If you happen to be walking near RonTom’s bar, close in on SE Burnside, you may just turn a corner and happen upon 40 people dining happily, almost covertly, in an amply-windowed commercial kitchen.  What is this place, you wonder?  Some nights it’s dark, and some it’s full of hungry people passing around family style platters at long industrial tables.  You could have sworn this place is just a commercial production kitchen, not a restaurant.  And you are right on all accounts.

Inside this multi-use kitchen at 609 SE Ankeny is the home of Abby’s Table, a gluten- and dairy-free fresh sauce manufacturer who puts the fun and deliciousness back into allergy free eating.  Each Wednesday night at 7pm, owner and sauce creator Chef Abby Fammartino, along with a staff of happy volunteers, magically turns a sparse production space into a friendly dining hall, serving up a refreshing take on a seasonal feast – one that pleases omnivores and vegans alike.

The creative and health-conscious menu featured each week is surprise, but there are certainly some constants to the equation: the menu is always gluten and dairy free, it always highlights one of Abby’s Table fresh sauces, is always four courses, and is always $18.  Oh, and it is always served family style with separate vegan entrees to boot.   No wonder all the people look blissed out when you pass by.  Do not fear, no group singing or handholding required. Curious enough to check it out?  The buzz of this underground dining scene is moving quickly by word of mouth, so it’s best to reserve seats in advance at www.abbys-table.com for the Wednesday night dinners.  Otherwise, come Thursday morning, you’ll be left without a crumb of evidence that it ever happening at all.