The Maillard Tavern is the chemical reaction that browns meat when it's heated, so I guess that it's appropriate to name a burger joint after it. It was founded by, the chef and restauranteur of popular Italian restaurant, Piccolo Sogno and is actually located across the street from it in a small triangular building that had been empty for more than 20 years. While I will grant that a good chef is constantly learning and burgers are relatively easy, when I think of Italian chefs/restaurants, fried foods and burgers are not the first things that come to mind. Tony Priolo, the chef, has been working with the market for many years and is very familiar with the farmers and vendors, so the food could be counted on to be fresh and local. Despite it's small size, it might seat 36 people, the space actually has two entrances. The main entrance is at the front corner, but there is a small step inside, so there is an ADA compliant entrance that comes in in front of the kitchen in the back of the dining room. The bar is located along one wall with the kitchen opposite it in what is essentially the back corner. There is a large service counter for the kitchen where you can see inside the kitchen somewhat. While you really can't see the complete layout, because of the shape of the building, I have to imagine that the kitchen is also triangular. There are big windows surrounding the entrance with the other walls painted blue. Other light comes from the lights laid out vertically from the high ceiling, but hanging horizontally.
Seating was either at a four top or at the bar. As I was by myself, there was no reason for me to take a four top, so I sat at the bar which I like to do anyway. They had a good liquor selection and a small but well varied tap list. I was amused to see a Minion standing at the bar seemingly running things. I do suppose that they can run things as long as they can be kept from touching anything. Things seemed to run well, so I guess that they were being successful in that regard. While they did have a good tap list and beer does go well with burgers, the cocktail list spoke to me more and I ordered a Good Vibes which had Ford's Gin, Luxardo, Kombu Syrup, Cucumber, Lime, and Bubbles (Prosecco). I liked it a lot, it tasted very fresh and green and was both sweet and tart.
For my burger, I went with the Maillard. There are 7 burgers on the menu plus salad, soups, and 3 other sandwiches, including a veggie burger, but I decided to go with the standard served with Duck Fat Fries. The Maillard came with two Grilled Burgers, Crispy Onions, Bacon and Onion Jam, Cheddar, Pickles, and Dijon Mayo. It was very good. The burger was juicy, the cheese was nice and gooey (and flavorful), the crispy onions added a nice crunch, and the bacon and onion jam and pickles added a flavorful finish. Duck Fat Fries are always a win. They were crispy on the outside, soft on the inside, and well salted. While I was served ketchup on the side, it was unnecessary.
As this is a burger and milkshake place, I couldn't leave without having both. As I already had a drink for while I was eating, I figured, it would work for dessert. All of the Milkshakes start with Vanilla Ice Cream and Creme Anglaise (and garnished with a mint leaf), after that you can add Chocolate, Vanilla, Mixed Berries, Banana, or Maple. You could also add a shot for an additional charge. I will always go with chocolate first, so that's what I did. I had had a few drinks before I got there, so I decided to lay off on making the milkshake boozy. It was good in any case and was what I thought would be a nice finish.
I thought that the milkshake would be a nice finish, but it turned out to not quite be the case. As I said, they have a pretty good tap list. There was only one beer on the list that I had not tried. When the bartender heard me asking someone dining next to me what she thought of it when I saw that she had ordered it, he poured me a sample. All American Macro Brews are Lagers, so it could potentially be pretty boring. This was very nice. It has a clear amber color and some nice lacing, and a light bready flavor. This turned out to be the nice finish to a nice stop at a good burger joint that I will have to return to.
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