Table 32 — Restaurant in Sioux City

I’m hesitant to write this review because my server Cali was so great but something about the rest of my experience really is rubbing me wrong. So I just drove into town from Wyoming where I had been living in a dry cabin and camp cooking. I was starving for a big steak meal. I ordered the soup, salad and New York strip. (I splurged on a teacher’s budget.)

My soup came out and was delicious but in a ramekin like 5 bites for $5. Ok, maybe this is how they do things in Iowa I thought. The broth was under seasoned like seriously needed salt but was good.

Then there was a pause from Soup to salad. It took quite a bit of time to bring my salad out. The Caesar dressing was lacking seasoning like needed a serious douse of salt and pepper. The Parmesan was outstanding though but there were only 3 crotons in it.

Now I’m waiting and waiting for my steak. I was the first one in here when they opened at 4 and it’s 1 hr later. Cali is telling me it’s her fault bc she timed it wrong but I think not. Then she comes back later and tells me something about the Demi just got done being prepped. I for my steak an hour and 20 minutes later. I could have done without the $5 upgrade demi which literally was just brushed on the steak and again had no flavor at all. $5 upgrade, I expect it to be drowning my plate of mash et al. .

The steak was over medium rare in all but the middle and had literally no seasoning but for the grill marks. My steak was more Pittsburg style maybe that is why it was so inconsistently cooked and uneven, fire was too hot in spots. The sides were over medium more well done. So there must have been some trouble with even heating. The mash wa a big pile of barely warm play dough with no salt or seasoning or butter or cream or even demi or gravy in them. They were paste and I could stand my fork in it without it moving. The worst was the asparagus which was so undercooked and tough that I couldn’t even cut it with a knife. Cali told the manager about it and yet she did not come over on her own to apologize.

So I asked to talk to her myself. She came over but not right away, she made me wait and I told her that it was 1 and 1/2 hours later and I just got my steak. And she blamed me and said that I got stuff before my steak. Wow. I told her about the mash and asparagus and showed her how bad they were. She offers me a free dessert. I paid $39 for only the steak even though both sides were inedible. I paid $5 for the soup and $10 for the salad and $39 for the steak and got 1 drink. my free dessert was fantastic but the more I thought about it, I felt scammed.

Bill was $62 before tip. I was so frickin bummed bc I wasted my hard earned money on that as my first meal off the mountain when I could have just gone to a chain for better. Cali was awesome and this is a management and back of house problem with the chefs. Please learn to use salt and popper on things. Not from here so won’t have to go back. But I had high hopes for Iowans ability to cook a great steak and make potatoes come on people. Felt like I was in an alternate universe where time stood still as I waited a half hour after salad for the not even mediocre chain quality cooking. Shame on me for spending...

My wife and I ate here one time while on a road trip in June of 2021.

The Good: -The food was very good. If I've learned anything from Gordon Ramsay's programming, it's that a small menu will have dishes that can be executed well, while a massive menu will usually sacrifice quality for quantity. This menu was manageable, and everything we ordered reflected a high-quality meal. -The staff seemed kind and wanted to serve the customers well. -The booth we sat in was comfortable and stylish. The aesthetic of this place is welcoming and modern.

The Bad: -Drink prices are a little on the high side. Obviously, alcoholic beverages (especially cocktails) are high-profit items for a restaurant. That being said, the drink menu items, while delicious, were priced on the high end of what you would expect. I'd caution against ordering more than one beverage. -While this is not the direct fault of the staff, our hostess did seat us right next to a boisterous table of eight people. This I found annoying as the restaurant was rather empty. Our quiet meal was transformed into listening to a group of pensioners talk about their summer homes, their investment portfolios, and yachting (this is an actual account of what we had to listen to... loudly). Staff should take more care to distance guests when able. -The bartender also had to wait on tables. I'm never a fan of this practice. Bartenders should tend to the bar and to bar patrons only. Unfortunately, this establishment was making the bartender wait tables in our section in addition to her other duties, which slowed drink and table service for all customers (this was no fault of the bartender; she was lovely).

Overall: -I'd eat here again, though I'd be more cautious about the drink menu and more outspoken about our seating arrangements. You should...

We've tried it twice. The atmosphere is astounding. Great architecture, lighting, and seating. I love places restaurants that don't have tv's in them. I also hate places that have gaudy knick-knacks collecting dust all over the walls. I love the clean elegance of Table 32 where I can go and and be in a comfortable environment and focus on my friends or family who went to eat with me instead of dirty old antiques or sports stats on a huge tv.

The food however is lacking. The Lobster Roll is horrendous. Nothing like the Lobster Rolls you get in New England with hot lobster dripping in butter on a soft hoagie. This is lobster that is drenched in mayo and only tastes of mayo. The hot wings taste like frozen out of the bag type that are just warmed up and thrown on a grill. The ranch dressing that comes with the hot wings tastes like this rancid industrial ranch dressing that you imagine comes in a drum from some institutional food service vendor for the lowest price possible. The Tijuana Poutine is good. The Fish "In" Chips is disgusting. I love Fish N Chips with a lite batter that is crisp with the contrast of the flaky fish, and crunchy chips. At Table 32, the ground their homemade chips and used that to bread the fish. Nothing is crisp and it's just mushy disgustingness. I get they want to be clever and present food in new ways and do that fusion thing, but it doesn't matter how clever the concoctions sound if they don't taste good or deliver on appearance or texture.

I want to see this place succeed. Sioux City needs some killer supper clubs and steak houses that have great atmosphere and high quality food. I'll gladly pay $50 for a steak if it's a $50 steak in a great dining experience, like I've had in places outside...