The Kitchen Table offers a tantalizing experience.
It’s rare to have an “OMG!” moment over a little appetizer. But the ravioli uovo was an instant, sensuous surprise at The Kitchen Table, a Reno restaurant with a lively word-of-mouth following.
There’s a lot to like about The Kitchen Table besides the ravioli uovo. Located in the Plumgate Center, the neighborhood restaurant has a lively vibe and friendly atmosphere featuring an open kitchen and a bar with a snazzy wine rack reaching the ceiling. A super-friendly staff who are food-and-drink savvy is another plus.
Though it’s a small restaurant, good use is made of its space. Sixteen tables are comfortably spread out to avoid shoulder-to-shoulder dining, and ceiling-to-floor windows dispel the feeling of claustrophobia. (Side note: A patio, open in warm weather, adds more seating.)
The restaurant site, once home to a pizza joint, took massive construction work before it was ready to be occupied.
“We redid the whole space,” says Steve Thomason, owner/operator, along with his wife, Amanda.
Renovation included moving a wall and taking cement flooring down to the dirt to redo the plumbing. It was a labor of love, says the couple. In November, their “labor of love” celebrates its second birthday.
Reno’s TKT is modeled after the TKT in San Rafael, Calif. Alexander Alioto, a descendant of San Francisco’s famed Alioto family, owns the original. Alioto and Steve have been buddies since the late ’90s, when they were roommates at then-called Sierra Nevada College in Incline Village. When Alioto opened his restaurant in 2018, he suggested Steve open one in Reno that would mirror his concept. Steve, an entrepreneur at heart, jumped at the chance.
TKT’s kitchen, under head chef Anthony Mercado, offers from-scratch dishes using seasonally fresh ingredients. Dominick Gruneich, the main pasta maker, spends early mornings handcrafting pasta for the day. And locally sourced products come fresh daily, including the artisan bread from Beloved’s Bread in Reno and top-of-the-line fish from Sierra Gold Seafood in Sparks. Produce comes from Sacramento.
Freshness also means service is truly kitchen to table.
“There are no heat lamps in our restaurant. No food is left to sit,” Amanda says. “Each meal is prepared to order, and, often, dinners will come staggered, in a larger party.”
So the old adage, “Eat it while it’s hot,” is strictly observed here.
The dinner menu, neither overwhelming nor overpriced, is predominantly Italian. But two outliers, fried chicken and New York steak, share more than a touch of class.
Starting with the appetizers, the No. 1 bestseller is ravioli uovo (Italian for egg). The house-made pasta is filled with a soft egg yolk, ricotta, and spinach coated with truffle oil, then drenched in brown butter and Parmesan cheese. Absolutely lovely. (One tip: Cut it in half before digging in.)
The pasta menu offers seven hard-to-choose-from dishes. The top sellers are fettuccini carbonara, tagliatelle aglio olio, and everyone’s favorite, spaghetti Bolognese with meatballs. In anticipation of fall, a recent dish featured cannelloni stuffed with tender, shredded beef brisket and accompanied by a sauce that sang of fresh tomatoes from the vine. Other fillings, such as duck or chicken, rotate seasonally.
Rounding out the menu are pizzas, from Margherita to prosciutto, not-your-typical salads, fun desserts, and a kids’ menu.
Not to ignore the bar menu, here’s where the fun begins, with four types of beer, five innovative house cocktails, and an eye-popping wine list from around the world — Italy, France, Portugal, and California, including Paso Robles, Amador County, Napa, and Sonoma. Both TKTs benefit from having Nunzio Alioto Jr., Alexander Alioto’s father and a notable Master Sommelier, curating the selection.
One last thing. TKT opened for lunch recently. The menu is smaller but just as intriguing.
The Kitchen Table
530 W. Plumb Lane, Ste. A, Reno
775-384-3959 • Thekitchentablereno.com
Reservations advised.
Lunch served 11 a.m. – 2 p.m. Tues. – Sat.
Dinner served 5 p.m. – 9 p.m. Tues. – Sat.
Tagliatelle with Clams and Shrimp
(courtesy of The Kitchen Table in Reno. Serves 2 to 4)
2 pounds manilla clams
1 pound white shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 pound tagliatelle
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
6 cloves garlic, chopped
1 tablespoon red chile flakes
1 cup dry white wine
2 sprigs parsley, chopped
Salt and pepper, to taste
Bring large pot of salted water to boil. Add pasta, stirring occasionally, to prevent pasta from sticking together. Cook until al dente, according to instructions on box.
In large sauté pan, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add garlic and chile flakes. Reduce heat to medium-low and sauté until fragrant. Be careful not to burn garlic. Add clams and wine; increase heat to medium. Quickly cover, steaming for 5 minutes, or until all clams have opened.
Discard unopened clams; cook shrimp, adding chopped parsley. Add tagliatelle and season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve on plates or in bowls.
