposits, gratuity of 25% and are unable to serve vegan or dairy restricted menus, so read over before you may a reservation.  The chef came out to welcome all just before the menu was started and stated that he wanted it to be more like coming to a dinner party than a restaurant and it certainly was a beautiful old room to eat in.  However it was very noisy, with only 7 tables and quite dark.  Pacing and portion control were good until the end of the evening when the charge card machine couldn’t print receipts and it delayed finishing up for at least 20 minutes (which was a lot after 2.5 hours of meal).  I admire what they are doing, but the food was more good than great.  It just opened in June 2024, so maybe give it time. Continue reading →