Provided by Whitney Huang

Former senior Harker Aquila Editors-in-Chief Lily Shi, Eva Cheng and former senior Winged Post Editor-In-Chief Tiffany Zhu pose with their dinner. Esther’s Table had many seating areas for groups of friends to converse while dining.

MINNEAPOLIS — After three long days of presenting, reporting and writing, a hearty and hot meal was what we needed to wind down on the last night of our Journalism Education Association/National Scholastic Press Association National High School Journalism Convention trip. Located in the lobby of Sheraton Minneapolis Downtown Convention Center, Esther’s Table delivered just that. 

When we first entered the restaurant, a modern yet comforting interior greeted us, complete with gold furnishing and white marbled tables. Focaccia bread with olive oil, butter and the Little Gem & Pear salad were complementary appetizers, which were perfect starters to pique our taste palettes. In terms of flavor, the bread was slightly too oily, as it smothered our hands with each bite. The salad was fresh, featuring lettuce, pear and walnuts, but the dressing drizzled on top was too sour for our liking. The mushy texture of the pear combined with the crunchiness of the little gem lettuce felt unpleasant.

The waitress served us a generous pitcher of lemonade. The drink was cold and refreshing, balancing sweet and sour. In terms of flavor, the lemon taste was strong and not watered down.

The Pork and Shrimp Wontons ($16.00) were piping hot, with a dollop of chili crisp on top. The spiciness of the chili crisp balanced out the oiliness of the fried wonton skin. With each bite, a flavor explosion erupted as the meat was perfectly cooked and juicy.

For our main entrees, we ordered the Peterson Smash Burger ($18.00) and the Handmade Ricotta Cavatelli ($29.00). The cavatelli noodles, made in-house and perfectly cooked al dente, arrived garnished with a large topping of microgreens. The sauce felt a bit heavy, so we were unable to finish about a quarter of the remaining dish. The slab bacon and peas incorporated in the dish were nothing special, and they felt as though they were included in a failed attempt to make the item more complex. Although the noodles were soft and pillow-like, the flavors unfortunately did not elevate the dish to a higher level. 

The moment we bit into the burger’s soft brioche buns and juicy meat patties, our fatigue melted away. The caramelized onions and cheddar cheese were perfect finishing touches: the onions added an element of sweetness that cut out the salty beef patties, and the silky cheddar cheese added a balancing sharpness. It also came with crispy french fries that were the perfect amount of salty. 

To end off on a sweet note, we enjoyed four scoops of chocolate chip banana ice cream. The smooth and cold ice cream had a strong, creamy banana flavor, similar to Korean banana milk. The chocolate chunks offered a new texture to the uniform soft banana ice cream and acted as tiny surprises to find in each bite. Our only complaint regarding this dish was that we didn’t order more: we finished this delicacy in under five minutes and were left scraping the bowl in hopes for more. 

Esther’s Table is definitely worth a visit if you’re looking for a place to converse with friends and enjoy a classic, comforting meal.