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| - You know--I've been putting off this review for a while now just because I don't really have any feelings about this place, which might be a negative to some. But when it comes to Burntwood Tavern, I can't lie--I could take it or leave it.
My Mom and I ended up here about a month or so ago for lunch after some shopping. We were actually going to try Hunan on the Falls, but it was empty and that freaked me out. So, we hopped next door to Burntwood. I had heard OK things about this place in the past, although I hadn't realized how many locations there were...
The Yelp reviews sort of say it for you--some people love this place, others aren't impressed. Almost to the point that it's about half and half. The decor is OK, but something about it and the quality of the food makes you feel like you're in a large chain restaurant.
We started with the flash fried zucchini, which was about the best thing we tried. They were seasoned perfectly, fried to a crisp on the outside and creamy on the inside. We then had the soup of the day, which was a spicy chickpea soup. I'm a big fan of salt and this soup was definitely salty. So much so that I could see how some folks might not like it because of that fact. The flavors were good--but it tasted like a crockpot soup my grandma would make from a recipe on the back of a can. It was homey, but unimpressive. Then came the biggest flop, which was their Philly cheesesteak special. I loved the cheese whiz (the ONLY way to eat a real Philly), but the bread and "Steak-Umms" tasted straight out of the freezer. The steak was thin cut, and prepared like an O'Charley's Steak Sandwich out of the mall food court. It wasn't horrible, but not something I expected from this place. Maybe from the drunk menu late night at a hole-in-the-wall bar.
The service was just OK--It was basically the bartender stepping out to serve us, splitting her time between them and the dining room. In my opinion, you should have a dedicated server and bartender, separately.
Overall, I wouldn't go out of my way to come back, but I wouldn't cry if a bunch of my friends wanted to go here.
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