Table 128 opens in downtown Des Moines with pork shoulder, fancy beets and those Brussels sprouts
Two years and nine months after Table 128 closed in Clive, chef and owner Lynn Pritchard finally has his 2.0 version of the farm-to-table restaurant.
The beloved restaurant reopened in new space that’s a little sleeker, a little larger and with all the light touches to dishes that Pritchard is known for. Some things remain the same: the focus on farm-fresh ingredients, the clever cocktails, the excellent service. Some dishes returned, such as Lynn's burger, the chocolate chip cookies, and those Brussels sprouts.
Here’s a look at everything you need to know about the new Table 128.
The space at the new Table 128
An assortment of tables with chairs and a banquette that forms an L-shape make up the seating at the restaurant. Diners walk in to the dining room that seats 52 that splays out in front of them and to the left, and a bar with seven seats to the right. Outside sits a large patio with tables featuring blue umbrellas dotting the space that will capture the afternoon sun. Stay tuned for tweaks to that area, with smaller cozy seating areas with couches on the way.
The 2,125-square-foot restaurant is in a new building called Gray’s Landing at 10th Street and MLK Parkway in Des Moines, giving Pritchard a chance to design the space from studs to rafters.
In Clive, customers appreciated the homey feel of the space. "We were hearing things like, 'We feel like we're coming into your home and we're sitting in your dining room,'" Pritchard said. "That was a very intentional piece in curating the design of this property. I wanted to make that warmth continue."
Indeed, it feels welcoming, with tables not too close to each other, a curated collection of art behind the bar, and a soundtrack that feels like Blue Note jazz from the 1950s. As the sun goes down, the dining room takes on a glow from lights lining the banquettes.
“I keep using the word ‘luxe’ and I don't want that to be the driving force of what this is,” Pritchard said while giving a tour of the space before it opened. “I don't want it to be a luxurious restaurant. I don't want it to be pretentious or have this austerity to it. I wanted to be very approachable but elevated and thoughtful and curious.”
And curated is another word Pritchard likes to describe the restaurant. For example, everything from the wallpaper to the carpet to the paint helps with the acoustics in the room.
“With all the furniture and all the finishes, it has a very round feel to me. It doesn’t sound hollow. It doesn’t sound like I’m in an office space, despite the fact that 95% of the dining space is an exposed, rafted ceiling,” Pritchard said.
Pritchard saved the lights from the original Table 128 and hung them overhead for continuity between the two restaurants.
Blues and greens play together in the décor ― velvet high-back chairs in navy surround the private dining room table. Hunter green is found in the quartz on the bar top. The wallpaper has a hint of shimmery green in it. The kitchen staff wears royal navy chefs coats while they’re prepping, as a reminder that they are still learning. They switch to white at service.
Two high-tops sit in front of the kitchen, which looks out to the south. Those may be the two best seats in the restaurant with their views of the action in the kitchen and the outside world on either side.
On the other side of the kitchen is the private dining room with a long table and 10 navy high-back chairs. Two abstract pieces from Sarah Grant from Sticks in the East Village hang on the wall.
More: 9 things to know about the farm-to-table restaurant Table 128, reopening in Des Moines
Who are the other players at Table 128 that I should know?
Jacob Demars, the former executive chef behind the now-closed Barbarian inside Kinship Brewing Co., is the chef de cuisine at Table 128. Barbarian closed in November when the brewery was unable to pay its staff.
Demars came to Des Moines in 2017 to head up Marlene’s at Sevastopol Station on Southeast Sixth Street, then worked as the chef at Trostel's Dish in Clive before opening his own fine-dining eatery R I Restaurant in Windsor Heights in 2019. There Demars served seafood dishes reminiscent of his youth in Rockport, Massachusetts, melded with Iowa ingredients. Diners will see his childhood reflected in some of the dishes at Table 128.
Demars and Pritchard worked on the menu together, with Demars bringing dishes such as his Cape Ann clam chowder. The plating also leans into Demars' artistic side.
Garrett Dotsch, the former general manager at the East Village restaurant Alba, came on board as the general manager at Table 128.
What to order at Table 128
Each meal starts with an amuse bouche, a gift from the chef, that at the soft opening featured a beet lemonade inside white chocolate.
Every meal ends with a small chocolate chip cookie for each diner, a remnant of the original Table 128.
Brussels sprouts: This warm dish, a popular item on the previous Table 128 menu, comes with prosciutto and Marcona almonds for extra crunch and shaved Manchego and Parmesan cheeses for a nutty bite. Dotsch described it as "from the old days."
Steak tartare: This is not your traditional tartare. Instead, an arrabiata sauce makes this a spicy dish.
Roasted beets: A melding of poached yellow beets and slightly tart Granny Smith apple spirals just melt with a caraway mousse floating underneath.
24-hour pork shoulder: Two pieces of pork — a shoulder and a chop — brine for 24 hours in this dish that Pritchard recommends.
Seared Atlantic salmon: A bed of farro porridge underneath this dish creates soft textures while coffee-cured pancetta and candied walnuts contrast with crispy crunch.
Items are marked as gluten-free, vegetarian, and vegan, as appropriate.
Pritchard said he will probably stick to this menu through the end of the month when he will start swapping out dishes, depending on what is in season.
More: As Table 128 gets ready to open, chef/owner Lynn Pritchard previews his farm-to-table menu
What’s on the lunch menu at Table 128?
Perhaps one of the biggest appeals to lunch at Table 128, aside from the patio, the food, and the new dining room is the abundant parking sans meters. This may well become the spot to meet friends, grab a group of business associates for a quick meal, or broker a deal in Des Moines.
Many of the same items found at dinner appear at lunch as well — the roasted beets, the Brussels sprouts, roasted broccolini, a short rib, a charred Caesar salad.
Look for sandwiches and burgers as well, including maple-cured salmon on rosemary focaccia, a Caprese sandwich, mortadella and marinated tomato, and a Route 128 burger with applewood-smoked bacon and a garlic aioli. Each comes with fries, a side salad, or soup.
What to drink at Table 128
The menu offers a combination of cocktails, spirit-free drinks, beers, and wines by the bottle and glass.
The Intrinsic Travels pairs unexpected ingredients, including rye and sherry with a hint of grilled ciabatta, and Manchego and a raisin as a garnish. Don't think; just trust the process. It pays off.
The fluffy lavender lemonade, a spirit-free drink, gets its froth from evaporated milk.
Who is Lynn Pritchard?
Pritchard is the chef and owner behind Table 128, an upscale modern American restaurant focused on seasonal ingredients and artistic presentations. Before he opened Table 128 Bistro + Bar in Clive in 2013, he operated Tartine in the space for two years.
He opened 503 Cocktail Lab & Tasting Lounge with an ever-changing menu that includes handmade pastas, cheese plates, and his Brussels sprouts salad in the East Village in early 2022.
He also plans to open Hugo’s Wood Fired Kitchen in the Drake neighborhood soon. The restaurant in the same building as the new WesleyLife Meals on Wheels location will serve Mediterranean food in the space named for his son. Expect pizzas as well as dishes influenced by the flavors of northern Africa, Middle Eastern countries Lebanon and Turkey, and the lighter touches of Greece, Italy, Spain, and Portugal at the restaurant, where the patio is bigger than the dining room.
Pritchard worked at Red Crow Grille, a white-tablecloth restaurant that specialized in seasonal contemporary American fare, in Bettendorf as the executive chef for more than six years, and before that, worked as the food and beverage director of Jumer's Castle Lodge when it was in Bettendorf.
Pritchard graduated from the Culinary Institute of America.
Where to find Table 128
Location: 220 S.W. Ninth St. in Des Moines
Contact: facebook.com/Table128 or instagram.com/table_128
Reservations: exploretock.com/table128
Hours: The restaurant opens for lunch from Tuesday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and dinner Tuesday through Thursday from 5 to 9 p.m. and Friday and Saturday from 5 to 10 p.m.
Susan Stapleton is the entertainment editor and dining reporter at The Des Moines Register. Follow her on Facebook, X, or Instagram, or drop her a line at sstapleton@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Table 128 is now open for lunch and dinner in downtown Des Moines
