I've eaten at the counter, but didn't get Chef's table service.
When my sister and I tried to eat at the restaurant last Nov, we couldn't get an early reservation (same day), so we showed up at the door around 6pm. The counter was not being used right then (there was a reservation for 8pm) and we talked the matre d' into letting us eat there since we knew we'd be long gone before they needed it.
We ate off the menu and got really nice service from our waiter, who did take the time to talk to us about what was going on in the kitchen. We really enjoyed our meal.
Hope that helps just a bit. -HM