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| - Recently I visited Tender to celebrate a friend's birthday. I forgot that I had visited this spot months ago. Not sure how that happened but here's what went down...
First, parking to go anywhere in Lawrenceville on a Saturday night is challenging. Patience and circling the block a few times earned me a parking space in front of Arsenal Lanes which is basically Tender's neighbor.
Tender is housed in an old bank that has been transformed into a sexy bar/restaurant. There are couch, table and booth style seats adjacent to the long bar. There is also a dining area away from the bar in a second room in the back where I dined on my first visit. In my opinion, that area is nice for a date because it's dark and has a nice vibe to it with the high ceiling, raised windows and intimate seating. Sitting at a table near the bar allows you to people watch and socialize which is always fun.
Craft cocktails seem to be all the rage here and they're proud of it. There are many different combinations and their spirit list is fairly long. Tell your server what some of your favorite flavors are and they will recommend something amazing.
Now, about the food. The charcuterie plate...just get it. You get a decent sampling of meats and cheeses with toasted baguette slices and stone ground mustard, olive tapenade and apple butter, sliced apples and blackberries. It was $28 but worth every penny for a tasty shareable app. I ordered their veggie sammy sans the challah bun and opted to have it served on lettuce. This fried green tomato, fried egg, gouda, sauteed onion, avocado and frisee stacker with a side of tequila-poblano remoulade was ridiculously good. It also came with parmesan fries and more of that delicious stone ground mustard. I found myself using more of the mustard over the remoulade. Delicious! Dessert was a few mini donuts with squash ice cream. The donuts tasted like balls of decedent french toast. The ice cream was reminiscent of spiced pumpkin. If you see it on the menu when you visit, just go ahead and order it....you won't regret it.
Lastly, the folks working here are very proud of their business and they should be. It's a great place to chill or dine and the service is amazeballs. Go see for yourself.
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