Jeffrey R.
Yelp
Tavern on Kruse is an upscale dining establishment on the edge of Lake O., and it has the trendy menu one might expect in this area. The wait staff did a fine job with our group of 8, and we had a good time; but I would say the food, while good, wasn't quite up to par with the prices.
We ordered several appetizers and passed them around -- a charcuterie board ("Wine Board"), steak bites & fries, and a crab & artichoke dip. The Wine Board was quite large, with a generous amount of meats, cheeses, and olives, and seemed to be the best value of the apps. For my taste buds, the steak bites were the most flavorful of the three, but I wish the trend of serving "rosemary" fries would die -- all fries really need is salt! The crab & artichoke dip was quite good, but so little bread came with it that we really couldn't finish it. At $15, there's no need to skimp on a few pieces of focaccia.
For a main course, I decided to go with the Seared Ahi Tuna Burger and sweet potato fries. The burger included soy ginger glaze, cabbage and rainbow carrot slaw, wasabi aioli, brioche bun, served with "crispy avocado". The Ahi itself was cooked just right, with a nice red hue in the middle; but I felt that overall there was way too much going on with this sandwich, and not all of the flavors complimented each other. In my opinion, the deep fried avocado was completely out of place, and the burger would have been better without it.
The sweet potato fries tasted good, but they were served in short "shoe string" sized pieces; which makes them very crisp, doesn't leave much of the actual sweet potato interior after frying.
I would eat here again, but would definitely try something different next time. For the area this place is based, I can only give it 4 stars.