The White Linen

Such a delightful dining experience - the food and the ambiance were outstanding! The service was a bit slow, which if we hadn't had tickets that evening for a concert at the performing arts center, wouldn't have been a problem. We left with our dessert in hand, and still made it in time.

You guys, we drove from Kansas City because I read about this restaurant being a James beard award finalist. So we got my mom to watch the kiddos and headed to Topeka for my 40th birthday meal. WORTH.THE.DRIVE. They have a 5 course tasting menu. The building itself is beautiful and historic. We absolutely loved the ambiance. They had Christmas music playing- and I love Christmas so I was a fan. We each had a cocktail that we loved. Mine was called something Soirée. It has this sprig of rosemary clipped to the glass so that every time you take a drink you get this amazing aromatic experience. Our server was super nice. We loved the risotto dish and the dessert- those were my two favorite. My only complaint was he was the only server- they could have used two. The experience could have been At least 30-45Minutes quicker as we arrived at 6:30 and headed home at 8:45. It seems all the tables had each course around the same time rather than each table setting the timing for our own meal. The food was worth it though so no big deal. It was around $200 pretipBut we felt very much worth it. We had a great time and will be back for sure!

The gem of Topeka! What a fantastic experience. Chef took great care of us with a five course romantic dinner! We started with a delicious soup, goat cheese caramelized salad, and a steak and scallop main course that was cooked to perfection. The medium rare steak was so tender and flavorful. We ended with a delicious lava cake that melted in our mouth! Each dish was a fusion of classic and contemporary flavors. The speakeasy vibes is a dining experience with an irresistible blend of vintage charm and culinary innovation! Overall, the wonderful experience we had here for our private date night in the vault lingered long after our last bite!

Food: it was a little salty than expected but overall we had an excellent time.Service was attentive and a bit standoffish.Ambiance: there was not many people here so we actually enjoyed our meal.

First time dining here and was so looking forward to it. Took my mother there as her farewell to Topeka dinner. First off, for a restaurant named The White Linen there was no white linen other than a napkin. Had the 5 course tasting menu + wine pairing. It was obvious from the get go that our waiter didn't know the difference between broccoli and broccolini. The first three courses were good, creative and tasty. The main course, protein, was fine but not wow. I had lamb chops and they were a little under cooked for my taste, even as a Kansan. Dessert was the most disappointing. A peach cannoli with just a thin line of filling and a whole lot of vacant, tasteless shell. It was sad to end the dinner on such a disappointing note. It was far and above most of my Topeka dining experiences, but not as wonderful as I'd hoped.

Tonight my Aunts and I tried out The White Linen. Reservations are preferred, as there's a $25 deposit when you make that is applied towards your bill. The atmosphere was very quaint, it was not busy when we arrived for our 5:20 Reservation. We ordered our Wine and our Server Giovanni was Absolutely Amazing. He asked if it was our first time at TWL and then explained the menu to us. I ordered a glass of the Submission Pinot Noir which I thought was excellent, my Aunts ordered MoscatoG explained our courses to us when he brought them out, tbe 3 of us ordered different entrees so we could have a taste of everyone's. The Duck Breast was delicious-1st time I had ever had duck. The Goat Cheese Ravioli was also delicious as well as the scallops w/bok choy. We all were pretty impressed with the meal and trying different things that we hadn't had before. G did ask if anyone had allergies, then when he brought out the Lovster Bisque(starter)he said he brought a butternut squash soup out for my Aunt who did have a shrimp allergy-so that was a nice bonus on asking about food allergies. If you're looking for an upscale dinner in Topeka, this is your place, located in downtown Topeka in a historic building.

One of the worst dining experiences ever for us at the White Linen in Topeka. We have eaten at many restaurants around the world and this was terrible. Really don't mind paying a deposit to make a reservation, but instead of deducting it from your bill at the end, it becomes a separate refund, which of course I haven't received yet. The 5 course meal took 2 hours and 25 minutes from being seated to paying the check. They did not have the wine we chose from their wine list so we had a substitution instead. Bread is NOT included in their inclusive dinner cost. From $58 to $80 per person is the choices, depending on which of the 5 entrees you select. Each of the 5 courses are very very small portions. Things were so slow that after nearly 2 hours we asked that our desserts come out with the entree. I ordered the scallops. It consisted of TWO (2) sea scallops and TWO (2) one inch square pork belly bites, all for a price of $78. In a nutshell, DO NOT EAT here. The ambiance is terrible, the service is slow (regardless of whether it was the kitchen or the server), the food portions are very small for the price and the reservation deposit system needs attention. We will never be back!

The first Tuesday of each month is usually Tapas Tuesday - love it!!! You can share several different amazing tapas and have a cocktail. This photo is of the Duck Banh Mi Tacos and a photo of this months's menu. Excellent food, service and atmosphere.

My wife and I had a fabulous dining experience at the Chef's Table. We have had dinners at five star restaurants from Miami to San Francisco and in between. This was an exceptional experience., The thought in each plating was very evident. The chef is a true talent who deserves to have his James Beard Award. The attention to detail regarding the ingredients and the plating was artistry. The menu changes regularly and we have never been disappointed with any dish from his kitchen. If you are ever in the Topeka area, this is a must on your list to experience a culinary delight. Topeka is lucky to have culinary maestro who pays attention to all the details.

Got a babysitter to travel from Manhattan to try this place out because I was very excited about a James Beard Semi Finalist being within an hour's drive. We had two over arching complaints that led to me taking two stars off- #1 many dishes were over salted, my scallops were so over salted I could not finish #2 The advertisement as "fine dining" is grossly overstated and set the expectations far too high. Let's talk about these individually- the crepes, the scallops, and the dipping butter with the steak all had a sauce that I believe was the same, just marketed in different ways (which is not something I would expect from a fine dining restaurant) and was over salted- very unfortunate that this sauce had to tarnish three separate dishes with its saltiness. The scallops and the steak both had salt sprinkled on top of them which just put the salt level over the top when paired with the butter sauce. Now let's talk about the "fine dining" advertisement. When I hear a restaurant being advertised as fine dining, I expect the highest trained waitstaff, an attention to detail with the place setting/ambiance, and a menu that accurately portrays what is being served. Our waitress fell short on many occasions- I declined the champagne (which was supposed to be offered as complimentary, like it was to other tables but not us) and was not offered to order a different drink. We had to ask for another drink from a different waitress later in the meal because our waitress took our empty glasses without asking us if we would like to order another. She also was not well informed about the menu- my husband ordered the ribeye and she came back to inform us after a few appetizers that they were out of the ribeye and offered to substitute a filet instead. However when it came to dessert, when describing the courses at the beginning of the meal, she said we would be receiving the stuffed squash blossoms. Without another word, she brought out a carrot cake for dessert. This should never ever happen in a fine dining establishment. I could get nit-picky about how the heirloom salad was served with cherry tomatoes instead of heirloom, or how the crepes were missing tarragon as advertised, or how the "chorizo" in the risotto was just sausage. The clam chowder as well as the scallops were both sandy. The kicker for me was that the "meunière" was definitely not a meunière as it was thick like a white gravy, it was over salted, and it was the same sauce as served with the crepes and the steak. Overall, the saving grace was the pork belly (delicious and perfectly cooked) and came out as advertised. While the heirloom salad was not an heirloom salad, it was delicious. Same with the risotto- was not chorizo but it was delicious. The fact that place is in Topeka definitely elevates it because it is superior to other restaurants in the area, but definitely did not live up to its James Beard Semifinalist nomination.