Archived Article By Tom Fitzmorris Originally published September 13, 2006 Click here for the current edition Table One Rolls Out New Dishes, Free Appetizers Table One, the terrific Contemporary Creole restaurant on Magazine at Washington Avenue, has rolled out a couple of appealing promotions. In one, diners who show up Tuesdays through Thursdays get a free appetizer per table if they buy entrees. In another, Chef Gerard Maras whipped up a few offbeat items for service on Friday and Saturday. One of these is a small stack of Mediterranean sardines. Not to be confused with the generic little fish in flat cans, real sardines are about six to eight inches long, usually fried or grilled (Chef Gerard is taking the latter route). You eat them more or less whole, and their assertive taste is delicious if you have a palate for strong fish (I do). Chef Gerard has also paired Maine lobster with braised Kurabota pork belly, an item I still can't quite get my head around. Pork belly is essentially uncured bacon; braised pork belly is like beef stew made mostly with chunks of fat. The Kurabota aspect is to pork what Kobe is to beef: a strain of hog that gets much fatter than the pigs we get most of our pork from in America. Whatever. Table One is a pleasure. © 2006 Tom Fitzmorris. All rights reserved. news@nomenu.com