Bridge Tap House and Wine Bar - Meh

Date Dined: May 26, 2014

Overall Rating: 2.5 Stars

Another day after the wedding meal, we wanted to see some people off so we decided on doing some brunch. Originally, sushi was the destination until we realized everything on Wash Ave (except for Rosalita’s) is closed on Memorial Day. Changing gears we decided to check out Roosters which I think is good but overrated, but the 45 minute wait was a little too much. So we finally settled on Bridge Tap House.

I remember going here on a lunch date with a friend almost a year ago and thinking it was pretty tasty. Something must have changed since then because the quality of the food has certainly gone downhill. Let’s delve in shall we?

Décor: 4 Stars

I love the inside of Bridge Tap House. Of course I’m a sucker for the exposed bricking and the dark wood, but I just like the general feel of the tall tables, and the spacing between them that could easily transition into something romantic during a dinner. Although narrow, they made the most of the space by building a sizeable upstairs seating area.

Service: Hard to Say

We had a server on her very first shift out of training so it’s hard to say how the normal service would be. Needless to say, I think she’s got a long way to go as she couldn’t remember basic questions about a lot of the dishes including how many came out per appetizer and how big certain dishes were. But, I will say that the hostess was very friendly and the bartender made an excellent mimosa.

Price: 2 Stars

Bridge Tap House is expensive for what you get. If the food was just a little better or the prices just a little cheaper then I’d be all about it, but when you’re paying over $30.00 for an entrée, a drink and an appetizer you expect a little more bang for your buck.

Food: 3 Stars

The last time I went I thought the food was quite tasty, if not amazing. They had bbq chicharron and a pretty moist and tasty hamburger. Whatever they changed about the menu is definitely for the worst.

The restaurant does have an impressive beer and wine list, which might be what you want to stick to when you go. Fifty-five beers on tap, and over twenty wines by the glass. Pair this with a nice cheese plate and you can have a pretend sophisticated evening. We actually ordered a cheese plate, and it was quite tasty. I’d be remiss in stating I could remember the cheeses ordered, but paired with the tomato jam they were a nice start to the meal. Little did we know that this would be the highlight of our visit.

Appetizers included pretzel rolls (6 dollars) and pork tacos (8 dollars). The pretzel rolls were what you expected from a basic soft pretzel, but I honestly think that Companion’s pretzels are even better. The soft doughy centers of the rolls were good, but the outside was actually a little tough and chewy. The beer cheese was actually much appreciated as it helped you make it through the entire roll. The pork tacos were likewise fine, with the meat moist and plentiful, but it was kind of lacking in taste, almost as if they had boiled the meat. The carrots and lettuce were an odd accent to the entire meal and made it sort of difficult to eat.

For my main entrée I ordered the Amish chicken (18 dollars) with the gorgonzola, bacon and rosemary bread pudding (for an extra 4 dollars). I knew when ordering the pudding that it wouldn’t be as good as it sounded and I was right, but I still enjoyed it. If anything it was more like a quiche with the outside toasted. I love a blue cheese, but the gorgonzola was a little overpowering. The chicken was fantastically disappointing. The meat was dry, the kale undercooked, and what’s with the six french fries? Really the most obtrusive thing about it was that sauce that you see in the picture, and served in that small dish there was no place to scrape it. I think that a good roast chicken dish should be able to stand on its own. Pay a little more attention to the meat and use the sauce as an accent. Plus give me some more damn french fries!

In Conclusion

If you want to grab a drink and eat some cheese then this might be the place for you. If you’re looking for a great lunch spot downtown I might skip this place. Out of all the Bailey restaurants I’d rank this as my least favorite and partially because of the high food prices. I will say it’s worth trying if you want to test out a new downtown location, but I can’t see it becoming a favorite foodie joint.