I was able to make a last minute Monday night dinner reservation directly on their site which was convenient!
We were so distracted by the "Grand Marnier" ice sculpture out front (who doesn't love an ice sculpture?) that it took us a few tries to figure out which of the large windows was actually the entrance....thankfully the diners seemed too taken by their food to notice us!
As soon as we walked in we both looked at each other and said "love the decor" - its very wood and cozy taverne-esque....very nice on a chilly winter's night!
The waitress and host who greeted us at the door were the only small "miss" on an otherwise perfect restaurant experience - she seemed distracted and walked away when I told her we had reservations, leaving us to a male host who silently led us to our table in back.
If I wanted to be picky I would complain that while the restaurant was nowhere near full and had many larger tables available up front, our "reserved" table was a tiny rectangle in back stuck to the staircase which appeared to lead to the downstairs kitchen. However, the 2 of us are on the small side, it was a very private spot, it was warmer in back and our waiter and food were so fantastic that we barely noticed the size of our table at the end!
The menu and cocktail menu are not extensive but well thought out and easy to read. They have different daily "specials" for each weekday. Not all of the menu choices were available and the Monday daily special had been replaced by a different option which our waiter took the time to point out and explain to us.
We started off with the Mango Bellini cocktail - delicious!
We shared the homemade chips with truffle dip - the portion was small but delicious and we were thankful it wasn't any bigger when we saw our main dishes! The homemade chips were thin, crispy waffles and the dip was tasty without being too rich or heavy.
I had the tavern burger with manchego cheese and pork belly served with onion rings - it was a generous plate - delicious and very filling. My friend had the equally generous cornish hen served with french fries which smelled and apparently tasted just as good. Both plates were served with cole slaw - very fresh and tart.
We had pudding chomeur for dessert - it hit the spot!
Our waiter was fantatic - very attentive, took the time to explain the menu choices to us, offered us a variety of dipping sauces for the fries, checked up on us with a smile...in short, fantastic!
Would definitely reccomend!