Phantom Gourmet: The Tap Trailhouse In Boston

BOSTON - Have you ever wanted a steak sandwich dripping in sauce, a Bloody Mary that's a meal unto itself, or pumpkin whoopee pie stuffed with fluffy filling? Well then, it's time you tap into The Tap Trailhouse. Located right on Boston's historic Freedom Trail, The Tap Trailhouse serves fare that's a deliciously updated tribute to the classic Yankee cooking of yesteryear.

"I think we wanted to pay homage to the colonial greats and embrace all that Boston is," said Bill Brodsky, who along with Executive Chef Matt Barre, hit the history books when designing the menu at the casual Union Street spot.

"We looked at some old colonial cookbooks, really focusing on some classic Boston flavors and then also focusing on some old school traditional techniques to really make this a real destination restaurant,"said Barre.

There's also some old school colonial terminology on the menu, like the use of the term "vittles".

"Vittles are bar bites. They're snacks," described Brodsky. "You're not necessarily dying hungry; you just want to have a little snack. You have a little vittle."

Take, for example, the Warm Pretzel Sticks, served with bourbon grain mustard, or the mini tacos stuffed with fried oysters, bacon, and pickled onions. The best vittle here has to be the Cured Bacon, served in a cast iron crock pot.

"We cure our own bacon and it's thickly sliced and we griddle that up until it's nice and crispy. And then we serve that with a maple Dijon glaze. It's got this sweet and saltiness, and it's got that nice bacon earthy finish to it, that is just sinful," Brodsky said.

With brick walls covered in plenty of old art, the atmosphere at The Tap Trailhouse is meant to evoke memories. One dish that will definitely make you nostalgic for days gone by is the Garlic Pepper Prime Rib.

"When I think back to my childhood and coming to Boston, I always think of the places that you can get Prime Rib," Brodsky reminisced.

Here, you can get it every day of the week: perfectly slow cooked beef, sliced, sauced, and served just the way you want it.

"It's a black pepper garlic and salt crusted Prime Rib that is just ever so slowly roasted. And what's really unique is it's just an amazing cut of meat that we're using," said Brodsky. "There's a lot of care and love put into the cooking of it."

That same love goes into the outrageous Prime Rib sandwich known as the Mayflower. It's one plate you'll want to make a pilgrimage for.

"It's the ultimate roast beef. You take prime rib; we're slicing it thin. We're heating it up in the au jus and then we're putting it on a beautiful crusted onion roll. We're then ladling on top of it all the jus that the beef was actually cooked in," Brodsky described.

Keeping with New England tradition, there's loads of lobster on the menu, like lobster pie made with a fragrant sherry cream sauce and topped with a buttery cracker crumb, and the Q Market Lobster Roll, a simple yet satisfying taste of Boston.

"We're making this lobster roll fresh in house. We're using these beautiful little brioche hotdog rolls that are girdled oh so carefully, and then just lightly, lightly dressing it with a little bit of mayonnaise and celery and that's it," Brodsky explained. "There's nothing else in there. It's unadulterated lobster loving."

The Tap Trailhouse also has plenty of tavern fare, like a juicy burger with aged cheddar, smoked bacon and red onion marmalade, and something called the Noble Dog, weighing in at a whopping half pound.

"It's about ten inches long. It's about an inch and a half thick. We actually braise the hotdog in our house IPA and brown sugar and onion, and then to order we just crisp it up on the grill and serve with our house baked beans," said Barre.

The New England classics continue right through dessert with Boston Cream Pie served in a jar, and a Pumpkin Whoopee Pie with a Moxie syrup drizzle.

"We really wanted to get a dessert that was New England, so we got pumpkin in there and then we added a little bit of candied ginger on the outside so you get the sweet and you get the sharp from the ginger, the real rich, dark Moxie syrup with a classic New England soda that we reduce down. It all really comes together," Barre described.

On the weekends, the Tap Trailhouse brings all of that colonial goodness to brunch with a New England Benedict topped with venison chili, thick sliced bacon, and a lemony hollandaise sauce. There's also a customizable Bloody Mary menu, so you can really have it your way, and a decadent Brioche Coffee Milk Battered Stuffed French Toast.

"Our French toast batter has the addition of coffee syrup into it, so you're getting the RI coffee milk flavor. And then we fill the French toast with a cranberry jam that we make here in house, some toasted almonds over the top and a little bit of whip cream," explained Barre. "It's got a lot a lot of flavor in it."

Brunch, lunch, or dinner, if you're looking for a great meal, you're on the right trail.

"This really is a place that is about the whole dining out experience," Barre said. "From appetizer, to entrée, to what I'm drinking with it, to dessert and really having a restaurant in this area that's worth traveling to."

You can find the Tap Trailhouse at 19 Union Street in Boston, and online at thetaptrailhouse.com.

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