Bridge Tap House and Wine Bar, to give it its full name, and which we will proceed to abbreviate to BTHWB, is a handsome hangout. In the daytime, a cozy cave of a getaway. At night, especially a rainy one, the careful lighting provides just enough wattage to make for (relatively) safe passage and/or flirting, with no need for the garish sun of overheads. There is, however, just enough to read the extensive menu of food, wine and beer, and that must have been a tricky balancing act. In short, it's a fine spot for a late-night snack, after a theater performance or a concert or a ball game or a movie. David Bailey's three places, which include the Chocolate Bar and Rooster, allow for fine-tuning of appetites at almost any hour of the day or night.
There are a few tables downstairs in the bar area, its chandelier resembling a large, bare bush, but most of the eating takes place upstairs, which adds to the lighting display with a row of vintage table lamps placed along a long, wide ledge that runs the length of the rear section. They're a charming touch in this minimalist décor, and their glow adds to the coziness.
The Cozy Quotient begins to fall back when the noise factor is introduced. The ceiling, high on the first floor, quite low on the second, seemingly has nothing to do with the decibels. It's just the roar of a fairly young crowd, drinking, talking, eating, having a good time. We began to reconsider that lip-reading class we'd once threatened to take.
There are really no honest-to-goodness entrees on the menu, although there are what it terms “entree salads” and sandwiches. It's designed for ongoing nibbling, with plenty of options with cheese, charcuterie, spreads and dips, nuts, popcorn, pickles–and more. We decided to pass on most of the snackier options and focus on food that is a little more formal.
Still, we couldn't resist roasted olives. Sitting in a square dish and mixed with pieces of sweet roasted red pepper, the (pitted) black olives had been seasoned with rosemary, hot red pepper flakes and just a bit of fennel seed, all alongside a generous square of focaccia. Tasty, but beware the gum-stabbing, needle-shaped rosemary.
Much has been said about the house macaroni and cheese, from the menu section labeled Pots. Squiggly campanelle, looking like a caricature of a pig's tail, sat under a shower of breadcrumbs. Mac and cheese is one of those dishes that everyone has different standards for; we want ours very moist and creamy and extremely cheesy. This one was barely satisfactorily cheesy, but lacked creaminess. We saw nothing of the promised tomato, and the thin strips of poblano pepper were visible but added zilch for zip. On the other hand, from the same section of the menu came roasted tomatoes over spatzel, the German dumpling usually spelled spaetzel. Roma tomatoes cooked just long enough to become very juicy sat atop mushrooms marinated in what the menu called Worcestershire sauce. A glorified version, certainly: sweet-tart-spicy-hot, the mushrooms sang four-part harmony all by themselves. The spatzel were creamy and tender, unlike the chewy morsels one often finds, and nicely seasoned, too. An excellent dish.
A sandwich named Cuba, Missouri has to make us smile. Yes, it's a Cuban sandwich, here presented on a roll that's shaped like a hamburger bun but made of serious yeast dough rather than cotton, and it's pressed in a grill, although not flattened completely. So there's crunch to add to the ham, cheese, dill pickles, mustard aioli and some really excellent roast pork we want more of in the future. A good rendition of the classic. However, the potato chips alongside were stale and soggy. The same bun, un-toasted, held an item from the list of specials, sliced duck with brie, arugula, and some first-rate cherry chutney, an excellent combination, shown below. The potato chips clearly came from the same batch.,
Coffee-banana bread pudding? The bread pudding itself was pleasantly un-sweet, with a very mild coffee flavor, although it could have been a bit more moist. Two sections of banana had been sprinkled with sugar on their cut surface and run under the grill to brulee them to good advantage, and the Christmas tree of whipped cream alongside had been sprinkled with what seemed to be instant espresso granules, a nice touch that added more than just visual contrast.
BTHWB's list of beer is extensive, 36 on tap, and a whole, whole lot more in bottles. The beers on tap can be had in four different sizes, nice for sampling. The by-the-glass wine list has 24 options, and we differ on whether we like it or not. Joe says it's limited because, for example, there are only two chardonnays, and just one of most other wines. (He drank cabernet.) Ann, on the other hand, likes it because it leads folks into trying something beyond cabernets and chardonnays. (She had a peche lambic beer and a bubbly rose cava.)
Servers fly up and down the stairs, and ours was patient as we pored over the menu and debated options, bringing a kind touch on a busy night.
Bridge Tap House and Wine Bar
1004 Locust St.
314-241-8141
Credit cards: Yes
Wheelchair access: Good
Smoking: No
Larger plates $8-$11
