Since the summer of 2015, Our Table co-chefs and owners Mike Holbein and Brad Thompson have been building their farm-to-table restaurant the same way they build their meals: from scratch. They started small, selling bar-friendly food with a local twist through a window that links their downtown space with the Eastside Club Tavern. The arrangement allowed them to test-run recipes with Eastside customers and develop their concept for the full dining room, which opened a little over a year ago.
Our Table's breakfast and lunch menus feature classic diner food made with local ingredients‐think eggs Benedict, savory oats, oyster po' boys and pork belly. These options stay steady throughout the year, transitioning as seasonal ingredients become available.
Dinner service at Our Table is where the pair's local-and-sustainable food philosophy takes full form. Every month, Holbein and Thompson develop a completely new dinner menu, one centered on Northwest ingredients. Quinault steelhead, oysters on the half-shell and carbonara with house-cured coppa have all made an appearance. Offerings include small and medium plates, entrées and desserts.
The restaurant's produce comes from Olympia Farmers Market vendors. Foragers bring in the best of the forest including Indian plums, loganberries, mushrooms, watercress and wild ginger. Chefs source specialty ingredients from such local and regional purveyors as The Farmstead, Hama Hama Oyster Company, Olympia Seafood Company and Tunawerth Creamery. Wild lox and sustainable meats ship from Portland. "We try to represent the ingredients as simply and as well as we can and let the food really speak for itself," says Holbein.
UPDATED JAN. 27: After Our Table's windows were shot out last week, restaurant managers organized a benefit entertainment program. After an acoustic set by Rooster Crow, Rock Candy Burlesque will take the stage, followed by Oly Mountain Boys. Then DJ Koolhandz Luke from KAOS Community Radio will be master of ceremonies for a global dance party, with Dancehall Queen closing out the night. The entire event, with raffle prizes throughout, will be hosted by Professir Rolan Thunder. The information box just below contains time and date for this event.