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| parmesan crusted shrimp on crispy polenta...uh, YEAH! |
Location: Downtown
Price: $$
Reviewed: Dinner, Happy Hour
Attire: Casual, but feel free to get a little jazzy
Reviewers: All 3 Foodies!
Taverna has an intimate feel with amazing Italian food. Great for a date, or just a dinner with the girls. If the weather’s right, sit outside and people watch for a New York eating experience. Come for happy hour and get great $2 peach bellinis or orange mimosas and half-off pizzas and appetizers!
orange mimosa: ****
CAT: I really enjoyed this drink for the following reasons: (1) it was $2; (2) the champagne did not overpower the orange; and (3) it was $2. The orange mimosa is the perfect mixture of “sweet” and “alcohol.” If you’re looking for a refreshing way to start off your happy hour, you can’t go wrong with this! Cheers!
peach bellini: *****
JENN: Amazing peach flavors with a lightness that didn't leave me feeling too giddy to study later. Sooo refreshing!
scampi al forno con polenta: ****
JENN: We lucked out when we decided to meet and found ourselves at Taverna for happy hour. Appetizers were half-off, so we indulged. This dish was soo good. Parmesan crusted shrimp with a spicy lemon butter sauce equaled perfection. The menu said “crispy polenta,” but mine was a little mushy. Once I added more of the sauce, however, it went from meh to yum!
YAS: Agreed Jenn. The shrimp was awesome, and the sauce made it even better. I normally cringe when I see polenta on a menu, but I was pleasantly surprised by how tasty this was! I had to fight Cat for the last piece of this delicious appetizer! Yum!
CAT: Yas definitely stole that last piece. Just rude! Anyway, while the “dish was delish” (he he) the polenta was too soggy for my taste. The consistency was more akin to medium-firm tofu. If you are a “consistency eater,” like myself, stay away from the polenta. Or order double shrimp...if they even offer that.
fritto misto: *****
JENN: This dish was great for passing around the table. Fried calamari, shrimp, shallots, zucchini and carrots were served with: THE BEST. AIOLI. I’VE. EVER. HAD!!! I mean, for serious. If I paired this aioli with Parkside’s calamari, I would have died a happy girl. Not that the Taverna calamari was sub par. It definitely held its own. And for everything being fried, nothing was too heavy.
YAS: Oh. Em. Gee. The aioli was MAH-JOR *Rachel Zoe voice* I mean, I wanted to ask the chef if he could put some in a jam jar for me so that I could put it on EVERYTHING I EVER EAT! MM. Most aioli’s are kind of runny, but this was thick, almost paste -like. The medley of fried seafood and veggies was such a great way to start the meal, light, flavorful and, like Jenn said, wonderful for sharing with a group of people.
CAT: Ditto with everything above. I don’t honestly know why we’re writing separate reviews. The only addition I will make is the following: if you’re expecting the “flavored mayonnaise” that most cheap-o restaurants incorrectly label as aioli, you will be wonderfully disappointed. There’s a slight garlic-y spice that sets this sauce apart. DEVINE.
scampi tagliolini: YAS: ***** CAT: **
YAS: Cat and I split this dish and the whole wheat spaghettini. I started off with this dish and savored every bite. It seems like I have said this 100 times by now, but I love savory dishes with lemon/garlic/butter/caper flavors! This dish was just that. The shrimp was even DE-VEINED! *GASP* Shocking, right?! It seems like that is a rarity for restaurants these days. Anyway, this dish was plate-licking worthy. (Of course I did not engage in such behavior! I’m a lady!)
CAT: Well I’m glad she enjoyed it. This was by far the worst thing I had the displeasure of tasting. I enjoy savory dishes with lemon/garlic/butter/caper flavors as well. What I don’t like, are dishes that have been marinated, slathered and dipped in caper juice. I don’t mind capers...when they don’t overpower the dish. Unfortunately, the chef was a little (read: extremely) heavy-handed. The shrimp were the sole redeeming factors in this pasta. They were tender, de-veined, and delish. Just scrape the caper-drenched sauce off of, and you have yourself a winner.
whole wheat spaghettini: YAS: *** CAT: ****
YAS: This dish was good, but the turkey meat balls arrived warm, and by the time I got around to eating my half of it my meatballs were cold. Other than that, the meatballs were well seasoned and the vegetable ragu was flavorful and a little on the pasty side. Which was good, because whole wheat pasta does not really retain a lot of flavor in my opinion. Overall, this dish is a great healthy option for those who are not trying to blow their daily calorie intake on one meal.
CAT: I generally look for healthy alternatives at Italian restaurants, and I must say that I really enjoyed this meal. This classic dish arrived hot, and bursting with flavor. The whole-wheat pasta, while thick, lacked the grain that cheap, factory-made pastas tend to retain. And the vegetable ragu was thick and fresh. The highlight, of course, were the Sicilian-style turkey meatballs. Huge, hot, flavorful balls of turkey??? I mean...what more is there to say?
fettucine frutti di mare: ****
JENN: This was a seafood pasta lover’s dream. Shrimp, mussels, clams, and scallops all under a brandy cream sauce. So glad that I have leftovers as I write this!!!
taverna tiramisu: ****
JENN: I’m a huge tiramisu lover, and this one was a great! Taverna added some texture to theirs by adding a layer of chocolate chips, and it was a welcome addition. Be prepared to share or take it home, they’re not stingy with the slice.
budino di cioccolato: ***
CAT: This dish is most definitely for chocolate lovers. A dark chocolate brownie filled with a bitter chocolate syrup, topped off with a scoop of vanilla ice-cream? Yes please! The creamy, sweet Zabaglione sauce balanced the bitterness of the chocolate quite nicely. That said, I love chocolate, but I don’t LOVE chocolate. It was a little overpowering after 3 or 4 bites. I would have wished for a milk chocolate cake to lessen the intensity.
special: strawberry tres leches cake: *****
YAS: What more can I ask for? This was the heavenly marriage of strawberry shortcake and tres leches. I had a ginormous slice and it was everything I wanted it to be and more. Our guest foodie couldn’t keep her spoon out of my desert and I couldn’t blame her! Amazing option for the non-chocolate lover.
service/ambiance: *****
JENN: Our waiter was great and attentive, even while also manning the bar and answering our questions. The ambiance is intimate to have a date, but casual enough to come and watch the game at the bar – which was on.
things to note:
If you’re coming for happy hour, it’s only served at the bar or the “lounge” which consists of a few sofas and a very low coffee table. So if you can nab a spot at the bar, definitely do that. Otherwise, you’ll be hunched over your appetizers looking like Quasimodo.
JENN: This dish was great for passing around the table. Fried calamari, shrimp, shallots, zucchini and carrots were served with: THE BEST. AIOLI. I’VE. EVER. HAD!!! I mean, for serious. If I paired this aioli with Parkside’s calamari, I would have died a happy girl. Not that the Taverna calamari was sub par. It definitely held its own. And for everything being fried, nothing was too heavy.
YAS: Oh. Em. Gee. The aioli was MAH-JOR *Rachel Zoe voice* I mean, I wanted to ask the chef if he could put some in a jam jar for me so that I could put it on EVERYTHING I EVER EAT! MM. Most aioli’s are kind of runny, but this was thick, almost paste -like. The medley of fried seafood and veggies was such a great way to start the meal, light, flavorful and, like Jenn said, wonderful for sharing with a group of people.
CAT: Ditto with everything above. I don’t honestly know why we’re writing separate reviews. The only addition I will make is the following: if you’re expecting the “flavored mayonnaise” that most cheap-o restaurants incorrectly label as aioli, you will be wonderfully disappointed. There’s a slight garlic-y spice that sets this sauce apart. DEVINE.
YAS: Cat and I split this dish and the whole wheat spaghettini. I started off with this dish and savored every bite. It seems like I have said this 100 times by now, but I love savory dishes with lemon/garlic/butter/caper flavors! This dish was just that. The shrimp was even DE-VEINED! *GASP* Shocking, right?! It seems like that is a rarity for restaurants these days. Anyway, this dish was plate-licking worthy. (Of course I did not engage in such behavior! I’m a lady!)
CAT: Well I’m glad she enjoyed it. This was by far the worst thing I had the displeasure of tasting. I enjoy savory dishes with lemon/garlic/butter/caper flavors as well. What I don’t like, are dishes that have been marinated, slathered and dipped in caper juice. I don’t mind capers...when they don’t overpower the dish. Unfortunately, the chef was a little (read: extremely) heavy-handed. The shrimp were the sole redeeming factors in this pasta. They were tender, de-veined, and delish. Just scrape the caper-drenched sauce off of, and you have yourself a winner.
YAS: This dish was good, but the turkey meat balls arrived warm, and by the time I got around to eating my half of it my meatballs were cold. Other than that, the meatballs were well seasoned and the vegetable ragu was flavorful and a little on the pasty side. Which was good, because whole wheat pasta does not really retain a lot of flavor in my opinion. Overall, this dish is a great healthy option for those who are not trying to blow their daily calorie intake on one meal.
CAT: I generally look for healthy alternatives at Italian restaurants, and I must say that I really enjoyed this meal. This classic dish arrived hot, and bursting with flavor. The whole-wheat pasta, while thick, lacked the grain that cheap, factory-made pastas tend to retain. And the vegetable ragu was thick and fresh. The highlight, of course, were the Sicilian-style turkey meatballs. Huge, hot, flavorful balls of turkey??? I mean...what more is there to say?
JENN: This was a seafood pasta lover’s dream. Shrimp, mussels, clams, and scallops all under a brandy cream sauce. So glad that I have leftovers as I write this!!!
taverna tiramisu: ****
JENN: I’m a huge tiramisu lover, and this one was a great! Taverna added some texture to theirs by adding a layer of chocolate chips, and it was a welcome addition. Be prepared to share or take it home, they’re not stingy with the slice.
budino di cioccolato: ***
CAT: This dish is most definitely for chocolate lovers. A dark chocolate brownie filled with a bitter chocolate syrup, topped off with a scoop of vanilla ice-cream? Yes please! The creamy, sweet Zabaglione sauce balanced the bitterness of the chocolate quite nicely. That said, I love chocolate, but I don’t LOVE chocolate. It was a little overpowering after 3 or 4 bites. I would have wished for a milk chocolate cake to lessen the intensity.
special: strawberry tres leches cake: *****
YAS: What more can I ask for? This was the heavenly marriage of strawberry shortcake and tres leches. I had a ginormous slice and it was everything I wanted it to be and more. Our guest foodie couldn’t keep her spoon out of my desert and I couldn’t blame her! Amazing option for the non-chocolate lover.
service/ambiance: *****
JENN: Our waiter was great and attentive, even while also manning the bar and answering our questions. The ambiance is intimate to have a date, but casual enough to come and watch the game at the bar – which was on.
things to note:
If you’re coming for happy hour, it’s only served at the bar or the “lounge” which consists of a few sofas and a very low coffee table. So if you can nab a spot at the bar, definitely do that. Otherwise, you’ll be hunched over your appetizers looking like Quasimodo.
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