Table Donkey and Stick
Bacon Steak – Fried Polenta, Gorgonzola, Picked Onion, Mushroom Jus, Poached Egg
Fried Chicken – Smoked Potatoes & Corn, Chard, Spicy Aioli, Fried Egg
Duck Sausage – Biscuit and Gravy, Caramelized Kale, Poached Egg
Peach Coffee Cake – Brandy Whipped Cream and Oat Streusel
Pretzel Bread Pudding – Cherry Jam, Lemon Curd, Candied Pecan
Originally planned for dinner during my first day in town but later rescheduled to brunch based on a noon-time menu that appeared slightly more interesting than that offered at night it was just after 12:30 that my sister, her fiancée, and I arrived at Table, Donkey and Stick but with the dining room completely empty and only one table seated in back our experience would prove a mixed one at best – the decidedly disinterested service of a questionably stoned server paired with the kitchen’s blunt refusal to serve any charcuterie despite its obvious ease of preparation showing an obvious disregard for ‘customer service’ and thus leaving a bad taste in our mouths despite three excellent savories and a pair of pleasant sweets. Obviously a ‘hip’ place featuring all the right moves to lure in the trendiest of Logan Square diners with hefty wood tables, exposed ceilings, and brick walls lit by Edison bulbs beneath a soundtrack of 80’s pop nostalgia it perhaps should come as no surprise that service at Table, Donkey and Stick is a perfunctory exercise and with a cocktail list nearly as long as the well-culled brunch menu it would take mere moments to craft our order…plus another fifteen minutes to actually place it as our server was self-admittedly (and unapologetically) “chatting” with the table in back as we sat without even water, a young bartender intently polishing glasses and otherwise oblivious to the ongoing abandon. Eventually attended to in an off-hand matter it would fortunately not be long before the otherwise idle kitchen lurched to life in preparing our two-course order and with the trio of savories all arriving as they were readied the skillset of the kitchen and quality of ingredients would thankfully outshine the rest of our experience, each dish a dynamic balance of proteins and local produce prepared with a deft hand and dynamic textures throughout – the tender pork-steak and smooth polenta a particular favorite of the group though the bitter caramelized kale set against fluffy biscuits and gamey duck sausage was quite impressive, as well. Moving next to a duo of sweets it was unfortunately here that the kitchen would falter because as much as the coffee cake would prove reference standard beneath a dollop of aromatic cream the French Toast styled bread pudding would arrive entirely unbalanced with nothing to suggest the savory or saline aspects of a pretzel, the flavor profile instead skewed entirely towards the sweet while excessive amounts of butter rendered the plate far too heavy, a situation that probably could have been remedied by a bit of traditional Kosher salt in the pretzel base or perhaps by stealing a note from the coffee cake and adding a bit of brandy to the excessively sweet fruit.
RECOMMENDED: Bacon Steak with Fried Polenta, Duck Sausage with Biscuits and Gravy.
AVOID: Pretzel Bread Pudding was entirely unbalanced by the heavily sweetened cherries as well as the sugar coated nuts, even for someone with a decidedly strong sweet tooth a bit of salt or something savory would have gone a long way to help.
TIP: For those interested in the charcuterie it is wise to bear in mind that even if the kitchen is entirely unbusy and standing around it is dogmatically only offered from 2pm onward – first at the bar and then as part of the dinner menu beginning at five o’clock.
