stopped in at table 52 sat. brfore they where open .
chef sven & i went to talk to chef rey.
sven helpped art in the opening of table 52
we had a snack of smoked duck ham that was outstanding


cant wait to go back for dinner

philw wrote:stopped in at table 52 sat. brfore they where open .
chef sven & i went to talk to chef rey.
sven helpped art in the opening of table 52
we had a snack of smoked duck ham that was outstanding


cant wait to go back for dinner

I'm sorry, I don't understand. Who is Chef Sven? Who is Chef Rey? And by "art" -- do you mean Art Smith?

aschie30 wrote:I'm sorry, I don't understand. Who is Chef Sven? Who is Chef Rey? And by "art" -- do you mean Art Smith?

Chef Sven-Erik Mill is a Swedish chef who recently gave a talk at the Swedish Museum. Sven-Erik is chef at Fair Oaks Farm and was 'brought' to Chicago by Art Smith. Chef Rey Villalobos is the day to day chef at Table Fifty-Two.

I enjoy Phil's staccato style, lot of information in short form.

sorry, i guess i do leave some info out.
thanks gary

Long overdue first visit to Table Fifty-Two last night and it was a very enjoyable. First of all -- I thought the place was beautiful and serene. I hadn't set foot in that building since it was Albert's Patisserie (oh...how I miss that little gem of a bakery) and I thought it was homey and yet elegant -- a lovely atmosphere. We were sat upstairs but I didn't feel neglected or banished at all. And I really liked the high ceilings and the gorgeous rock candy chandeliers. I will say, and this is a common bitch of mine -- it was really dark. I like to be able to look at my food, especially when it's pretty -- and this food was pretty but I didn't get to examine it much. Service was attentive and very helpful but they also did a good job of leaving us alone -- I never felt neglected though. We had a little bit of a wait for the check at the end but it wasn't objectionable. And everyone was really friendly and nice and you felt like they loved working there -- which was a nice bonus.

The service seems to be very much the same as it has been -- we were served the deviled egg amuse and I liked it a lot. I'm not a huge fan of pickled things but the slightly sour pickled radish and the edge of salt was very nice against the creamy white and yoke. It amused my bouche just fine. The biscuits...are incredible. I could have been happy doing nothing but eating those biscuits. And I love that there's a guy by the fireplace who does little besides scooping biscuit dough all night. Not my favorite job (or probably his) but it was sort of cool.

My dining partner and I shared the fried green tomatoes -- they were slightly more odd than I had anticipated but I liked them fine. I do tend towards simplicity with my southern cuisine -- I like a little heat and a good crunch and these were complicated with a tomato bacon jam that I didn't really care for. And those are two of my favorite ingredients of all time...but they had an odd flavor that I couldn't place very well. I had a porkchop that had a strawberrry chipotle glaze (more berry than chipotle -- I would have liked a bit more of it and a bit more heat) and it was on a bed of red quinoa which was sort of meh. The stunner was the cheese grits with corn and bacon that I got on the side -- oh my god. There must have been 2 cows worth of cream in those grits but they were just amazing. Couldn't eat a lot of them but my breakfast was much classier this morning because of them. My dining partner had a sable fish special that was served with heirloom tomatoes and a tomato/pepper stew that was very good. We finished with the hummingbird cake and I'd never had it without nuts in it -- I enjoyed it quite a bit. It was served alongside a very nice pineapple sorbet. We were served little white chocolate macadamia cookies at the end -- could barely put one in my mouth after that cake...but by gum, I managed it.

I will definitely return to Table 52 but one of the bonuses of last night was that I didn't pay for it. It is not a cheap place. The experience was very nice and I could see this being a top choice on a special meal evening.

How is the fried chicken on Sunday's? (I heard they do a special fried chicken for dinner on Sunday evenings, assuming that's true).

DutchMuse wrote:How is the fried chicken on Sunday's? (I heard they do a special fried chicken for dinner on Sunday evenings, assuming that's true).

I seem to recall that they only serve breasts. That may be good news to you, or it could completely emiminate them from consideration, depending on your proclivites.

ate their last night, birthday dinner with my wife.

1. service sucked. the waiter didn't write down our order, and then screwed it up, to start with. so we ended up having to change things that came out, and I don't want to be sitting around waiting for the right thing to come out for my meal, when I am spending 100 bucks a person on a celebratory meal.

2. it was a crowded room, and I kept getting josled, and we were by the door so every time somebody came in I got hit with cold air. I didn't like either. when I came in I asked if they could move of and they weren't willing/able to. again, for a celebratory meal I don't want to feel uncomfortable.

3. loved the food, although it was about as rich as I can handle. we looked at 10 or so places to chose for this meal, and this was the one that had the most food that I wanted to try. we had the confit/cassoulet and the chicken fried pulled pork. both were good (I've had better confit, but it was good, and the cassoulet was about as good as I;ve had), the red eye gravy was great, but they were just so rich we could have had portiones that we half as big, maybe with some greens or something to cut the fat a bit. we also had fried tomotos that we really enjoyed, and the pickle plate that was ok. I had the bacon cocktail, which was good but not fabulous. the sides were great, but again, huge. if they offered a plate of 3 sides it would have made me happier, because I wanted to try everything and we ended up not eating more than half of what we ordered. the profitoroles were good, the dough was excellent, the ice cream ok.

4. I enjoyed it, but I don't see rushing back.

5. the chef was in the room, so of the 10 or so "celebrity" chef places that I have been to, this is only the second that I ahve seen the chef.

I went there with my cousin a couple weeks ago for a light brunch: Chicken & Waffles, Pork Shoulder Hash, Mac & Cheese, Bacon, Grits, and doughnuts. It was excellent.

Chicken & Waffles - This is their signature brunch dish, and it was delicious. For those keeping score: yes, these are boneless chicken breasts, but they are were delicious. While I would have preferred thighs, the breasts were moist and flavorful, with just the right amount of batter that it was crisp without soaking up too much grease. I can't really say the waffles distinguished themselves, but the maple syrup was excellent (and served on the side, which is another plus).

Pork Shoulder Hash - I had such high hopes for this dish, I couldn't help but be a little disappointed. It was fine, but nothing special; I'd hoped for a little more spice, and a little more pork in the hash.

Mac & Cheese - Outstanding. The cheese was incredibly rich & creamy, and the pasta remained firm and flavorful on its own. My one quibble is that I really would have liked breadcrumbs at the top, but that's a minor quibble.

Bacon - It's bacon. Good quallity, thick cut, with lots of smoke flavor to it, but... it's bacon. There's really not much to say about it.

Grits - the standout of the meal; these were the best grits I've ever had. It's actually somewhat off-menu - it's not listed as a side, but they serve shrimp & grits, and I'm allergic to shrimp, so we asked if we could order a side of grits. The corn felt like a custom grind - it was noticeably firmer and toothier than any grits I'd ever had. I can think of two analogies that really captures how good these grits were. In terms of texture, it was the difference between steel-cut oats, and rolled oats. In terms of flavor, it's the difference between Robuchon's potatoes and the mashed potatoes at KFC. It really was that good.

Doughnuts - The pumpkin spice doughnuts were excellent - chewy texture, beautiful crust, nicely balanced spices throughout. The banana cream doughnut really wasn't my thing. I thought it was overly sweet, and I'm just not into chocolate - but, this is a doughnut, and the sweetness and the chocolate is probably what most people want. This is purely a matter of personal tastes - it was good quality doughnut, just not the kind of thing I like.

I think I have photos somewhere - I'll try to post them when I get a chance.

Independent George wrote: I can't really say the waffles distinguished themselves, but the maple syrup was excellent (and served on the side, which is another plus).

Sorry to pick, but this made me smile. I've never seen waffles or pancackes served with maple syrup not on the side.

Here's them Florida Cracker grits you had:

http://www.bradleyscountrystore.com/ind ... ry&path=59

Like Anson Mills and several other good traditional mills, Bradley's grits are a whole other animal compared to Quaker or Aunt Jemima. I'll still eat a massive bowl of the cheap stuff at Moon's any day, but the "fancy" grits are a treat - and a steal compared to similarly fancy rices, for example.

JeffB wrote:Sorry to pick, but this made me smile. I've never seen waffles or pancackes served with maple syrup not on the side.

One would think, but I can think of at least four occasions where I've ordered chicken & waffles, and the maple syrup was already on the food. Maybe they just think I need help with my food?

Here's them Florida Cracker grits you had:

http://www.bradleyscountrystore.com/ind ... ry&path=59

Like Anson Mills and several other good traditional mills, Bradley's grits are a whole other animal compared to Quaker or Aunt Jemima. I'll still eat a massive bowl of the cheap stuff at Moon's any day, but the "fancy" grits are a treat - and a steal compared to similarly fancy rices, for example.

Thank you, thank you, thank you for this. They're not significantly more expensive than, say, Bob's Red Mill, either.

Oprah Winfrey's former personal chef will rename the restaurant in January and shift the focus from southern comfort foods. Blue Door Kitchen and Table will be a farm-to-table concept focusing on fresh foods.

http://chicago.eater.com/2015/10/12/950 ... -blue-door

Dave148 wrote:

Oprah Winfrey's former personal chef will rename the restaurant in January and shift the focus from southern comfort foods. Blue Door Kitchen and Table will be a farm-to-table concept focusing on fresh foods.

http://chicago.eater.com/2015/10/12/950 ... -blue-door

I wonder with La Winfrey's show off the air here if they will perhaps be able to better serve local customers.

Dave148 wrote:

Oprah Winfrey's former personal chef will rename the restaurant in January and shift the focus from southern comfort foods. Blue Door Kitchen and Table will be a farm-to-table concept focusing on fresh foods.

http://chicago.eater.com/2015/10/12/950 ... -blue-door

Anyone been to Blue Door, the restaurant? (I searched and didn't find any info)

Sweet Willie wrote:

Dave148 wrote:

Oprah Winfrey's former personal chef will rename the restaurant in January and shift the focus from southern comfort foods. Blue Door Kitchen and Table will be a farm-to-table concept focusing on fresh foods.

http://chicago.eater.com/2015/10/12/950 ... -blue-door

Anyone been to Blue Door, the restaurant? (I searched and didn't find any info)

Lincoln Park’s Blue Door Farm Stand Finally Moving in February to Halsted

http://chicago.eater.com/2017/1/26/1440 ... ng-finally