A new restaurant in town, Taverna, is in the middle of their soft opening and the little lady and I ventured out to try it.
I’m not a food critic…so bare with me on my lack of knowledge on classy food.
Overall: The atmosphere and staff are all great. The bar looks pretty cool too, like it could actually be a happenin spot for cocktails after work…like Bonefish at the beach.
Food:Â The portions are nice. Not too big, but not small enough to say “Hey! What the hell is this?”
- We had shrimp for an appetizer which are actually prawns. Meaning it comes out with the head and all the other stuff. We didn’t like them…they were just scary and too fishy tasting.
- We have heard the pizza is quite delicious and made in the wood burning stove that is visible for all to see. Since this was like a date night for Jess and I we did it up a little more.
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- I had the NY Strip which was very good and a much larger portion than I expected. It came out at the right temp and had a light sauce that was good.
- Jess had the paella. She LOVES paella, but she is Colombian and this just wasn’t the same. It doesn’t have the crispy sides and the texture and spices were off. This dish was also served with prawns which didn’t help the situation. But to be fair….Jess didn’t like the paella at the Columbia Restaurant in St. Aug. either, and they’re cuban!
- She has said the best paella she has ever had was at the World of Nations that’s held every year around the beginning of May.
- In the end I think we would of been happier with the pizza.
- MMMM Desert: The desert was great. Chocolate Pave (with an accent on one of the letters somewhere). It was very rich, but was very good. It was enough for both of us to share without feeling like we didn’t get enough (click here for a kind of example of what it is)
All and all it was good time. I hope the restaurant does really well. They have a few kinks to work out, but that’s what soft openings are for.