In a word: Thrilled.
For so many reasons—where do I begin?
As many of you know, Tartine morphed into Table 128 last spring. Lynn and Sarah Pritchard own the place; Lynn chefs; Sarah keeps the front of the house humming along. Imagine that: A husband-and-wife duo rockin’ it out in Franchise Town (aka Clive). The place was packed on a Saturday night.
HIGHLIGHTS
The Menu: Go high or low here, from gourmet burgers ($11-$14) to fully tricked-out bistro entrees. Nevertheless, at the time of this writing, no main dish costs over $24, and that includes a soup or salad. Check out Table 128′s full menu.
Ambiance: Don’t expect a warmed over Tartine—they’ve overhauled and energized the spot with banquette seating and other comfy-sturdy “here to stay” furnishings. Love the way the burnished copper flooring echos the copper pots and pans that chefs love. They may not have planned it, but the subconscious works in magical ways.
Service: Recently, Des Moines has become particularly blessed with committed young servers all over town. And where did they get such poise and passion? Table 128 is no exception.
Food Highlights:
You’re going to have to bear with me. The photos aren’t that great, because night fell by the time we got our entrees, which required flash, which made some not-so-lovely photos.
Table 128′s Trout Dish: A playful update on Trout Amandine: Trout with marcona almonds, saffron aoili, and windfall of haricot verts. Stuffed with thyme leaves. A great example of this chef’s signature style: Highly gratifying yet refined at the same time.
Please pardon the grainy photo. Duck lovers—here’s a dish worthy of your affections. Sliced duck breast served atop a rich, eggy French toast with a fascinating raspberry-thyme syrup. And if you think the latter sounds sweet, you’re not tasting closely enough: Astringency lies at the heart of the berry….(plus there was some other culinary magic going on….)
Eden Farms Pork Loin ($20): A great cut of meat (from a great producer)—loved the depth of the balsamic molasses and the bright springlike perk of the green onion on the same plate.
Other Food Highlights: We kicked off with a cheese plate that brought great variety and a bonus of cured salumi. We adored the Kale Caesar Salad—again, such depth of flavor sparked by the zip of the Caesar dressing. Desserts were lovely, too—a killer chocolate caramel tart and a rich, yet refreshing panna cotta. How can they craft such painstaking desserts and sell them for just $5 to $6 each?
Minor Lowlights (this feels like quibbling, but all my reviews are meant to be written like a friend is telling a friend exactly what to expect. Trust is everything): My dining companion thought the pork was overcooked-but with such a great piece of pork, it was by no means dry. There was also an exceedingly long wait for the starter course (the cheese plate)—the joint was slammed. After that, things started humming along just fine.
The Bill
Before tax and tip, all that food cost us $92.50 per couple (we split the tab down the middle). And the table also shared two bottles of wine, 1 extra glass of wine, and 1 glass of Sauternes.
I’m finding that this much high-quality, inventive food and drink at most places will usually cost you much, much more.
A pink Pinot Grigio? Yes! Table 128 reminds us what the “grigio” in Pinot Grigio means. (Grigio=gray, which describes the blue-ish, violet-ish, or yellow-ish hue of the grape’s skins. A winemaker can chose to highlight the resulting pinkish color in the wine).
Which leads me to: The Wine
Table 128 Bistro + Bar is taking the sting out of wine prices. That is, they give you a choice. If you’re in the mood for a good everyday “tried-and-true” bistro wine, you can start at $6 for a South-of-France Syrah or a $7 Pinot Grigio from the Veneto. Go higher from there if you’re feeling splashy.
We couldn’t resist trying a Cahors ($10)—an earthy Southwest-France Malbec with which we’ve have a not-so-harmonious past (more on that another day). Bottles are mostly priced in the very reasonable low $20 to low $30 range.
Bottom Line:
Would I Go Again?: Definitely!
Would I Recommend This Restaurant to My Closest Foodie Friends?: Definitely!
Would I Order the Same Thing Again?: Yes. Even the pork.
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Encouging to know you widely enjoy good service.
Well, I suppose it’s a stretch to say that I widely enjoy great service all over town, but I will say that overall, there is this a cadre of amazingly professional young people in the industry right now—at least at our better restaurants.
Again and again its their poise that strikes me as so unique to their era. They have polish without being stiff, They’re knowledgeable without being know-it-alls. They’re incredibly personable, without any of that “My name is….” business.
It just adds so much to the pleasure of eating out when you feel that the person serving you is as fired up about food as you are, and really seems committed to showing you a good time.