The Tavern - Austin, TX

Alright, I'm going to bounce to the present, before diving back into the archives.  First, I'm a Purdue fan, having grown up in Indiana.  Quite a bit of the time, I can catch their basketball games on ESPN or CBS, but a lot of them end up on the Big Ten Network, which I don't get.  I needed a spot to watch the game and eat some dinner, and I also wanted a place where I could take the dogs.  Pearl is five months old and we're crate training her, and I didn't want to risk crating her for three hours shortly after eating and risk an accident in the crate or hours of barking to be let out.  Enter, The Tavern...

I'd been there several times before, but this was my first dog experience and it couldn't have been a better spot.  Headed in the side and up the stairs and grabbed a table with a view of five flatscreens.  They're great there too about getting whatever game you want on the tv, so it was no problem getting the Purdue/IU game, and there were enough tvs up there that everyone on the deck could watch what they wanted.

Specials of the night were $1 off IPAs and Blond Ales, so I picked a local IPA they had on tap, Bucketsomethingorother, maybe Buckethead?   Anyway, classic IPA with slightly deeper flavor, was very good.  Available in a pint or stein, I stuck with the pint, but then had several.  The last time I was there watching a game at the bar, I had potato skins to eat, and they were great.  You know, you don't see potato skins all that much any more, and when you do it's normally part of a Friday's Three for All at an airport, and they suck.  I realized that good potato skins are hard to find.  And why, when loaded cheese fries are everywhere...potato, cheese, bacon, green onion...?  Well these are good. They come out hot, the cheddar is perfectly melty, the crumbled bacon not undercooked or overcooked, but with great flavor and just enough chew.  Served with the classic sour cream (which incidentally is my favorite condiment, period), but could have used some chopped green onions to complete the dish.  I also recommend getting jalapenos on the side, as it pairs perfectly with the cheese and sour cream.  They're also really good pickled jalapenos, not meaty and mushy, plenty of heat, and crisp, most likely Trappey's.

Anyway, I wanted to stick with appetizers on this trip, and had noticed the nachos that last time I was there, which are the kind I like.  Half corn tortillas topped with shredded cheese.  Simplicity.  Sign me up.  These came with refried beans between the tortilla and cheese, and they give you the option of adding chicken, beef, or pulled pork.  I stuck with the beans, though my favorite would have been no beans and ground beef instead, asked for extra jalapenos, and got excited.  They came on an oval plate and I think there were six of them, maybe eight (on only my second beer, so no excuses here, just poor attention to detail).  They looked great but they didn't hit the mark I was expecting.  First, I think the beans and the way they were served, overlapped, worked to really soggify the tortillas.  I really couldn't pick a whole one up without it bending and falling apart.  The cheese was great, but the beans were pretty much flavorless, and just added bulk and sogginess.  It was served with sour cream, jalapenos, salsa, and pico de gallo.  The pico, and of course the jalapenos, were very good, and the salsa decent but nothing to write home about.  All I need for nachos is sour cream and jalapenos though, and these two definitely helped out the struggles of the nacho itself.  All in all good flavor, terrible texture.  My recommendation would be to axe the beans and try again, which I'll do.  Happy ending though, I was still hungry so got some skins in the second half, which rejuvenated my enthusiasm for the food here.

I want to come sometime when I'm really hungry and get a burger, because they look and smell awesome, and they've got some really good looking combinations, like green chiles and queso, and cream cheese and jalapenos, and pineapple/pulled pork.  They're supposed to be good too, I'll have to go back soon.

The dogs had a great time, and met a couple of other dogs up there to play around with.  Nobody, including the waitstaff, seemed to mind the mini-zoo that was running up there.

Summary:

Atmosphere:  sports bar, indoor and outdoor, lots of tvs, good for the solo traveler, good for groups, good place to watch any game you want, good place to meet up with people and meet new people, good place for a smoker to watch a game.

Food:  pub grub, good appetizers, standard+

Dog Friendly:  yes, great place to take one or more and watch whatever game you want

When to Go:  whenever you've got a game to watch, UT or otherwise, day or night

Crowd:  students and alumni, shorts and t-shirt crowd, locals, groups of UT girls, groups of guys, mixed groups, sports fans, hotchicks

What to Order for the First Timer:  though I haven't yet had one, I probably have to say pick a burger