The Tavern

An old, homey European restaurant. Reminds me of this place in Los Angeles called Anna’s near west side pavilion that closed down already, but my grandparents and his friends used to take me all the time as a kid. Anna’s is an Italian restaurant and Tavern is more like an Austrian, German, other types of European food. Their cheese is delicious, their Parma ham is sprinkled with Parmesan so it’s nice and salty, they have Australian and Japanese Wagyu. We opted for Japanese medium rare 260g, did not disappoint. Other people had the chateaubriand also delicious. And cod. Paired everything with a red bottle of pomerol. Ended the dessert with crêpe Suzette. Nice homey Christmas meal.

Have been to this restaurant a number of times over the last decade or so. The dinning experience I would ranked as above average but it wasn’t so in my last encounter. The Foie Gras which have been so call the signature dish has remained the same — right, the same, as everybody else have innovated and improved. Main was the Japanese wagyu and US prime (don’t think it’s USDA certified as the waiter doesn’t even know what I was saying.) Wanted the steaks to be medium well and indeed it was — but they tasted so similar to the hainanese style steak we used to have from many other places. The steaks looked grilled but the taste is almost like pan-​fried. This is really a big disappointment and one that you don’t expect from an rather established old joint. Got only myself to blame for not trying out the newer joints in town.

I love the Tavern. Amazing quality of meats and sides, the Tavern is my favorite little hole in the wall.