More than a decade ago, Ann and Randy Lipton purchased a former neighborhood market and converted it into Winslow’s Home, a general store–meets–café that morphed into a critically acclaimed neighborhood hangout.
While some might miss the folksiness of the original Winslow’s, the model wasn’t ultimately sustainable, even as an increasing numbers of dining tables replaced the coils of garden hose, bags of lump charcoal, grommet repair kits, and paper kites paired with spools of tethering string. Some diners were dissuaded by the lines that could snake from the counter to the front door; you could reach the front of the line—only to find that the last of the dozen blueberry muffins that you were craving just sold.
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All of that changed, though, when Michael and Tara Gallina, owners of the critically acclaimed Vicia in the Central West End, took over the property, remodeled it, and reopened the space as Winslow’s Table in November. It’s very much a restaurant now, where guests can expect full table service at breakfast, lunch, and, beginning just last month, dinner.
At Vicia, Michael created the inventive seasonal presentations, and Tara attended to the service, hospitality, and overall experience for which the restaurant became known. (In October 2017, Vicia was named “Best in Class” in SLM’s biennial “Best New Restaurants” issue.) Expect the same attention to detail at Winslow’s Table, though presented in a more casual format. Tara described it as “less fine dining, more relaxed, more of a daily spot.”
The breakfast menu tinkers with past dishes, such as blueberry pancakes and frittatas, but ups the ante with a kicky shakshuka and a buttermilk biscuit sandwich (pictured above).
At lunch, there are ties to Vicia’s former grain salads, soups, and tartines. (Vicia stopped serving lunch just after Winslow’s Table opened.) More traditional lunch choices include a grilled cheese and turkey sandwich, as well as an obligatory nod to Winslow’s Home’s most popular lunch item, a braised brisket sandwich on a brioche bun.
Dinner at Winslow’s Table is less expensive than at its precursor, where many entrées were priced well over $20. The dinner menu is just a month old and will change as the Gallinas test the waters and as winter unfolds into spring.
Already, an oyster mushroom, pear, stracciatella, radicchio, and endive salad (pictured at right) has morphed into a version with acorn squash, toasted pecans, and pine nuts. A wintry pork schnitzel entrée has given way to a schnitzel sandwich, served on a house-made bun with Provolone, cabbage, sauerkraut, apples, and Dijonnaise. And a mid-winter arrival of “some really good local broccoli” supplanted the cabbage in the house Caesar, steering Winslow’s down another inventive side street.
The interior’s muted beige and white are the prevalent colors on the walls and ceiling, complemented by deep and dusky blues. With the new iteration, rustic woods blend seamlessly with the recently hewn. A host seats medium and large groups at versatile tables mid-room, while tables of two dominate a long wall banquette. Above it, ceramic roosters, hens, and occasional progeny traipse among unbending stalks of wheat. One can also enjoy the entire proceedings from one-way-facing stools along an elevated food and drink rail.
Less obvious to guests (of any iteration of Winslow’s) is its private event space. Located downstairs and one of the best kept secrets in town, the room seats up to 36 people for gatherings, pop-ups, and collaborative dinners.
At present but subject to change, dinner service hours are Tuesday through Saturday from 5–9 p.m. As of February 1, reservations may now be secured via Tock. (For breakfast and lunch, guests can either walk in or use the wait list feature on Yelp.)
Winslow’s retail presence has been scaled back somewhat, but as SLM dining writer Iain Shaw noted, “there’s still enough to build a picnic,” including local honey, cured meats from Salume Beddu, bread baked in house (including challah on Fridays), and a predictable litany of sweets, such as the chewy and chocolaty Winslow’s bar.
Presently available in the grab-and-go cold case are artisanal cheeses, fresh whipped butter, colorful eggs from Winslow’s Farm in Defiance, house-made pesto sauce, macaroni and cheese, roasted chicken legs, and, from the current menu, winter bean soup and the featured grain salad. Bottled wine and craft beer round out the take-home offerings.
Building owner Ann Lipton says the Gallinas are the perfect stewards for what she created at Winslow’s Home. “Michael and Tara listen,” she says. “They are keenly aware of what customers expect from them. I’m sure that Winslow’s menu will continue to evolve as the seasons change and everyone’s needs get met.”
