Tavern In the Square Burlington

Tavern In the Square in Burlington occasionally load a $10 promo on my card. That is just about the only time I frequent them.

It was an absolutely perfect day.

Mac +Cheese ($16). "4 cheese, farm cream, potato chip crumb top [add buffalo chicken with blue cheese, smoked chicken or bacon - 3]". I added buffalo chicken (actually +3 and not -3). The promised potato chip crumb didn't make it. On a subsequent visit, there was a vestige of crumbs on the top. Not nearly enough to be browned. The M&C was excellent, creamy, and really rich. The buffalo chicken tried to pretend that it was crispy but failed to convince me. It also lacked the buffalo seasoning, or if it was any, it was so mild that the taste was nonexistent. The blue cheese melted nicely into the creamy sauce, but it was also really mild. Am I the only one who thinks $16 for an M&C is ridiculous? I had a free lunch (-$14.95) on my card, so that helped.

Fish + Chips ($18.50). "Chip crusted haddock filet, house fries, slaw, malt tartar." This is restaurant stupidity at its worst. If you try to cut into this super crusty fish, you will smash the fries underneath, and how are you supposed to salt the fries? In the meantime, the dressing from the slaw will soak into the bottom layer of the fries. STUPID! I asked for another plate, and put the fries on one side and the fish on the other, and left the slaw on the first plate. Civilized. The fries are excellent, apart from the soggy ones. The fish had a super crispy coating but could have been cooked a lot less. It was still sort of flaky but not moist. The slaw was delicious. The tartar sauce was excellent. STUPID!

This time they loaded a free appetizer on my card, so I headed down for brunch on Saturday. This is the Taquitos ($12). "Tres queso, chorizo scrambled egg, pickled jalapeño salsa, cotija". Apparently, the weekend appetizers don't qualify as appetizers since the system refused my free appetizer offer. I found no chorizo in my scrambled eggs. There were also no jalapenos involved in the salsa. The portion was big enough for lunch for me.

They loaded a free appetizer on my card, and I found out that an appetizer is not an appetizer during brunch. This time it worked, and I got the BBQ Chicken Pizza ($13.50) for an appetizer. "Bbq sauce, sharp provolone, fire roasted corn, bacon, onion jam". This was a pleasant pizza with a nice thin crust and appetizing toppings. Wish there was more bacon. Only in America will an appetizer serve as lunch. Bonus point if you know what I was watching.

I had to try the Boiled Dinner from them that's available during March. "Corned beef brisket, root veg, potatoes, savory broth, cbv mustard". CBV mustard stands for Craft Beer Vinegar, and it was delicious. The corned beef was excellent, even if it was sliced with the grain and not against it. What were they thinking! The potatoes and the carrots were cooked properly. The white root vegetable was not. The traditional cooked cabbage was replaced with raw sliced cabbage, and that worked out really well. It was tasty and added a bit of texture. The broth was fantastic. Really tasty. The service is always pleasant here, and the $10 added to the card made the visit even more enjoyable.

They didn't just load $10 on my card, but the week after, they loaded another $10. Brunch Breakfast Skillet ($17). "Three eggs, potatoes, bacon/ham/sausage, toast, fruit". I added a side of bacon (+$5), so it would be over $20. Best laid plans, you can only redeem one at a time. I didn't realize that the "/" was an OR sign. Would have ordered another side then. There are three over-easy eggs on the bottom. I got rye for my toast, which was too dark for my liking. Wish they had light rye. The bacon was cooked nicely apart from the slices that shattered when I put my fork into them. The potatoes were cooked perfectly but had the skin left on. The thing in the black container was the terrible whipped butter. The melon was unripe, watermelon was edible, the next piece was not, but the strawberry was fine.

Address: 100 District Ave, Burlington, MA 01803 Phone: (781) 272-9000

I was wondering why this frisbee kept looking bigger and bigger. Then it hit me.