Table Twenty Five offers casual chic dining on 25th Street
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- Jaimie and Justin Buehler with their twins, Henry and Grace, outside their new restaurant, Table Twenty Five. (Photo supplied, Table Twenty Five)
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- Mussels & Frites, in which mussels are bathed in savory broth and topped with crispy French fries, at Table Twenty Five in Ogden. (Valerie Phillips, Special to the Standard-Examiner)
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- Sesame-crusted ahi tuna is the top-selling entrée so far at Table Twenty Five in Ogden. (Valerie Phillips, Special to the Standard-Examiner)
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- The bar at Table Twenty Five on 25th Street in Ogden. (Valerie Phillips, Special to the Standard-Examiner)
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- Chef Baleigh Snoke, a Park City Culinary Institute grad, heads the Table Twenty Five kitchen. (Photo supplied, Table Twenty Five)
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- Hot fudge, made with Utah’s Solstice Chocolate, is poured over house-made vanilla ice cream at Table Twenty Five in Ogden. (Photo supplied, Table Twenty Five)
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- Lemon rosemary olive oil cake with lemon whipped cream at Table Twenty Five. (Photo supplied, Table Twenty Five)
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- Jaimie Buehler, partner of Table Twenty Five, sits with her favorite Mussels & Frites dish next to a view of the restaurant’s outdoor dining area. (Valerie Phillips, Special to the Standard-Examiner)
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- The Beehive Burger at Table Twenty Five is topped with apple-walnut smoked cheddar from Beehive Cheese Co. in Uintah. (Valerie Phillips, Special to the Standard-Examiner)
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- Duck ragu and house-made pappardelle pasta. (Photo supplied, Table Twenty Five)
On their first date, Justin and Jaimie Buehler went out to dinner, where both talked about their dreams of opening their own restaurant.
Jaimie, born in California and raised in Australia, had worked in a Sydney café before moving to Europe to expand her culinary knowledge. Then it was on to California, where she met Justin, who was initially from Ogden and also had a love for the restaurant industry.
That conversation, while sitting at the restaurant’s “table No. 25,” marked the start of their relationship and the eventual fulfillment of their mutual dream. When they were finally able to open their own restaurant, it was on Ogden’s 25th Street.
So Table Twenty Five was a fitting name for their new venture, which opened Aug. 2.
The dream took longer than they planned. The Buehlers spent the past seven years working at Salt Lake City’s Copper Onion, while seeking the right spot and the right timing. In the meantime, they had a set of twins, Grace and Henry, now almost 2 years old.
Their location was most recently the home of Jessie Jeans, which closed in January as a victim of the COVID-19 pandemic. Before that, it was Karen’s Out West Cafe. The Buehlers have given the space a whole different look — a stylish mix of formal and informal, or casual chic.
The large glass windows offer lots of inviting light and a see-and-be-seen view of 25th Street. White tablecloths, topped with white butcher paper, give a sophisticated feel.
“But we don’t want to be stuffy or unapproachable,” Jaimie Buehler said. “We want everyone to feel comfortable here, whether it’s a casual lunch or celebration of a special occasion.”
The front sidewalk has an outdoor patio space for al fresco dining. Since the restaurant is on the shady side of the street, diners can avoid the sun’s glare.
To helm the kitchen, the couple hired chef Baleigh Snoke, a Park City Culinary School grad who has cooked at Tradition and Avenues Proper, both in Salt Lake City.
“Baleigh has a lot of creativity, and she has a lot of connections with local farmers,” Jaimie Buehler said.
The three of them came up with a menu that’s varied enough to offer something for just about everyone, while small enough that every dish can be well-executed.
“When you have too big of a menu, you lose some quality control and you can’t make every item the best,” Buehler said.
Hence, there are seven small plates, four salads, two pastas, three sandwiches, six entrees and two desserts.
One of her favorite dishes is Mussels & Frites, a popular dish in Belgium. It starts with Prince Edward Island mussels, from the Atlantic waters near Nova Scotia. PEI mussels are known for their jet-black shells and sweet flavor. Along with chorizo and locally grown cherry tomatoes, they are bathed in a pool of savory broth with a hint of smoked paprika. The dish is topped with crispy house-made French fries.
“Some people are hesitant to try mussels, but every time, they’re blown away,” Buehler said.
The sesame-crusted ahi tuna is the most popular entrée so far. It’s served with seared snap peas, pickled carrots, spicy mayo and ponzu sauce.
The Beehive Burger is topped with apple-walnut smoked cheddar from the artisan Beehive Cheese Co. in Uintah.
“We believe in supporting other local businesses,” Buehler said. “This community thrives off of other people’s support. So we use as much local as we can.”
Other menu items include duck ragu over house-made pappardelle pasta; pork chop with peach chutney; airline chicken breast; and sockeye salmon with arugula pesto. A vegetarian option — vegetable hash — features broccolini, asparagus, baby carrots, snap peas, fried fingerlings, baby kale and chimichurri.
The summer market salad includes lots of local ingredients, with Tuscan greens, spinach, tomatoes, corn, radish, avocado, feta and toasted pepitas, dressed in lemon basil vinaigrette.
The menu will change based on seasonal ingredients, Jaimie Buehler said.
Table Twenty Five offers takeout, but no curbside or third-party delivery. “We feel it affects the quality of our food,” she said.
The restaurant takes reservations, “and everyone seems really happy about that. We have reservations for a birthday dinner this week and they’ve ordered a cake.”
That would be the restaurant’s lemon rosemary olive oil cake with whipped cream.
The other dessert option is a hot fudge sundae that uses local Solstice chocolate in the hot fudge and house-made vanilla ice cream. The hot fudge is poured tableside, and a pistachio topping adds a bit of crunch.
Which is more popular, the cake or the sundae?
“So far, it’s been 50-50,” Jaimie Buehler said.
After just a few weeks being open, she said they’re happy with the gradual growth in customers, “to give us time to get everything dialed in. This past week has been our busiest so far.”
If you go …
TABLE TWENTY FIVE
Location: 195 25th St.
Contact: 385-244-1825; https://table25ogden.com
Hours: Daily, 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, open until 10 p.m.
Prices: Salads, $9-15; sandwiches, $14-$15; entrees $21-32