re: Went to Table Kitchen and Bar's opening last night

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Are the Vietnamese chicken wings "rice battered" as it states on the menu or rice flour battered?

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They are rice flour battered. The wings were solid, about seven came with the order - all drumsticks, no flappers. They french the drumsticks so that the bottom of the bone is exposed making it like a chicken lollipop. They were very tasty. Kind of reminded me of the wings from MoPho minus the ginger.

I had dinner there tonight and was extremely impressed. I figured there would be some hiccups given that it was only their third ever service, but there wasn't.

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Sounds good. I like the flappers and wing tips better than the drum.

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Same here. When I go to Pluckers I always get flappers only. Definitely worth the $1.50 or whatever it is that they charge you.

I guess Table is doing it this way with the drumsticks so it doesnt get very messy. It isnt really a wing eating type of place.

Yea it is pricey. I did see the burger come out and it is definitely big enough to be shared between two people.

Havent sat down for dinner there yet but did have a drink and a charcuterie board at the bar recently. At $21 and the biggest serving on the board being a cajun sausage, I doubt I'll order it again. I just think having your biggest serving on the plate being that, especially in south LA, is kind of a cheap move. The ham dip on the board was the tits along with all of the pickled items.

They really fixed up the place well and I can see it doing well there if the menu changes up often. Everyone's food we saw come out looked really good. I hope the place does well there

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I'm not saying we should start taking bets on how long this restaurant will last, but I have the feeling that most people in the area were hoping for more of neighborhood bar/restaurant feel and less of a high priced hipster foodie restaurant with a bar.

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I don't know. Portico was pretty basic, and it failed miserably. Plus, you can walk to Chelsea's, DiGiulios, Rama, etc. from there (I've done it in heels) and they are all "neighborhood" joints. While I dislike the name and I find the place a bit try-hard, I am welcoming of something we don't have much of in BR. And the atmosphere here is very great. I'll be back to try more food.


Unfortunately the two issues we encountered were: [1] Manager-looking man asked very harshly before we were in the door if we had reservations. When we said no, he just stared at us silently until I said I wanted to sit at the bar anyway. Very unwelcoming. [2] The charcuterie board could stand to be a bit better. The Meatery Board at Toups in NOLA is $4 more and 5x the size/variety.

This was Friday night around 8:15 or so. Place was comfortably busy. Tables mostly full, but no wait.

he is waiting for it to start failing so he can come in and save it.

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they are all "neighborhood" joints.

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True. I guess. But I'm just saying, by and large, the people that frequent that area seem to lean toward the neighborhood type joints and aren't hankering to spend their paychecks on a $22 half chicken.

I'm not saying there isn't a market for what they are doing, but perhaps it isn't large enough to support the restaurant, particularly if the food hipster type crowd find it lacking, comparatively speaking, and just decide to go elsewhere.

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Manager-looking man asked very harshly before we were in the door if we had reservations.

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Dem are fightin' words. Definitely a bad start to the evening.

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I don't think a few photos of the renovation & signature entrees is too much to ask for.

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What if they are working on the presentation based on their first week's reviews?

Did you know that the storm last Monday knocked out their entire front room and they had to repair it the day before the grand opening? They've been busy and social media is probably the last thing on their mind.

Tell me, how is the social media presence of Gino's? I'd bet it there is not much.

Let's keep it civil baws. No reason to get racist and turn this into a Baltimore type situation.

We're all on the same side here.

Okay, woah.

I understand these people are your friends. I went to the place and I had a good time. The last thing I want is for another restaurant there to fail. This place has a ton of potential.

But waiting until you've been open a while is a very backwards marketing plan in most industries They are still at a point where they can remedy that, but they are the ones trying to be "hip". They aren't Gino's. They didn't open in 1966 like Gino's did. They are aiming to appeal to the people who use the internet for pretty much everything. You can't be a new restaurant who is trying to be trendy and avoid the internet.

I'm not hating on the place. I am just a huge believer in marketing. It is one thing to be lazy and not find the value in it (i.e. lots of older folks). It is another thing to intentionally avoid marketing your business to save a buck. In the long run, not marketing will get you where Spice ended up (which was a trendy restaurant who supposedly had great food, but failed to use any media).