On the Floor for Table Forty 4

Bunchs Lunchbox  |  05/20/2010 7:00 am

Last week, I was invited by the latest Toledo arts scene ring-leader, Bozarts Fine Art and Music Gallery proprietor Jerry Gray, to join him and a few other friends as his guest for a special pre-opening complimentary test lunch at the newly opened Table Forty 4. I've been excited about this place opening for the better part of the past year, so I eagerly agreed to attend.

Inside, we found the restaurant, across the street from The Blarney in the continually-budding 'Mud Hens District,' adjacent to 5/3 Field, to be a pleasant surprise. Comfortable lighting, and a clean, swanky atmosphere has replaced the run-down old warehouse that previously occupied the space. Dark yellowy walls and lights complimented the dark polished wood of the high tables and booths that populate the dining room, and too the giant oval bar that takes up much of the space in the center of the main dining room. In the corner, they were still working on a small stage that will feature acoustic musical acts throughout the week. Overhead, the original tin ceiling of the building has been beautifully restored, its intricacies a separate treasure in themselves, much less the impressive ceiling as a whole.

The wait staff was in training, but we found the staff to be composed mostly of very pleasant, friendly young men and women. At our high top table, we were treated to a nice lunch of fish and meat, two of my favorite things. The appetizers consisted of lightly-seared tuna crusted with sesame seeds and served with a small bed of seaweed and a delightful tangy sesame sauce. Too, we were served crab cakes, fried on the outside, light, but full of chunks of sweet crab inside, and served over a drizzled sauce that was at once a little sweet, and tantalizingly spicy. The spice was unexpected, but a great compliment to the crab cakes.

Being a training session, the lunch menu was limited, so we all opted for a variety of the offerings. Mr. Gray went for the classic Cheeseburger, a big fat 1/3 lb paddy served on a wheat-style bun, I believe, that looked as delicious as the burger. Ottawa Tavern manager Clayton Callaghan and local artist Anthony McCarty both opted for the Blackened Grouper Sandwich, which I was able to weasel a bite from. The fish was nice, perfectly cooked, light and flaky, and blackened with pepper and hot sauce. Callaghan found it a bit to spicy for his taste, and it was very hot, but it was also very delicious. Our pal Monte Greer went for the Ahi Tuna Salad, a bed of greens served with the same tuna as the appetizer mentioned above. For me, I chose the Black and Blue Salad, because I can't ever quite seem to get my fill of red meat and blue cheese. This giant bowl of fresh, crispy greens came with a sliced chunk of beef tenderloin, and was covered with big, fresh crumbles of blue cheese, I'm talking about the chunky crumbles that you can stab a fork into. Atop all that was a big, crispy wad of fried onion straws, which sent the salad through the roof for me. The salad alone was more the enough to fill me up, I struggled to make it through the whole thing.

I'm excited to explore the full menu.

Table Forty 4 sits directly on Monroe Street, and features a covered patio that is actually part of the building. In the front, big, roll-up doors make it into an open-air delight where you can watch traffic go by, or people watch for those flooding to the game. Over a cigarette, Gray and I reminisced about the days when that stretch of Monroe Street was all but dead, a strip of rough abandoned buildings populated almost solely by Brenda's Body Shop. Standing in the patio of Table Forty 4, looking out across at The Blarney, PizzaPapalis, and 5/3 Field, I found myself feeling reassured that despite all the bad news in the papers everyday, Toledo was still a city on the rise.

Bellies full and wallets untapped, save for the tip we left our waitresses, we strolled down St. Clair St. back to Bozarts, past art galleries, bars, coffee shops and gift shops. For a moment, Toledo felt like a real city.

Visit Table Forty 4 on Facebook.