Cleome Table & Bar - simplysaratoga.com

“The kitchen seat is the heart and soul of most households. It’s where people come together, have conversations, and hopefully enjoy delicious food in a shared setting.”

— Cleome’s vision —

The first thing we notice when approaching the restaurant, Cleome Table & Bar, located in Glens Falls, is how welcoming it appears from the outside. Tables are set with vases of fresh-cut flowers, and small, shimmering lights greet people passing by. If Susan and I weren’t going there for dinner, we would want to, for sure!

Inside, the space is open and airy, with a nice, long bar showcasing all kinds of spirits, and succulent plants are displayed on shelves and other areas throughout. The day’s specials are posted on chalkboards, and it’s nice to see the kitchen close by, where you can catch glimpses of the chef as he works behind the scenes, preparing tasty dishes brought to our table by the friendliest waitstaff I’ve ever had the pleasure to meet—God’s honest truth.

The restaurant’s logo is straightforward and gorgeous. I ask how they chose the name and am told that it’s branded after Chef Jakob’s favorite flower as well as his niece, who shares the namesake. “The Cleome flower is a popular choice for southern gardeners due to its beauty and ability to hold up in that climate,” Sarah Matte, General Manager, tells me. “Also, in our humble opinion, it makes for a beautiful logo,” she states with a grin while leading us to a window seat, where the ambient light will be fantastic for pictures!

Dominick is at the bar and makes two drinks for us. He’s cheerful, and we can tell he enjoys bartending, talking to guests at the restaurant, and sharing his skills with diners coming in. First, he makes the Wildflower Smash. (It’s the drink I adopt after taking my first sip.) He explains that it’s made with local gin, elderflower liqueur, Jasmine syrup, fresh lemon and mint, finished with an elegant froth of egg white. I love it because none of the flavors compete with each other, they blend nicely, and the drink goes down sooo smoothly. Susan’s drink is their Verona, Cleome’s twist on the classic Old-Fashioned. We stand at the bar and watch Dominick expertly marry craft bourbons with blood orange Italian liquor. When he pulls a tray of blood orange ice cubes out of the freezer behind him, Susan and I look at each other and grin. Talk about intense flavor! Dominick laughs. “Our guests love these ice cubes,” he says. “Take your time drinking this one,” he advises. “Sip and savor, that’s the idea.” Susan is thrilled that I adopted the first drink; she loves bourbon, and this cocktail is extra special.

Danielle is our server for the evening, and she’s so bubbly, and open about her 15-year experience in hospitality, and how she felt ‘at home’ when she interviewed for a job here at Cleome. “I love that the restaurant is so environmentally sustainable," she tells us. “We purchase our fish from Boston, local ingredients whenever we can, and are even working to make our ‘living green wall’ viable – we want to harvest herbs in-house that can be used in our food and cocktails. We’ve even installed full-spectrum grow lights to help facilitate that vision.” Danielle explains how the owners even use vegetable trimmings to flavor their sauces and braises, for example. “Food waste is minimal here,” she smiles before walking away.

She talks us through the appetizers that arrive at our table. From crackers with a delicious creamy pimento cheese spread to the fresh veggie relish platter, to a delightful scoop of spiced butter and clover honey atop jalapeño cornbread (not too hot, just perfect!), to their chicken liver paté, we’re already full, trying to pace ourselves for what was still coming out of the kitchen. Let me just say this: I do not like paté. At all. It’s so dry and gritty, right? But, here, the burnt onion jam lent it moisture, texture, and flavor to die for. I’m happy I took a chance and tried it.

When Danielle comes over and warns us that the lobster mac and cheese dish is very hot, we answer her with a nod. The aroma of this shareable plate is heavenly. It smells a tiny bit salty and sweet, just like a fresh-caught Maine ocean lobster should smell. Chunks of tender lobster meat and perfectly cooked cavatappi pasta soaked in a creamy cheddar and fontina lobster cream sauce are covered with toasted garlic breadcrumbs – it’s so rich, needing nothing as far as extra seasoning goes.

In between eating, drinking, and enjoying the ambiance of Cleome’s, we learn a little bit about Jakob White, chef/owner, and Chris Matte, manager/owner. They met in the early 90s through Jakob’s older brother, Mike. Chris spent many days at their home, which was a warm and welcoming hub for brothers Mike, Jakob, and Nate’s friends to come together – a place where great food was always available for anyone passing through.

While Jakob was operating Comedor – a Chilean-American restaurant in the Boston area in 2019, Chris had the chance to visit and was blown away by how good everything was. In fact, the restaurant was awarded Boston’s Best Restaurant Featuring South American Food for two years in a row, praised for its innovative small plates, vibrant hospitality, and the ability to bring bold, unexpected flavors to the forefront of the city’s dining scene. The two men spent time discussing various opportunities after that night, and when Jakob got wind of a location in Glens Falls, their hometown, they leased the space, and it took off from there.

“Chef Jakob White is a seasoned culinary professional known for his bold, globally inspired approach to comfort food.” Chris shares with us. “He graduated from the Culinary Arts Program at Boston University, honing his craft at the acclaimed 51 Lincoln during its heyday, and he developed a deep respect for seasonal ingredients, classic technique, and creative expression, which we hope you can see come to life here at the restaurant.” We can. It was interesting to learn that Chef Jakob provided fine dining in both Boston, Massachusetts, and St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands. He earned a reputation for thoughtful, ingredient-driven menus and forward-thinking leadership. “Some of his work has been featured in Plate Magazine, Cosmopolitan Magazine, and the Boston University Alumni Magazine,” Chris continues singing his well-deserved praises. I think he could have gone on, and we certainly would have listened, but more food arrived, and Chris encouraged us to enjoy the shared plates in front of us.

Their fried heirloom chicken is set on top of low-country sawmill gravy, with a side of a delightfully crunchy broccoli slaw. The chicken coating is nice and light. Personally, I love when a restaurant offers free-range chicken; the meat is always so tender and flavorful.

All of the fish dishes served at Cleome are so fresh, it’s as if the lump crab meat in the Crabby Grits, flavored with a savory aged cheddar cheese, and fried softshell crab has just come in off the boat. None of their meals is heavy (filling, for sure, but not heavy), and they all carry little nods to southern cooking.

Earlier, when I asked Chris what their vision was for the next five years, he answered immediately. “We opened April 2nd of this year. This is Jakob’s second restaurant. We’d love for Cleome Table and Bar to become a neighborhood staple, especially with the rejuvenation of Glens Falls and, more specifically, South Street. We plan to host many private events, offer specialty classes, and become a desirable purveyor for catered events. Customers already love our sauces, dressings, spreads, and ice cream, which makes us hopeful that our retail products will flourish too!”

Speaking of ice cream – Susan and I leave room to try two desserts – their sweet corn ice cream, which tastes a lot like cool and creamy sherbet, and their caramel apple crisp, which reminds me of my mom in the kitchen on a glorious fall day, making something similar for the seven of us.

Here’s the thing: enjoying a meal at Cleome’s is all about sharing love and community around a table covered with comfort foods. Memories of home and friends and family. It’s an experience filled with laughter and lively conversations, catching up on the ‘in-between’ space of visits. Life is hectic – Cleome is all about slowing down. And they ace it, for sure.