Geneva's Table 38 re-creates comfort food

An odd thing occurred when we walked up to the restaurant that was supposed to be housing Enye — a Latin-American small plates concept in Geneva owned by the same folks who run Urban Grille a few blocks down the road. It had disappeared. Not physically, of course. A new sign emblazoned with Table 38 indicated that this was no longer Enye.

Inside, the decor was the nearly the same — a dark, semicircle granite bar to the left, an open dining room to the right featuring olive green art deco chairs with a singular square hole in the back and angular, tri-colored curtains made of string. But it appears Geneva's palate was, to its detriment, not entirely tickled with the South American tapas on offer. Owners Jeanette and Bob DiPasquantonio made the business decision to reinvent the concept, giving the menu the more familiar look and feel of a regional American kitchen: more comfort food than South American, but with the same thoughtful, steady elegance of the interior and, it appears, wine list. The latter features quality Mendoza wines, along with reliable and budget-friendly young Chilean and Spanish ones — almost all of them in the $30 range. Cocktails too have confidence: An Eastern-spiced Hum Dinger and a strong, bitter Peruvian Pisco Sour showed further alcohol aptitude.

The menu hasn't given up all of its Latin inspiration. Among the meatloaf and burgers there is still a “bites” section, featuring small plates such as a guacamole with fruit, stuffed dates with bacon and stuffed piquillo peppers, among others.

From the same side of the menu, a pair of Baja fish tacos were filled with a large piece of flaky, battered white fish and a tart, spicy white sauce that felt great on the tongue. A poutine — fries, cheese curds and a subtle sticky gravy — was the perfect guilty pleasure, even reheated the next day.

“Buns, breads and wraps” heads the main course section, a self-explanatory and straightforward intro for burgers, sandwiches (including a salmon B.L.T. and Philly cheese) and wraps.

The mac 'n' cheese section featured a “Mac & shrooms” — a super creamy corkscrew cellentani pasta with long, slick mushroom slices underneath loose bread crumbs in an adequate, if not spectacular, dish with barely a hint of the truffle oil promised. Similarly, the perfect circle that was the stack of raw diced Ahi tuna, avocado and the otherwise crisp juxtaposition of fried crispy shallots on top lacked assertiveness.

Still, on the medium plates side of things, a “belly buttons” pasta of orecchiette was beautifully fragranced by the fennel in a house-made sausage. It got its color via a splash of crisp green rapini and was made luscious throughout by olive oil. And traditional items like meatloaf get a makeover, with an assist from goat cheese and celery-root infused mashed potatoes.

Dessert — consisting of a trio of warm, crisp empanadas filled with chocolate, dulce de leche and apples — was impeccable.

To be fair, we visited on the day after a new menu and concept was unveiled, and while dishes seemed to have been more timidly seasoned than necessary, we were still impressed with the offerings. Likewise, service was not as crisp as it should have been, but we have no doubt that once it fully hits its stride Table 38 will have quite an enduring relationship with its Geneva patronage.

<b>Table 38</b>

<b>330 W. State St., Geneva, (331) 248-0366, table38restaurant.com</b>

<b>Cuisine:</b> Modern comfort food with cosmopolitan flair

<b>Setting:</b> Open dining room with dark tables and splashes of color

<b>Hours:</b> 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday; 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday

<b>Entrees:</b> $11-$14