The Kitchen Table — Restaurant in Arlington

My wife and I arrived at the restaurant early around 4:45pm, hoping to beat the dinner crowd. They officially opened yesterday, I believe? There was pretty nice crowd when we arrived the front porch area was pretty full. My wife, Melissa, went in to put us on the list and the hostess told her it would only be about 10 mins. In about 20 mins the porch had mostly cleared out. It appeared that most of those people were waiting on Togo orders. We were waiting by another couple who got there about 5 minutes before we did and they were told it would about a 10 minute wait also. I went in to check our status and to get a copy of the menu. I asked a young lady how much longer it would be and she said frantically but nicely, maybe 10 more minutes but I don’t know I’m not the hostess so I can’t say for sure. The inside appeared to be chaotic. Like it was their second night open for business and they were severely under staffed chaotic. I replied no problem, took my menu outside and we waited patiently. As we continued to wait 5-10 more minutes we noticed quite a few more staff started arriving, that appeared to be servers. After about 30 total minutes I went back in to check out status and this time spoke to the hostess, which I believe is one of the owners. She was very nice and calmly apologized and said she should have us seated in 5-10 more minutes guaranteed. In about 5 minutes we were seated. The wait was’t that bad considering everything. Payton, our server, took our drink order immediately upon getting seated. The drinks were delivered quickly to our table. Payton was VERY busy but was calm and seemed very happy to be there and to serve us. We then ordered appetizers which those were delivered quickly also as well as our entrees. Payton checked back with us frequently. All the food was delicious and cooked perfectly. For appetizers we ordered the deviled eggs and the twice baked potato bites. I would rate the deviled eggs 9/10. The potato bites though were a 11/10, and one of the best things we ate here. The best way to describe them are gourmet tater tots for adults, crunchy on the outside but creamy on the inside laced with bacon and green onions. So good! For entrees I ordered the catfish sliders (they had sold out of what I originally ordered). I would rate them 8/10. Really good but my least favorite thing I tried. I would probably order something different next time (and there will be a next time) but still good and I enjoyed them. Melissa ordered a Debris Samich, which is kind of like a debris po-boy, she loved it and so did I, the little that she let me try, I think we both rated it 10.5/10, it was messy, it was delicious and it was perfect! Great sandwich! Lastly we ordered dessert. 😳 I ordered the bread pudding I would rate it 9/10. I may have rated it a 10/10 but it was served in a small ramekin and the ramekin seemed to me like it was the wrong vessel for this dessert and made it harder to eat than it should have been, IMO. Melissa ordered the ice cream sandwich which was vanilla soft serve ice cream (not sure if they make it in house or not) between 2 M&M cookies with a caramel(?) drizzle. A solid dessert, Melissa said she would have preferred a chocolate drizzle and the caramel(?) was a little too sweet for her. Her rating was 8/10. I would probably agree with her on that rating. I think they are going to change out the type of cookies they use from time to time. I would rate the food overall as very good and a highly recommended 9/10. The service was, despite the the initial wait and chaos, was a 9/10, primarily dues to the great job of our server Payton. The atmosphere is a 10/10. Neat old building in a great location. We will definitely be back and fully expect they will continue to improve and iron out their kinks. Again this was only their 2nd night being officially open. So great job The Kitchen Table! We’ll be rooting for you and...

As a somewhat frequent patron of this restaurant I have provided added updates to this growing review! My first experience at The Kitchen Table was incredible. Since hearing about great reviews of this place. I decided to go early on a Saturday and arrived at 4:45p. We were warmly greeted and immediately seated. The restaurant was about 30% occupied at this early hour. We started with the Burnt Ends Cheese Plate appetizer which is pork belly ends, paired with cheese, peppers and pickles. The BBQ sauce served with it was outstanding and enough for 2 to 3 people. I had the Sangria which was the best Sangria I have ever had! And you have your choice of red, white or rose sangria for your choosing. My main meal was the 6oz TKT burger which is a combination of brisket, short rib and chuck meat and served with thick bacon and mozzarella cheese. It was cooked to order a perfect medium and I relished every bite. My husband had the Shrimp and Grits. Honestly the best Shrimp & Grits I have ever tasted. They prepare and serve the grits as a deep fried cheesy grit cake. It even had a slight hint of spicy, but not too hot for any palate. Just right! Outdoor deck added!! Perfect view of the heart of Arlington! UPDATED: 9/22/23: my recent meal there was the fried catfish. I thought it was the best fried catfish I had ever tried. Perfectly breaded and actually a melt in your mouth texture. It comes with the wedge fries but I swapped out the collard greens and those as well cooked to perfection, not overly salted either like some establishments do. And its served with a moist jalapeno cornbread muffin that didn't disappoint. My husband had the 1lb pork chop. He ordered medium well and while it came out that way it still seemed slightly dry to him. He enjoyed the garlicky mashed potatoes. NEW UPDATE Dec 2023: Tried the brunch recently, and just wow, delicious offerings! Beignets, chicken m waffles, breakfast egg rolls, eggs, and more. NEW UPDATE 04/13/24: excited about visiting here tonight because new menu items added. We started out with the Purple Hull Pea hummus appetizer. Wow, a very generous portion of hummus with corn tortilla chips. This could easily serve a party of 4. My main course was the Pork Belly BLT. It's hard finding Pork belly so I eager to try. It was perfectly fried, crispy and juicy. And served on the best toasted hoagie bread which was almost crossiant like....light crisp on top and bottom and airy in between! The BLT is served with wedge fries but I opted for their collard greens because they are the best I have ever had My husband had the Crawfish Cakes, 5 oz each, perfectly seasoned. His words...perfect! It was served over a delicious chilled pasta salad. We don't usually do dessert but had to try the new options. The deep fried chocolate covered strawberries drizzled with warm caramel and chocolate. The fried pie bites offer 4 different stuffing flavors which you can get the same for all or different. Excellent meal! Enjoy the outdoor patio when...

Came to try out the new restaurant. We were put on the waitlist and we’re told it was about a 30 minute wait and would be texted when the table was ready. We gave an extra grace period of around 15 minutes (45 min total) before returning to check on our table. We were told it would be an additional 20 min wait before we could be sat due to the kitchen being backed up. If told on the front end we would’ve decided to change our dinner plans. We also noticed (as stated in another review) that names below ours were crossed off and asked the hostess about multiple tables given away before we got to sit even with same number of guests in party or more. The hostess was rude in her response (darker hair) to us and if we wouldn’t have waited so long we would’ve left then. Our server was excellent. Food came out timely and was very good. We had the poutine, shrimp and grits (never had fried grits before and a different take on the dish), chicken sliders (maybe try homemade house chips to accompany it rather than tortilla chips or change out for a different side with upcharge), and a side of jalapeño cornbread. I’m glad we decided to give the restaurant a chance after the initial hiccups. We enjoyed our time but please address the politeness of FOH staff since they are the first impression and seating orders of guests. Will...