Luther's Table

Just moved to WA from FL.  My first meal was here and I just keep coming back!  All but a few in management are volunteers since a percentage of profits go to charity. Love the concept, love the food, love the staff..... except for one.  I wouldnt say anything but she has the same arrogant attitude as she always does on every visit. But please frequent this wonderful establishment :-)

The food here is mediocre, I am not sure if the Renton curve has been too generously applied in other reviews or if I had the misfortune of dining on "off" days 3 times in a row because judging from other reviews that seem to hail the food here like the second coming of Christ.

First time I went, I had the French dip, portions were good but it was something along the lines of what you would find at a Fred Meyer or below average deli.

Second time, breakfast, can only be best described as Ikea's restaurant quality.  Not that it's a terrible thing, I like eating at Ikea once in awhile but the prices were not Ikea prices.

Third time, dessert.  A slice of coconut chocolate cake, loaded with so much sugar that it reminded me of the usual diabetes in a box that you find at your generic neighborhood franchise grocer.  There were also not much favor from the chocolate or coconut in something that was so overly sweet.  I figured since their other dining options feel like an afterthought, perhaps they are strong in their desserts department, couldn't be more wrong.  In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if they actually drove to Safeway up the street and purchased goods from there to resell...

So why the five stars?  Well, we have established that eating here is a terrible mistake, what isn't a terrible mistake is what this place actually provides as an overall package.  A truly warm and comfortable place to hang out for drinks, live music and other venues.  I am as not religious as a non-religious person can get, but I find the staff very welcoming and the atmosphere filled with none of the usual pretentiousness and self righteousness that one finds in a church.

If they can fix the food, it will be perfect, nevertheless definitely a good place to hang out and for a good cause.

This place is the restaurant of my people! Literally. Ok. Maybe not literally but I am ELCA Lutheran and Luther is my homeboy so...

Anyway, this restaurant is an old converted ELCA Lutheran church. What the heck are ELCA Lutherans? They're the liberal folks--the ones who are pro-gay marriage and have even approved gay clergy. They also do a lot of community outreach to help end poverty and homelessness. This is important because I also want to mention that Luther's Table is a non-prof.

I love that it's a non-prof but I didn't include that into my rating. Instead, I'm rating food and service. The service is good and the staff are friendly. The food is effing delicious! I had the Luther's Plate (I think that's what it's called). It had three different types of sausages and came with potato salad. I was hugely disappointed the potato salad was German potato salad. Instead it was large chunks of undercooked red potatoes and a mayo sauce. Did not like. I really loved how they cooked the sausages though. Heaven! And you get picked onion and two different kinds of mustards. So good.

The restaurant is located in Renton which is a pretty far commute. I will probably come back here but since it's so far away, my visits won't be frequent.