Everyone at the table begged me not to tell you about this place. Although I feel like a traitor to my table mates at last night’s incredible tasting, I can’t not let you know about The Miller’s Table in Oceanside.

I hadn’t made any plans to go out for dinner, but one of our foodie members in our closed YNC Facebook group asked if anyone wanted to meet up to check out The Miller’s Table. I’d heard a little bit about it, but not a lot. All I really knew was that it was in the space that Fish Joint used to occupy. Since I’m always up for a dining adventure, I said yes.

The Community Table

When I walked into the dimly lit restaurant, I assumed the large table in the center was a private party. There were candles and bottles of wine all over the table, so it was easy enough to make that assumption. But as it turns out, that’s the community table. There are a few side tables where diners can eat more privately, but I love a good meal with strangers and that’s where my foodie friend, Brian was seated. He had been chatting with two ladies to the left and a couple to the right.

Before I even sat down, I heard my name called from the opposite side of the table. It was another writer friend who admitted to spending many of her days at the table. She gushed about the food and made a few suggestions. I went through my memory files and couldn’t put a finger on one that showed her sharing this on Facebook, but I could have missed it. Or… she’s been keeping this place to herself.

I was about an hour away from understanding why she might have been hush hush about The Miller’s Table.

Wine Tasting

After saying hello to her and her family, I went back to my foodie friend and took my seat. He had ordered a flight of reds called “The Blood of Jove,” and I decided on the “Rose’ on the Road” flight. Staci Miller, the owner, brought out my wines and glasses, giving me a beautifully detailed description of each as she poured them. Her level of knowledge of wine made sense when we learned of her background.

Prior to opening The Miller’s Table, she was a wine buyer and is currently a member of the Guild of Sommeliers. She’s done quite a few other things in the restaurant biz, including being a beer buyer, all of which have led her to open her own place on Coast Highway.

Decisions… decision…

As we started sipping, the couple to our right made some suggestions on the menu. One appetizer that they couldn’t say enough good things about? The potato chips.

“It’s a slippery slope.”

The woman to my left went further, chiming in across the table with, “No, it’s all downhill from there.”

Other items on the list read a lot like a deli menu. If you don’t read the descriptions, you might make the mistake of thinking this is plain fare or comfort food that you might make at home. You’d be mistaken. As my friend Brian likes to say, “It doesn’t have to be fancy to be good. You just have to use quality ingredients, simply prepared, and well executed.”

And boy, does Staci know how to execute her menu.

Beautifully Simple Menu

As to her food philosophy, Staci says “I’m simple.” It is simple, and it’s also beautiful.

Even with all the suggestions, or maybe because of all the suggestions, we couldn’t decide what to order. Staci suggested we try the items that are available in “bites” sizes, so that’s what we did, adding in a plate of Mac & Cheese.

We started with the Italian Kissed Tuna Bites. This is going to sound plebian, but that was the best tuna salad I’ve ever tasted. Staci later told us she makes it with sushi grade ahi. The tuna bite is served on a large slice of cucumber and topped with a slice of oven-sweetened tomato. It’s not as messy as it sounds, but I was really happy that there was a basket of napkins right in front of me.

After that, we had the Platter of Pickled Things. I asked, and yes, she does get some of her produce from Cyclops Farms. She also uses Save Food, a group that’s doing its best to eliminate food waste. “Food waste KILLS me. We use everything to the nth degree.” This is something I love to hear restaurateurs say.

On the pickled plate were green beans, fennel, beets, zucchini, chard stems, and kale stems. Yes… stems! They were surprisingly delicious, but the big winner was the pickled fennel. One of the ladies at the table was cheered on later in the evening to try it. She’s not a fennel fan but ended up really enjoying the pickled fennel served there.

We moved on to Roast Beef Bites made with house-made horseradish, Mac & Cheese made with Gruyere and roasted mushrooms, and a delicious Panini made with the most delicate bread from Prager Brothers Artisan Bread in Carlsbad.

Staci Spills…

Before we indulged in a bit of sweetness, we talked a while with Staci about her menu and food philosophy. “In the simplicity, we can shine.” She continued, talking about her background working at establishments that focused more on fluff, like foams and gels on food. Edible art, I call it. She talked about how hard she had worked for other people and one day, she decided to work hard for herself.

Although she’s lived in a lot of great places, it was while training for the 3-day Avon walk that she realized she wanted to make Oceanside her home. “This is a really unique town.” We agree!

At the core of what she’s doing is sharing her passion for good food and wine, but she also enjoys seeing the way strangers come together to eat and chat. The table is the point of engagement. She walks around the table, speaking to the diners as though they are guests in her own home. She answers questions about the menu, as well as the wines, making suggestions in a way that makes the novice drinker feel comfortable.

Regulars Become Family

She told us her idea for the community table comes from her Hungarian roots. There’s a coffee house sensibility to it. “Sometimes people who have been neighbors for years finally meet face-to-face here.” She said even the political discussions have been tempered and good. She told us about three couple that didn’t have the same view point and that didn’t know each other until they met at the table. When Staci closed at 9, they left to continue their conversation at LTH down the street.

She admits to waking up tired every day, but it’s the conversations with her guests and regulars that re-energize her. With a smile on her face, she says,”It’s a place where regulars become family.”

And then the Meyer Lemon Bread Pudding and Mexican Chocolate Rice Pudding came and we died and went to heaven.

Against the wishes of the lovely people I met at the table last night, I’ll tell you where The Miller’s Table is at: