Konro is an excellent restaurant off the beaten path in West Palm Beach serving a wildly creative tasting menu of whatever chef Jacob Bickelhaupt has dreamt up for the night. Nadia Bickelhaupt, Jacob’s business partner and wife, takes the lead as host and also helms the wine pairings. Though the food at Konro is exceptional—and every bit worth our trek from Miami—the intimate dinner party experience is perhaps more noteworthy, like a deftly choreographed piece of hospitality art pulled off by close friends in their home.
Reserve a dinner here for a very special occasion: The only way to experience Konro is by booking a $390 spot at the 10-seat counter, which hosts a single seating at 6:45 every Wednesday through Saturday. Of course, your meal wouldn’t be complete without the $250 beverage pairing (or choose the house-made non-alcoholic version for $175). There’s no a la carte option, though the drinks flow. Like we said, very special occasion—but it does deliver.
RECOMMENDED: A Q&A with Nadia Bickelhaupt, the sommelier and host behind one of South Florida’s most interesting chef’s counters
Arrive at the nondescript entrance to be let in by the Bickelhaupts, who run the entire restaurant themselves. It’s a warm greeting into the small, dimly lit space, which looks a bit like the sleek open kitchen of a penthouse loft, minus the sweeping city views. As you take your seat, Nadia dives right in, explaining how the evening will unfold over the next 2.5 hours while Jacob bends over the first course with a pair of tweezers. Your welcome drink is, without fail, a luxurious glass of Champagne served in possibly the world’s thinnest stemmed flute.
When it comes to the food, expect bold, textural plates that seemingly come together through a combination of science and alchemy. Chef Jacob’s obsessive study of flavors, techniques and ingredients come across in each bite, but especially in the Takamori “Drunken” A5 Wagyu, which is triple-seared on a konro grill and served with Bickelhaupt’s own 12-year-old, Japanese whiskey barrel-aged soy sauce. We were told the chef was responsible for introducing tonburi—a rare Japanese seed known as “land caviar”—to the U.S. market, to give an idea of his zeal for sourcing.
For her part, Nadia’s beverage curation goes beyond the typical pairing add-on. Each selection comes with a story—she has a preference for grower producers and small, family winemakers—and her approachable delivery makes for genuinely interesting dinner table conversation as the night progresses. The pacing picks up around mid-meal, when it’s almost a one-for-one ratio of drinks per plate. Don’t feel pressured to slam every glass, though. You’ll want to have all your faculties to appreciate just how well how each sip complements Jacob’s whimsical, multi-layered food.