Table Fifty-Two Review

Apparently the Obamas were in our neighborhood on Valentine's Day. "In our neighborhood" is an understatement. They were at Table Fifty-Two, the upscale comfort food restaurant, about a block away. The two of us are in love with the place. I could probably say it's our favorite place in Chicago, but I don't think that's quite accurate. It's more likely the best restaurant in the world...ever. The owner/chef was Oprah's personal chef; as such, the restaurant itself was hyped up by Oprah herself.

It has been around the corner for a short while. The small residence previously had housed a small patisserie which had been closed since before we moved to Chicago. When someone finally moved in, we were curious who it was. Little did we know what we were in store for.

It's nice and all that the Obamas share our taste in food. I like the fact that he's our president, but I maintain that he has a lot to prove. Sadly, this little event has increased my opinion of him. That's how pathetic I am towards good food.

We've been to Table Fifty-Two a grand total of three times: once for dinner, twice for brunch. Brunch is served on weekends, and any reservation usually takes around two weeks to get. I'm fairly certain that after this recent Obama trip, I can count on that to go up to three or four weeks for a reservation.

I'll use this as a forum to talk about a handful of things we've had at Table Fifty-Two. Everything we've had has been very good. The coal-fire breakfast pizza has an egg cooked right into it. It's a fresh take with great ingredients. The cornbread crumbles and bits of cheese blend into the texture of the bread. I can't order the chicken and waffles at brunch because my wife will stake her claim on them. The chicken and waffles are literally life-altering. I'm totally serious about this. My life is different now that I know those chicken and waffles exist. The more I say the more I just want to shut up.

I had their pork chops for dinner and almost cried. I vaguely remember my wife asking me what was wrong because I might've been tearing up. I'm not even going to talk about them, because not having them right now is making me sad.

There are very few places that have been hyped up this much and still lived up to the hype. Table Fifty-Two is one of those places. If you ever get the chance you have to go, or you'll probably never know if you truly lived. That being said, I'm gonna go make a reservation so that maybe I can get in next month for dinner or brunch.