The best time to come to Barchef is undoubtedly during the week. I came here on a Tuesday night and it was not crowded at all. Alas, I was able to have a comfortable non-crowded cocktail-sipping experience without "the scene."
I would have sat by the bar, but we decided to get be a bit more comfortable. It is very dark in here and all the bottles and 'potions' at the bar add to the overall feel. The waitress was really friendly and knowledgeable, she knew all the ingredients for each drink by heart.
I decided to go with a sweet and sour cocktail--the almond and the orange cocoa cocktail. They were both GREAT drinks, the almond not as strong but the rim was surrounded with crunchy bits which made for a beautiful presentation. My orange cocoa cocktail literally tasted like orange and cocoa and was a bit stronger which I liked. I saw someone having the echinacea molecular cocktail but perhaps I'll save that for another time. At $45/drink, I have big expectations for those.
We also tried some of their small plates. I would suggest the sliders-- they were so juicy and delicious. The frites with the truffle mayo aioli were very bland and burnt. The beef tartar was tiny and nothing to rave about .
To sum up, I would definitely come back only for the drinks.