TABLE fifty-two

09/23/2008 Posted by trisamst

The place is beautiful! The service was great! The food was not good....I'm for real. My girlfriends and I ate lamb chops which were over cooked with a gaming taste. The shrimp and catfish were fishy. Our salad was just ok. The biscuits melted in my mouth..great job here. Overall, I would go back for the biscuits and the ambience.

Pros: Ambience, Service

Cons: Bad Food, except for the biscuits

06/25/2008 Posted by chgofoody

Myself and seven guests luckily got a table for lunch on a Saturday afternoon. A warm, friendly greeting awaited as we entered the beautiful, fresh looking dining room. The menu featured many down-home favorites, familiar food that insures satisfaction, even without a gourmet slant. The goat cheese biscuits were enjoyed by everyone as was the crabcake. I had the jambalaya which tasted no more special than any other place I have had it. The macaroni and cheese was good but not exceed expectations, especially since was made with penne--why not call it Three-cheese Penne? The hummingbird cake was liked by all and solicited the most oohs and ahhs of anything. Service was terrific and accomodating. The commanding prices were out of line with the food and ingrediants. We did not feel the wow factor, other than $700+ lunch bill ($80 was wine).

Pros: comfort food with some gourmet twist. Great service.

Cons: the wow factor is the price

04/27/2008 Posted by diner121

I'm not one to write reviews, but I was so disappointed in this place I feel compelled to share - I just wish the maitre d' could read this because in other reviews it seems that rudeness is not uncommon at Table Fifty-two. Unfortunately, the last member of our party arrived almost 15 minutes late, which prompted our initial greeting to be an admonishment about making sure we were finished in order to seat the next reservation. In a place this expensive, I'd have hoped have met with a bit more class instead of open arrogance (they could have told their servers to make sure to help us move the experience along rapidly). The food was not extraordinary as expected - the fish was dry and the flavors were often over-powering (the cheese grits and fried green tomatoes were lost in strong flavors). Best food of the night were the pork chops and the honeyed sweet potatoes. The macaroni side dish wasn't macaroni -- it was cheesy penne pasta -- but was enjoyed by all. If this is Southern comfort food, I didn't see anything here that would have come right from Grandma's kitchen. Maybe I was turned off by the poor greeting, but I eat out 5 days a week as a road warrior and I just didn't enjoy my meal the way I was looking forward to. I'd just have to agree that this is one place that did not live up to the hype.

Pros: Novelty appeal, Valet Parking, Decor

Cons: Distinct lack of Hospitality, Indifference to poor food quality, Food unremarkable

04/24/2008 Posted by styleplus6

This restaurant did not live up to all the hype. I made reservations 3 months in advance and was looking forward to being blown away . The Staff was friendly and professional . The restaurant is extremely small but decorated in a lovely manner . My husband and I were extremely disappointed with the food as well as the wine list . We ordered the fried chicken because it was the night's special and the waiter told us it was not to be missed . It was the most bland and dry fried chicken I have ever eaten . The mash potatoes were a disappointment. The Mac and cheese was ok but how can anyone mess up mac and cheese. We had the corn bread and Art's famous biscuit along with several other appetizers, and nothing was extraordinary . The wine selection was limited and expensive. The best part of our meal was the dessert. We had the Hummingbird Cake which was very good . I don't believe the wait for reservations to dine at this restaurant is worth the trouble . The hype this place has is strictly because Art use to work for Oprah and because she hyped it on her show . Save yourself some time and money and just order the Hummingbird Cake from the Allen Brother's website which also has allot of Art's dishes for sale too . There are too many wonderful restaurants in Chicago were you can have a savory meal without having to wait months to get in .

Pros: Dessert

Cons: wait for reservations, food and wine list

04/24/2008 Posted by casaccav

It took two months to get into this restaurant…not worth that long of a wait. The food was excellent......different but very good. The wine list was pretty terrible; I would guess they did that to keep people from sitting around and drinking bottles and bottles of wine (which would take to long for their liking). Because of how small the restaurant is, they try to get you in and out as quick as possible, not many people feel like being rushed when they are out to eat with their family. The restaurant is small but decorated beautifully. Overall I would say it is a good restaurant with great atmosphere and I would go back, but not if I had to wait two months.

Pros: Atmosphere and Food

Cons: Wine List and amount of time it takes to get in there

04/03/2008 Posted by LotusBlossom81

So I first heard about the place on Oprah. She recommended the pistacchio encrusted chicken, as it was her "favorite thing in the world." So I made reservations WAY in advance, and I took my Dad out for his birthday, along with my Mom, my aunt & uncle, and my good friend. Staff was nice, initially. We enjoyed the novelty of it all. I found the goat cheese biscuits were too salty, but my friend loved them. I enjoyed the unlimited Fiji water refills. However, when it came time to eat my pistacchio chicken, I was disappointed. I really enjoyed the texture of the pistacchio crust, and the chicken was moist, but it was not very seasoned. I should add that Oprah's personal chef Art Smith was NOT there that afternoon. My mother had the same dish and she was not impressed as well. My aunt chose a shrimp salad which she did not like. I could tell that my friend liked her pulled pork sandwich, but it was nothing out of the ordinary for her, although she really did enjoy her time at Table 52. The two winning dishes of the night were my Dad's and my uncle's. My Dad chose the pork chop, and my uncle chose the sea bass. They both really enjoyed their meals. I'm happy at least my Dad liked it a lot. We then decided to have coffee and dessert. My friend and I shared this amazing chocolate concoction. I forget what it's called, but it was amazing. My aunt and uncle ordered some sort of fruit tart- which was very good, too. I forget what my parents ordered. The coffee was ok. It was light, I usually like mine stronger. All in all, it was ok, except at the end, the hostess came up to us and said, "Just to let you know, there IS another party of 6 with reservations, and they are waiting." Luckily we were getting ready to leave, but as I thought more about it, I became somewhat indignant. SO WHAT? That's not OUR problem. I just paid you a good amount of money. If I want to take some leisure time getting to the door, that is my right. It was overpriced and ok.

Pros: Individualized service, sea bass, pork chop, chocolate dessert!

Cons: It's so small, they kick you out if you take too long because they are seating the next party in your place!

02/16/2008 Posted by fl_doc

There was a 2 month wait for reservations, so we expected the food to be great ... we were wrong. The food was mediocre at best. I loved the decor, it was like sitting in a friends home. The tables are a little too close together for comfort making it very difficult to have a private conversation. The complimentary biscuits were great and leave you wanting more. Our waiter was good, but it was obvious that he was reciting from a script and was not at all knowledgeable of southern cuisine. One downside is that you have to order your entire meal at once, so there is no room to change your mind if you eat your appetizer and salad, and then decide that you want different sides with your dinner entree .... apparently the chef doesn't like to take orders piece by piece. The wine list is disappointingly limited and so is the bar.

Pros: The complimentary cheese biscuits

Cons: The limited wine list and bar