Tables (Denver!)

I'm always quick to mention that I am absolutely not a Southern California native.  I was transplanted here (semi-unwillingly) three-to-four-ish years ago for a job opportunity.  I say 'semi-unwillingly' because I always swore I would never move to LA...then came this job thing...and so here I am, eating my way through the city.  I grew up in Denver, Colorado, where I spent most of my time eating plain noodles with butter and salt, and mom's chocolate chip cookies...quite the change I've made in culinary appreciation, huh?

In any case, I often have the great fortune of leaving Los Angeles and heading "home" to Denver.  "What would you like for dinner?" is generally the first question Mom asks when I announce that I'll be gracing her with my presence for a few days.  Certainly by this point in my life,  I'm completely tired of noodles and butter (never the cookies, though), so it's always a bit difficult to decide where to go for dinner.  Given my relative new-found appreciation for...well...anything other than pasta, Mom can finally take me to some of her favorite restaurants in Denver - actually her only favorite restaurant in Denver - Tables (she might actually have other favorites, I'm just not sure when she'd have time to go to them since she's always at Tables!)

Tables. Cute name for a restaurant, right?  Tables, as the name would imply, is done-up in all sorts of different style tables and chairs, and the restaurant is just as adorable as its name in so many ways.  There are few restaurants in Denver that have anything I can't find in LA.  I didn't even need to eat anything at Tables to know that it definitely has something I can't find in LA - charm.  This unassuming restaurant has exquisite food, without the attitude.  The atmosphere is incredibly comfortable and the wait-staff (and owner, who was bouncing around the house chatting with customers) have mastered a wonderful balance of friendliness and casual professionalism. 

The tables at Tables (!) are set with a bucket of fresh bread, and a bottle-like jug of water, two of the most important things to have available at all times at a dinner table!  The menu is composed of Table Leaves (salads), Side Tables (appetizers), Head of the Table (main dishes), and End Tables (desserts), to play on the theme of the restaurant.  The menu items themselves are original, with ingredient combinations that are unique, but not uncomfortably so (they combine ingredients that everyone likes, but may not have ever thought to eat together).

Mom lives off of the Tables tuna tartar, but this past visit she ordered crispy chicken with bacon-pineapple bread pudding and black pepper-bourbon sauce. Bacon and pineapple...commence drooling.  When you're with family (and NOT in a snooty restaurant), it's absolutely appropriate to eat off of eachother's plates, so I helped myself to a bite (or two...shhhhh) of the enticing bacon-pineapple bread pudding.  Incredible!  Pineapple and bacon are two very potent ingredients; adding too much of either one would probably still result in something delicious, but wouldn't have the amazing balance and composure that this bread pudding has.  The flavors are subtle, but very obvious, and the chef must have known I would be there, because I'm sure the crust was extra-caramelized just for me.

I ordered soup and salad.  I don't know what I was thinking, other than kicking myself for eating a big lunch earlier in the day.  But really, the soup of the day, roasted red pepper and tomato, was hard to pass up, and I'll admit I was intrigued by the kumquat-vanilla dressing that topped a salad of watercress, endive, prosciutto, and bleu cheese.  I'd had the pan-seared scallops with meyer lemon risotto in the past and remembered polishing my plate (which is quite the accomplishment since risotto is rather heavy), but since I forgot my elastic-waisted pants at home, I didn't want a repeat performance and did want dessert, so soup and salad it was.  (I did get funny, concerned looks from my family, but I figure that worked to my benefit as well, as they were more than willing to share their meals to make sure I didn't leave hungry!)  One thing I have learned in California is an appreciation of really fresh ingredients, and the ability to combine the ingredients in a way that allows each to shine while also complementing the others, as in my lovely salad.  The vanilla-kumquat dressing is heavenly - light, with soft flavors of vanilla and kumquat, and surprisingly delicious without the usual tangy bite of a vinaigrette dressing.  The roasted tomato and red pepper soup is rich and full of fresh flavors of roasted peppers and tomatoes. It's topped with a pesto crouton of sorts, which provides textural and flavorful variety to the smooth, comforting soup.

Of course I saved room for dessert!  I struggled to choose between the double-chocolate smores with graham crackers, marshmallow, and chocolate sauce, and the carrot cake with mascarpone cream (which, as the waiter kindly informed me, fortunately does NOT contain raisins!)   Thanks to my sister, no decision was necessary, and both desserts arrived at the table with extra forks and spoons.  The s'mores are topped with marshallow that actually has the crispy brown campfire-like charred flavor and texture, and melted chocolate that beats a Hershey's bar any day!  A few bites of the rich dessert was all I needed to satisfy my chocolate addiction.  The carrot cake, thanks to the wonderful mascarpone cream frosting (and lack of raisins), is also scrumptious.  I barely got two forkfuls of the cake before my 1.5 year-old nephew, who refused to eat anything else all night, polished it off.  Thanks, pal!

At the end of the day (as it usually is when I'm eating dinner), no matter what I'd eaten at Tables, I would have left happy as a clam.  There's something incredibly special about a restaurant that can evoke the comfort of home, but also the excitement of new and different flavors in food.  If I could, I'd grab a table or two from Tables to bring back to Los Angeles, because we could certainly use a restaurant like this, where those of us without 'fame and excess' can feel a little more at home.