Table, Donkey and Stick

We had a Bonsoiree gift certificate to use and noticed they were now calling themselves TD&S.  Thankfully, they still accept the certs.  We called on a Saturday night on a whim and were told they were booked for the next two weeks.  Whoa.  They called us back 10 min later and said someone cancelled - we were impressed with the waiting list and call back so we were intrigued.

We started off with the "wanderteller" (meats) and tried the Schweinekopf (pig face, but seriously delicious) and smoked venison.  We also tried 2 really good cheeses.

For the small plates, we tried the salmon (amazing), polenta, and sausage.  We were a little disappointed that the poached egg on one of the dishes was cooked all the way through.  What's the point?!

For the larges, we tried the sturgeon and the veal.  Both great, though I liked the veal better.  It was so tender, melt in your mouth, which I didn't expect.

At this point our waiter disappeared.  Not sure what happened.  The table next to us actually sat down, waited for a bit, then walked out.  It was strange.  Finally the host came over and we just asked for some coffee and the check.  -1 star

In all, it was very good and we liked trying something different (they told us they were considered "alpine" food - german / austrian / northern italy / etc.)

I really didn't understand the name until I read this: "Table, Donkey and Stick is named for a Brothers Grimm tale in which one of three brothers earns a table that magically sets itself with rustic delicacies."  So just fyi if you're wondering...

67/365

The food was AWESOME.  The service was OUTSTANDING.  Great, cozy ambience.

Food:
Our party of 4 ordered about half the menu. Here's my ranking of Best to Not-the-Best:
-Polenta with bacon and gorgonzola dish was absolutely fantastic (we ordered two); the "bacon" is actually a large thick-cut slice of pork and the creamy polenta, gorg, and pickled peppers were an amazing combo.
-Duck liver, pheasant, and schweinekopf Wandertellers, and 3 non-blue cheeses were tasty appetizers (but extremely small portions).  
-The pork sausage, pork-fat pretzel, braised beef shank, and sturgeon dishes were each a tie for excellent flavor combos and all prepared perfectly (although all were also quite small).
-Shaved celery root salad was decent

Service:
I have a bad habit of usually only noticing the service when it is bad. In this case I remember it being perfect.  Attentive without being a nuisance. Water glasses and drinks constantly topped off without me even noticing. Excellent recommendations. Informative and knowledgeable but not pretentious.

Deducted 1 star because this "small plate" thing that seems to be dominating the new restaurant scene is kinda driving me nuts... portions are misleadingly small -- especially for the price. Dinner, 2 rounds of drinks, and a shared dessert for 4 was $250 before tip.

However, if you are prepared for that... awesome experience.

Excellent all around!!! Great service for our table of 14. No waiting or hassle. My girlfriend and I split 3 cheeses, 3 appetizers and 2 meals. Everything was tasty an vey unique. A very nice change from the greasy, heaping plates of flavorless food many German restaurants serve.