John C.
Yelp
Meh.
I had dinner for the first time at the White Owl Tavern (WOT) last night. We were seated at one of the high tops near the reception desk, This was a mistake. Theres a blinding WOT neon light on the wall behind reception and the high top tables have seats that face directly at that light. Highly recommended to sit at a booth or the bar. If you are one of the unfortunate souls to be seated facing that light, you should consider wearing sunglasses during your meal. We asked several times to turn the light off, but we were ignored by the staff. That's Strike One.
Drinks. Our dining party all found something that we liked. The selection of draft beers is limited, but they have good variety and quality of beers. No problem there.
Appetizers. We ordered the Misto Fritto for the table. We were not given a basket of bread and wanted a little something before our entrees. This appetizer was a small platter heaped with overly breaded and fried chunks of stuff. Half the time I couldn't tell what I was eating, but I knew it was caloric. I prefer lighter breading and a lighter frying and to be able to tell what I am eating. Strike Two.
Entrees. This restaurant offers 10 different sandwiches and only 7 entrees, which are offered with lunch and dinner pricing, which made me think, "Is this primarily a lunch restaurant that also serves dinner?". But the bar is pretty nice and more fitting of a nice dinner tavern, so I was a little confused about what kind of place this is. Back to the entree menu. It was seriously disappointing. Seven entrees and four of them are pasta. You won't find a steak or any pork choices on this menu. What an awful shame. And there's only one chicken dish, and it's italian. Severely lacking variety. Strike Three.
Luckily, I was in the mood for salmon last night and it was a winner. The salmon was a typical 6-7 ounce filet, nothing crazy, but it was big enough for my appetite (which was seriously dented by that heavily fried appetizer) and appropriately priced. The fish was delicious. grilled perfectly and tasted like butter. The dish was interesting because it didn't include a traditional carb like rice or risotto. Instead, it was on top of hummus! I had never seen this before and I had doubts about it, but it was awesome. I cannot neglect the other elements on the plate, roasted asparagus and arugula with a lemon vinaigrette, like you'd find on chicken milanese. It all worked together so well to my tastebuds. So good that I would take away one of the strikes. It makes me wonder what other gems might be hidden on this muddled menu.
I won't be in a rush to return to the White Owl to find out but, if I do, I know that there's some beer I will like and my favorite salmon entree in town to enjoy.