It took a little longer than expected (what restaurant opening doesn’t?) but Eddie Schmidt and Ozzie Medeiros have finally opened their casually stylish (or stylishly casual) Table 26 (1700 S. Dixie Hwy., 561/855-2660) two blocks down the street from the Norton Museum of Art in West Palm Beach.
Named after the latitude of tony Palm Beach, the restaurant features a bright, sunny, Ralph Lauren-esque blue-and-white color scheme, with crisp white tablecloths, blue-and-white tufted banquettes, navy blue carpet and relaxed Palm Beach by way of Nantucket vibe.
That vibe, by the way, is hardly coincidental, as Schmidt (the former maitre ‘d at the Palm Beach Grill) and Medeiros ran a couple of restaurants in that seaside Massachusetts town before opening Table. And that’s not all, the husband and wife team of Steven (exec chef) and Joanna (pastry chef) Polowy made their culinary bones there as well.
The global comfort food menu takes familiar ingredients and gives them a welcome twist, like Maryland-style crabcakes with lemongrass butter, tatsoi and lotus chips; Caesar salad with garlicky dressing and tempura-fried white anchovies; and double-cut pork chop with applesauce and chorizo-jicama-potato salad. They could serve that on my table any day.
