“The previous owner of the house left it in the garage. It’s a curved wooden slatted thing that pivots in the middle.”
Answer: “You’ll see 2 slots in the steel bar on the bottom — a length of wire goes in there to hold it open at the right width, then a glass panel rests on the top to form the tabletop.”
Could it be the picture is upside-down?
"Tastes like lime..." I'm more concerned that the person would taste something that they don't know what it is (the answer is probably correct but still...)