Table X Restaurant

He said:

We needed a special restaurant to celebrate our wedding anniversary, so we chose Table X. What a treat! Buckle up because this is going to be quite a ride.

Table X, near Millcreek, isn’t the fanciest area restaurant in appearance, but it just might have the fanciest fare. They don’t offer ala carte service but instead offer a five- and seven-course tasting menu.
Fully vegetarian options are also available. In addition to Table X’s drink menu, they offer curated drink pairings to go with the night’s menu. I found the non-alcoholic pairing inspired and every bit as memorable as the food courses it accompanied.

A small garden grows on the premises in which Table X grows many of their own ingredients. For that reason, I recommend planning an outing during the growing season. Our spring anniversary meant we went too early for many of their crops, but not all, and the restaurant was able to source plenty of amazing ingredients, nonetheless.

The restaurant sits in a refined, contemporary brick building, a bit understated, perhaps, with black metal frames around its many front-facing windows. The interior is clean, warm, and modern, with only modest ornamentation. Each table had a small vase with freshly cut flowers. Our table had a giant yellow peony, a purple iris, some greenery, and some tiny, blue forget-me-nots. On other tables, we spied some fresh daffodils and tulips.

Though they may have foregone fancy trappings in their dining room, they spared none in the selection of our courses. They were masterpieces, all. And the service was great, choreographed carefully to ensure that we always received clean silverware just prior to our drink pairings, which arrived just before our new food courses. A server would describe the many ingredients and preparation techniques used in each dish. And when we finished, the orchestration continued as servers would clear away our used utensils and empty dishes.

Even before our first course arrived, we began with an amuse bouche. Two wooden spoons were delivered atop a slate stone. Each spoon held a small drop of fava bean purée topped with a sliver of ramp. I got so excited about the ramp that I didn’t hear what additional type of green finished the tasting.

I’ve wanted to try ramps for some time now. They’re hard to find, as they have a very short growing season and they primarily grow in the Midwest, Appalachia, and sometimes as far as New England. Our server explained that these ramps came from Michigan. They grow wild in moist environments, deciduous forests with rich soil, but they take years to mature. Their emergence marks one of the earliest signs of spring, as they appear just after the last frost. Sometimes called wild leeks, ramps resemble green onions, with small bulbs that grow near the soil surface, and broad green leaves. Unlike their scallion cousins, ramps tend to have reddish or purplish stems at their base. They can sometimes grow in large patches, creating a lush carpet of green on the forest floor.

Ramps tend to have a distinctive flavor that combines the sharpness of garlic with the sweetness of onions. They are generally far more intense and aromatic than leeks or green onions but cooking them mellows and deepens their flavor. The tiny shard in my amuse bouche only teased their potential, but I would have another opportunity to discover their promise in a later course.

Our bread service consisted of a wedge of house-made sourdough bread. It had an ideal texture, with a fluffy, soft interior and a light crust. I had to suppress the temptation to ask for a second serving. The cultured butter also elevated the bread with its slight tang and exceptional creaminess.

But let’s get started with our first course! The Spring Fennel Salad started with a spread of fennel-apple purée and added spinach and frisée lettuce. Shavings of Mimolette cheese provided a salty, somewhat earthy flavor that balanced the brightness of the grapefruit pieces and the grapefruit vinaigrette. A sprinkling of hazelnuts added another texture to the mix, while several cornflower blossoms added another splash to the already-colorful dish.

Our drink paired with the salad was a house-made tamarind soda. I happen to enjoy tamarind drinks, though I know the strong flavor can be off-putting to some. This drink had only a mild flavor. It was smooth and mellow, but recognizably tamarind. The rim was salted with Tajín, which added a bit of a bite with its lime, salt, and chili pepper seasoning. I thought the heat of the Tajín rim complemented the tamarind nicely.

Next, we enjoyed Intermountain Gourmet Mushrooms, which included Trumpet Mushrooms and Shitakes served atop green hummus with wild onion, toasted house pita, and roasted garlic. The mushrooms had a pleasant firm and chewy texture and added umami depth to the garlic and onions. A nasturtium leaf garnished the plate.

A rose shrub paired this course. Shrubs seem to have gained popularity alongside the recent rise in the Sober Curious movement. Sometimes called “drinking vinegars,” shrubs are made by blending fruit, sugar, and vinegar into a syrup, which is then mixed with water or soda to create a beverage. Most of the shrubs I’ve encountered have been “dry,” with plenty of tartness and acidity, making them a bit astringent. This may be the first sweet shrub I’ve had. I’ve had rose-flavored foods and drinks before, which I find a bit too floral or soapy for my taste, so I worried that this might be the same. But no, the rose flavor was only faintly discernable. I felt like it might have had another fruit essence, but I couldn’t quite identify it. The drink was sweet, just faintly acidic, and it was beautifully garnished with a cherry blossom, picked only moments earlier from a tree outside.

The following course involved trout, which I opted to switch for the vegetarian offering. The preparation was nearly identical, but it featured a roasted Savoy cabbage instead of a poached trout. Grilling the cabbage had slightly charred and caramelized its edges. Vibrant pea shoots, sliced radishes, and English peas added a nice contrast. Roasted sunchokes hid underneath the cabbage. I had wondered why the server had delivered a spoon with this course’s silverware, but when I tasted the sweet, brown butter nage, enhanced with a nasturtium oil, I got my answer. I used my spoon to get every last drop.

Joining this course was a chamomile limeade. It was rather tart, but that happens to be right up my alley. I was happy to finish Kathy’s glass.

A house-made Carrot Lumache pasta arrived next. The shell-shaped pasta was made simply from carrot juice and semolina flour. A bath of stinging nettle cream gave it a Wasatch flair, but the lamb shoulder really made it shine. The shredded lamb was juicy and incredibly flavorful. Crumbled carrot-olive bread and Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese rounded out the delightful flavors.

An herbed sparkling water joined the pasta course. Hints of rosemary joined with a stronger mint contribution to give a delightfully fresh taste to this smooth, easy drink.

All the courses were small, so I don’t know if any is the “main” one. If one could be called the main one, it was the Angus Beef Bavette. While the flavors, textures, and colors were so wonderful that I always wanted more, I couldn’t have made it through seven courses without their modest portions. Those smaller portions are what allowed us to enjoy so many different flavors. The wonder of this menu should be measured in quality, not quantity. We encountered no shortage of excellent quality.

The bavette had a crisp, charred sear and a beautiful red interior, but just one bite revealed its true character. A house-cured bacon jus gave that steak an unexpectedly amazing flavor. It was heaven! Joining the steak was a piping of creamy pommes “aligoat,” a faux-French pun alluding to the combination of whipped potatoes and goat cheese. Also joining the steak were some Scarlet Frill mustard greens and a roasted ramp, finally allowing me to fully discover the ramp.

Our final beverage concoction was a hibiscus and lemon spritz with a fresh viola blossom just picked from the house garden.

I’m not sure if our penultimate course was a dessert or a palate cleanser. It was a cinnamon rice pudding that I found oddly . . . normal. However, it came with two very interesting accompaniments. The first was a seed tuile. This thin wafer was full of seeds: black and white sesame seeds and sunflower seeds. The server said it would taste a bit like peanut butter—though Kathy says she was referring to the ice cream—and she wasn’t wrong. It also resembled the flavor of a peanut brittle, I think, though it didn’t stick to my teeth nor threaten to crack one. The other fascinating part of this dish was the scoop of black sesame ice cream. This was a revelation to me. It had all the hallmarks of ice cream: it was cold, smooth, and creamy. However, it had an unexpectedly savory, earthy flavor. I adored it. It was a terrific, unanticipated combination.

Our true dessert course was a carrot cake with chamomile-rhubarb crème fraiche, rhubarb compote, and a brown sugar-oat crumble. The carrot cake was nice, but when I got to the rhubarb, wow, that was terrific!

We’re almost done, but we had one more surprise. Along with our bill, the server delivered a plate of mignardise. These were two small, bite-size confections, chocolate crisps topped with toasted marshmallow cream and tiny yellow blossoms. The plate was inscribed in chocolate lettering, “Happy anniversary.” The piping was delicate and artful, creating a wonderful conclusion to a fantastic evening.

She said:

Brian had expressed interest in going to Table X in order to celebrate our anniversary. So, he finally wrangled a reservation for us, but the only availability for a table was a few days prior to our actual milestone date—and that was okay.

Upon pulling into the parking lot, I noticed the beautiful red brick exterior, the concrete steps and small outdoor patio, along with the black metal framing around the large windows and entry door. The restaurant’s name was prominently displayed above the doors and windows in large metal letters.

Now, the thing about Table X is that it isn’t easily visible from Highland Drive, as it’s on a side street. Unless someone is deliberately looking for it, no one would know that the restaurant is there.

Anyway, there’s also a garden on-site, in the back, that can be seen from the parking lot, but it’s still too early in the season for a crop of fruits, vegetables, and herbs. We’ll need to go back sometime in the summer to see what delectable produce is growing there.

Once inside, I took in the understated vibe evoked by the medium-toned maple hardwood floors; the accent wall featuring geometric shapes in varying gradient shades of gray; the black, tufted leather booths with dark wooden tables; the tall, pitched ceilings featuring golden-colored wood slats and exposed black duct work. There was no artwork on the walls, but it didn’t matter. The visual impact was derived by the view through the large windows at the front of the dining room, paint colors, contrasting hues and textures found in the furnishings and in the vases of brightly colored flowers atop each table: yellows, purples, and blues. The overall effect was one of relaxing sophistication.

We were led to a table in the center of the dining room. The waitress, already aware that we were celebrating our anniversary, offered us her congratulations. Although there was nothing wrong with our table, I would have much preferred having been seated in one of the three high-backed upholstered booths. Why? Because they seemed to be more private and romantic. Brian suggested that I ask to be reassigned to a booth that was vacant, but I declined. I didn’t want to be disruptive or rude.

Because Table X offers 5- and 7-course meals—and we were celebrating a special occasion—I opted for the 7-course option, with the non-alcoholic beverage pairing.

We started off with the amuse-bouche served on miniature wooden spoons. The fava bean purée was smooth and pleasant. Next, we were served wedges of house-made sourdough bread. It was a generous chunk of warm sourdough that was perfectly fluffy on the inside and featured a beautifully golden-brown and crispy crust. The warm, creamy butter that was served with it enhanced my enjoyment of the sourdough.

After that, we were presented with the Spring Fennel Salad. Everything about the salad was appetizing and delicious. The cheese, grapefruit, and spinach added color, and hazelnuts provided a pleasant, crunchy contrast. The tamarind soda that was paired with it wasn’t to my liking, though. Despite Brian’s opinion that it was rather on the mild side for tamarind, it was too strong for me.

When the mushrooms were served, I happily dug in. They were nicely cooked Trumpet and Shitake mushrooms sitting atop prettily swirled, green hummus. What stood out to me was the buttery, garlicky flavor of the dish. Adding some texture were the toasted pita chips that were dusted with what I thought might be paprika. I thought that it was clever of the chef to add color and texture to the brown mushrooms via the hummus and pita chips. Food is always more appetizing when beautifully presented.

Adding to the culinary delight of eating the mushrooms was the Rose Shrub that was served with them. Even before I took my first sip, Brian cautioned that the vinegar might be off-putting for me. But it wasn’t. It was positively delicious, balancing just the right notes of sweetness and acidity. Plus, it was very pretty to look at, as it was served in a beveled tumbler with a pale pink cherry blossom that matched the sparkly pink color of the beverage. It was, by far, my favorite drink of the night.

Next up came the Poached Norwegian Trout (although Brian ordered a vegetarian option instead). It was delectably moist and flaky. Perfect. Surprisingly, it was as pink on the inside as salmon. The brown butter nage, sunchokes, and snap peas that accompanied the fish accented the entire experience of delving into the dish. It was my favorite “entrée” of the evening. That can probably be attributed to my bias for seafood.

By the time our pasta arrived, I had reached my limit. I took a bite to taste, then had a waiter box up the rest for me. The pasta itself was tender and tasty, whereas the lamb was bursting with flavor and juiciness. It was pretty impressive, in my opinion.

The Rosemary and Thyme Sparkling Water that was served alongside the dish nicely complemented the lamb. As I was already full, however, Brian gladly took my glass and finished off the water for me.

Then came the Angus Beef Bavette. Again, I took a bite just so I could say I tasted it. It was divine. The meat was perfectly cooked to a tender, melt-in-your-mouth medium rare, and the seasoning of cured bacon au jus rounded out the scrumptiousness of the steak. However, the creamy “aligoat” potatoes tasted just a bit too bitter for my taste.

The last beverage pairing was just as pretty as the pink shrub had been, but it was a bright, jewel-toned red rather than pale pink. It was slightly tart despite the hibiscus and tasted a lot like cranberry juice with a twist to me. Very satisfying.

Finally, we reached the desserts.

The black sesame ice cream we were served was not my favorite. The lump of gray-hued ice cream looked unappetizing to me, and its peanut butter and licorice taste didn’t please my palate at all. Plus, I’ve never really liked rice pudding. No offense to the chef.

However, the carrot cake offered some redemption, as it was perfectly dense and simultaneously moist. The chamomile-rhubarb crème fraiche and the brown sugar-oat crumble elevated the cake considerably. It definitely made my taste buds dance. 😋

As a nod to our anniversary, the chef surprised us with an additional treat: two delicious miniature chocolate tarts garnished with toasted marshmallow cream and itty-bitty yellow blossoms. It was a very thoughtful—and much-appreciated—surprise.

Conclusion:

Table X’s commitment to quality ingredients, impeccable preparation, creative presentation, and immaculate service ensures that your visit will be memorable. Whether celebrating an anniversary, as we were, or simply looking for a unique culinary adventure—also as we were—Table X promises to delight and impress.