Four years ago, Bruce Wills, a general manager for Wolfgang Puck, was transplanted to the Metroplex and soon grew hungry for a new adventure. He envisioned his own restaurant, where people would gather with friends and family to partake in memorable feasts. Where good food accompanied good drinks and conversations about the stuff that matters.
Wills deemed The Table a fitting name for many reasons. “Every time we met to discuss ideas, we sat at my table,” Wills says of his early brainstorming sessions. “The family table is where kids do homework, where we eat and drink, where life happens. And in the Bible, Jesus invites us all to His table.” The actual tables in the restaurant are made of reclaimed wood from a demolished building in Dallas. Wills had them refurbished but left behind as much character as possible. “I love the imperfection in everything.”
Wills and his team at The Table deliver on a promise to serve scratch-made, old-fashioned dishes with a global influence. Partly owing to Wills' tenure with Wolfgang Puck and Chef Ray Skradzinski's East Coast-Polish-German heritage, the menu features classic filling and delicious New American fare.
As the weather cools off, The Table's offerings segue into heartier dishes such as arancini—risotto rolled into balls, dipped in panko and then fried—and handmade sausages and pierogis. Expect a pasta-of-the-day such as ravioli made from seasonal ingredients and a catch-of-the-day—grouper, cod, flounder—along with a chef's cut—perhaps ribeye or filet. Even sides change with the seasons as fresh veggies and fruits find their way from local farms and orchards to The Table.
“Ray cooks the food he loves,” Wills says. “I couldn't care less if people know me, but I want them to know our chef.” That's why, on any given night, Chef Ray will roam from table to table, talking to folks about what they enjoyed eating. And Wills can be found greeting guests, polishing glasses at the bar or busing tables. “I love the high energy and noise and interaction with people,” Wills says, owing his flair for hospitality to a skill he honed during his long career with Puck.
While Wills' passion is serving great food, one of his first gigs was tending bar, and he's never lost his knack for crafting the perfect drink. “I'm a big fan of Prohibition-style cocktails,” he says. His brother, Daniel, followed in his big brother's footsteps and builds drinks to-order behind the bar at The Table. “We have a lot of fun with our guests,” Wills adds.
Wills' next venture is scheduled to open in Deep Ellum in February 2017—a little edgier venue with a rock-star name: Idle Rye. But he'll still be found here, making new friends and serving up fresh food the way it was meant to be enjoyed—around The Table.
THE TABLE
3701 Justin Road, Suite 150
Flower Mound 972.874.1010 DineAtTheTable.com