High Steaks

Table Two Forty Seven raises the Kingston eatery bar

Lisa Sokolowski

Maneuvering your way into newly-opened Table Two Forty Seven is a little tricky. You may find yourself in the Walgreens parking lot, unaware of the fact that the parking lots do not connect - especially if it's truck day at Walgreens.

So you pop a u-turn and pull into the Fidelity Deposit & Discount Bank parking lot, passing spots reserved for bank patrons, before you get to Table Two Forty Seven's red brick building.

One step inside, and you're engulfed in the beautiful decor, the colorful paintings, the bamboo plants and wine glasses adorning every table. You take a quick look out to the parking lot and think, "We're not in Kingston anymore."

We couldn't settle on one of the nine tempting appetizers, so we ordered the Mozzarella Frito (three crispy mozzarella triangles in tomato sauce for $6) and Sesame Seared Tuna (ahi grade tuna, Kim Chee, and wasabi soy for $9). Though the Mozzarella Frito was warm and tasty, it was the tuna that set our dinner expectations high. The tuna was cooked medium rare - pink inside and cooked outside to make any raw fish/canned tuna couple happy - and the Kim Chee was dressed with so many flavors, dipping the bread in the sauce to pick up the last drops was not optional.

High hopes followed us into our entrees - Poulet Aux Fines Herbs (an herb crusted chicken breast with bacon braised brussel sprouts, roasted garlic pomme - that's a very soft mashed potato - coated with a sherry chicken jus for $19) and a New York Strip Diane (a grilled 8 oz. strip steak with roasted potatoes and veggies covered in a brandy beef sauce for $24). We left the pasta entrees (which boast a $20 lobster ravioli and $17 Farfalle Pescatori, among others) and the fruits de mer (with a $34 butter braised lobster, sea bass paillard for $22, and more) for another trip.

The chicken was soft and moist, although lacking the kick we hoped for after the tuna app. The brussel sprouts were great, even tasty to people who usually feed the vegetable to the dog. Bacon makes everything taste good. And the potatoes were smooth, just like we like 'em.

We asked for the steak medium rare, and it came out medium well instead. We decided to eat our pink-less steak anyway, and it was a bit dry for our liking (although probably very good for someone who likes a crunchy toughness in his meat). The roasted red potatoes had a crunchy outside, but a tender inside, deeming them near perfect. A handful of string beans accompanied the meal, but it wasn't quite enough to constitute calling it a "side."

It was good overall, but alas, the veggies with the Kim Chee left us expecting to be wowed.

Table Two Forty Seven doesn't have a dessert menu, rather, the servers just rattle off a list of irresistible options. It's not until you get the check that you realize you were charged $10 for five deep-fried Oreos and some pudding.

Not that the tempura-battered Oreos weren't a delicious take on a chocolate-filled funnel cake, but it might be more cost-effective to buy a pack of cookies and fry your own.

We wanted to try the Philadelphia-style cheesecake drizzled with a berry mix, but the restaurant was out, so we went with strawberry topped creme brulee ($7) instead. The caramel and custard dessert was a great way to end the evening.