My wife and I tried Tavern27 last Thursday (June 10th). Our good experience started the moment we exited the car. It was raining pretty hard, and before we could open the doors someone ran up to my wife's side of the car with a huge umbrella. Turned out that that person was Ray, who, along with Leslie, is one of the owners of the restaurant. From that point on, things only got better.
As an earlier poster noted (in the "Tapas" thread), the place looks great inside. From the wood floors and fireplace in the small bar/entrance area, throughout the two separate dining rooms, Tavern27 gives off a warm feeling. The menu is fairly large, with mostly small dishes (tapas), but also a few large ones. No sooner had we ordered drinks, when someone from the kitchen brought us a complimentary plate of sourdough crostini, topped with some type of chick pea (I think) and cheese paste, which were excellent (but not on the menu, yet).
For dinner, we tried three items: Green Salad with Spicy Pork (a special), asparagus wrapped in a thin crepe with curry gorgonzola sauce, and Roasted Beet Napolean, with grilled portabello mushroom, spinach and Chevre (a goat cheese). All three were great, and very different. The spicy pork, a "small dish," was the largest of the three, and could have been a meal in itself (for $8). Aside from the excellent and generous amount of pork, the bleu cheese dressing had large chunks of cheese and a serious taste that elevated it above that found in most restaurants. The Beet dish, a "large dish," was actually the smallest of the three. We finished with a dessert special and two coffees, and another look at the menu - to plan for our next visit! The coffees were made to order - in a french press, back in the kitchen. This produced an excellent, rich brew, but eliminated the opportunity for a quick re-fill/re-warm (which you'd want, with coffee this good). I'd recommend bringing small french presses right to the table, so the refill can be there when needed. Aside from that one
very minor quibble, I'd rate our experience "excellent."
I think Tavern27 is going to be around for a long time. Hopefully, word will spread quickly throughout the Bike Week crowd, as one can only eat fried dough and sausage, onions and peppers for so long.
