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Pull Up a Chair to The Common Table
By Michael Anderson and Anthony Lowenberg
Your Gastro-Law Reviewers
We know we’ve had everybody else biting their nails, so we guess it’s time for you to stop chewing. The answer to the question everybody wants to know: In this fall… this is very tough… we’re going to take our talents to PaperCity and join the Parties section!
What? No outrage?!? No burning our reviews in the Dicta? But we bought these ugly shirts to cover up our tats! Anywho, The Common Table is part of the newest trend in Dallas dining, which we heartily endorse in concept, if not price: the gastropub. It may sound like that embarrassing stomach noise you’ve been meaning to see your doctor about, but it actually means a restaurant that combines high quality food with an impressive selection of beer. So, of course, we decided to review it for lunch. Actually, one of us tried to go there for dinner, but the hour-plus wait scared us off – Damn you, Uptown crowds! Go back to Coal Vines! Shoo!! Oh great, their Bimmers crapped on our new shirts as they flew away.
The Common Table’s website sums up the restaurant’s credo as “Friendly people, serving honest food paired with a thoughtful selection of wine & beer in a little house in Uptown Dallas” and you can almost hear the Whataburger Guy’s voice when you read it (Looks like they’ve been jalapenoed!). Reading between the lines, this means the food is going to be a little pricey but you won’t notice because you’re in Uptown where $12 burgers are considered normal.
The Table is located in a quaint little house off Cedar Springs where Lola used to be. Now painted brown, it has an attractive small patio in front that was pretty empty due to the heat. Inside, the décor is basically barroom chic with lots of dark wood and tables spaced fairly close together to fit as many people into the small space as you could reasonably get away with without the fire marshal paying a visit. Service was friendly and pretty unobtrusive.
The food at lunch didn’t disappoint as long as you’re prepared for the Uptown price bump. The fried softshell crab sandwich ($10 sounds about right) was a special of the day that they should serve every day. The crab was surprisingly crunchy with thick tomato slices, lettuce and some tangy remoulade tucked inside a baguette (that also sounds better in the Whataburger Guy’s voice). The accompanying side salad was a cut above the standard with a nice variety of mixed greens and just the right amount of vinaigrette dressing. The side fries we sampled were matchstick thin and tasty but not a huge standout. The “Chef’s Rib Eye Philly” ($13) was very good, with the right amount of provolone and very tender meat. It comes with a side of salty, bold jus, which makes it a (terrible joke alert!) Phrench Dip. It’s a great sandwich, except for the $13 price, which makes it a great sandwich that’s a few dollars overpriced in our opinion. Hey, we know this ain’t Subway, but it’s still just a sandwich with overdone, sliced beef. Excuse us, rib eye.
The Common Table is a nice addition to the Uptown business lunch scene and maybe one night we’ll even get to check out it’s dining scene when Nick & Sam’s Grill has free sliders n’ cosmos night. On our new-Big-Three-nickname five gavel scale, where one gavel is “Miami Thrice” and five gavels is “the Miami Cheats,” we give The Common Table three and a half gavels or “The Three Amigos”, which is catchy and also appropriate since the movie featured three actors who banded together to save a small Mexican town from a corrupt despot, just like LeBron, Wade and Bosh.
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