Sunday, February 21, 2016

Global Flavors at Tavern Road (Boston, MA)

The airy Tavern Road in Fort Point is a hip eatery that merges the neighborhood's recent emergence and the creative community who's long occupied the area. DiBiccari has a lot of connections to the art community in Boston (his uncle was an artist), so the artwork displayed in his restaurant is also done by local artists.

Tavern Road
Tavern Road's menu spans diverse global influences. Diners may start with some Sumac hummus and grilled beans with apple, sesame, and freshly baked pita ($8)
Tavern Road
In fact, diners should start with this amazing sumac hummus, along with the warm, fluffy pita. It's unlike other hummus you've had. The sumac and apple adds a refreshing tartness, and I am always partial to the nutty sesame flavor. I could't stop munching on the pita and hummus!

Chickpea frites, sweet and spicy tomato jam ($5)
Tavern Road
When I read the description, I was imagining falafels, but these cubes of ground chickpeas are surprisingly smooth and creamy morsels.

Maine Crab conserva, soffrito, fried pita, pickles, herbs ($12)
Tavern Road
Shifting direction to a jar of light marinated crab. The fresh pita makes another appearance here and is a great vehicle for the cool, fresh lumps of crab meat.
Duck and yellow bean pupusas, smoked cheese, sugar pumpkin sauce ($9)
Tavern Road
Chef DiBiccari knew he wanted to serve pupusas at his restaurant when he had them in East Boston. The topping and filling of his pupusa changes seasonally, and this one brings out the right fall/winter flavors with the creamy pumpkin sauce and the smokiness of the duck and cheese. I would've liked more duck filling, but the masa and pupusas themselves were a hit.

Lamb meatball tostada, baby arugula, tzatziki, feta, harissa ($14)
Tavern Road
DiBiccari's meatballs became famous during his stint at Storyville, so he always keeps them on the menu here, as well, but the preparation changes. Currently, the sweet and spicy meatballs are served over fried tortillas with tzatziki. It was a little hard to eat it as a tostada (the tortilla was on the tougher side), in my opinion, but I did enjoy the flavor combination.

My favorite dish of the night was actually that evening's special, white prawns with rotisserie pineapple and habanero sriracha sauce - made using sriracha produced at a local Massachusetts farm, Kitchen Garden Farm!
Tavern Road

To me, this dish not only showcases Tavern Road's support of local farmers and producers, it was also simply delicious!

The cocktails at Tavern Road are also not to be missed - even after the sudden and sad passing of beloved bartender Ryan McGrale who used to head the program, it's good to see that the team is still holding strong.

Peru-ve Me Wrong (La Caravedo pisco, apricot, Madeira, lemon, bitters, $11)
Tavern Road

I really enjoyed the Blackbeard's Delight (Pig's Nose scotch, ginger amer, Southern Tier Pale Ale, lemon, brown sugar, $13), which pretty much combines most of my favorite ingredients and flavor profiles (smokiness, ginger, bitters, and effervescence)
Tavern Road

Dessert was a brightly flavored passionfruit pudding, a perfect end to the meal.
Tavern Road
All in all, I had a great meal at Tavern Road, where the flavors span a diverse source of influences from all over the world. Louis DiBiccari puts his own spin while keeping the core tradition of the dish, as exemplified by his pupusa with pumpkin sauce. In keeping with his vision to make Tavern Road friendly and approachable to the local residents, you'll find dishes that will please everyone on the table. Not an adventurous eater? Tavern Road's burger is a crowd pleaser.

Tavern Road
343 Congress Street
Boston, MA 02210
(617) 790-0808
http://tavernroad.com/
Tavern Road Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

0 comments:

Gourmet Pigs   © 2008. Template Recipes by Emporium Digital

TOP