Taylor L.
Yelp
PLEASE READ:
I only write big reviews when something really rips me out of my chair.
Just like you and everyone else on Yelp; I am a massive food snob.
Fun Fact:
I am a really good cook, culinary school, the whole nine.
I am a Chef, but don't hold a hot pan in a kitchen and run an executive menu, so really I am a cook.
An accomplished cook, but I don't put the badge on myself, because I don't deserve it.
But I know when a restaurant has a solid executive chef or executive cook who has put together a killer menu thru trial and error, and has the line popping with dishes to make a restaurant glow with an appetite.
When I go out to eat, it's not that I can't make this type of food(a lot of times I can't) it's also that I want to be served on, and have a wonderful experience.
Anyone who owns a restaurant will tell you that It's not just the food.
It's the staff and the ambience, The interior, the cleanliness from the bathroom the menus,the smells from the kitchen,music, greeting at the door:
The Whole Vibe.
The Hollywood Tavern.
I walk in and it has some really good Country/Folk music and the vibe was uplifting and cheerful.
Immediately, I recognized the staff are a family...
And they are a well oiled machine.
Picking up for one another and everyone has each other's backs. Bad can be a cancer and can ruin your business by sending that vibe to the customers. Very, very important to have a killer work team.
I order a John Daly, and yes it's hard to fuck up a Vodka, Ice Tea & Lemonade...
But dam, Eriban the bartender did something to it, that made it magic.
Now this place has my attention.
Hailey, my server comes up to my girlfriend and I, and just has this extremely bright and loving soul, is very engaging and tells me while nothing on the menu is bad, I should try the stuffed mushrooms and Lamb burger.
I let the universe put my order in Hailey's hands and
MY GOD DID THE UNIVERSE ANSWER!!!
These Stuffed mushrooms were LIGHTS OUT!
She took the menu away so I didn't even see what was in them as I went into my meal blind, but the mystery of how they were prepared has me scratching my head. I do know that there is Parmesan on them.
The Stuffed Mushrooms were 5 STARS
Then the Lamb Burger.
Hailey explained the texture to me(pro server attention-most servers forget this one- But Hailey didn't) as there are brussel sprouts thinly cut and fried with a dash of salt to give the burger a soft bun to crisp crackle and a killer char on the lamb. (Also, this restaurant has
VERY HIGH QUALITY MEAT, It's very apparent compared to your other burger joint down the street)
Lamb Burger:
5 STARS
Here is the best part circling back around from what I said at the beginning with a restaurant being a vibe and the staff.
Eriban and Benny are the bartenders. Two cultured men with big smiles and engaging energy, they are serious about their craft in spirits and even more serious about your happiness.
The kind of bartenders where if you are the owners of the restaurant, and you fired them, your business will fail.
Told them about my plans to go to Mexico and they explained how they have places down in Talum Quintana Roo and that I can stay there whenever I want.
These guys speak perfect english, spanish and put a smile on my face with their conversation and world experiences as the country music plays in the background.
Mind you, I just met these guys...
But that's how badass and awesome they are!
From Hailey recommending those dam stuffed mushrooms to the Lamb Burger with crispy thin slices of fried brussel sprout, to Eriban and Benny wiping down bottles and laughing with the bar while country music is playing in the background;
THE HOLLYWOOD TAVERN delivered!!!
5 STAR REVIEW