The Mermaid Tavern – Tampa, FL
From
the outside, it doesn’t really look like much – if I hadn’t heard of it before I
probably wouldn’t have stopped in.
Inside, it has an eclectic and slightly nautical feel. There are mismatching artsy chandeliers
(including some funky ones that looked like jellyfish) and columns wrapped in
rope. It was dimly lit and a little tattered
like a dive bar, but the crowd was mostly young hipsters.
The
drink specials were outlined on a large chalkboard behind the bar. Lance ordered the Two Brothers Hopcentric Double
IPA & I got the Saint Somewhere Jasime Saison. The food is ordered right at the bar – Lance wanted
to try the Brisket Poutine, but unfortunately they were out. Instead, he ordered the New Tavern Burger and
I had the O.M.G. Grilled Cheese (O.M.G. stands for Oysters, Mushrooms &
Goat cheese!)
It
was pretty crowded (it was Saturday night) but we did manage to find ourselves
a table. Lance really loved his IPA –
and mine was different than any beer I’ve had before. Saint Somewhere is a local Tarpon Springs
brewery – my beer was fermented with jasmine tea and was slightly tart.
I
enjoyed my sandwich – it was definitely a unique take on a normal grilled
cheese. I like that they took a risk and
made it with unusual ingredients – the oysters, mushrooms, and goat cheese were
combined with Welsh cheddar and roasted asparagus on thick crispy sourdough
bread. The hand-cut fries were
spectacular. I did see pictures
of their truffle fries on Yelp though, and if their normal fries were that
good, I’d imagine their truffle fries topped with shaved parmesan would be
to-die-for.
Lance’s
burger was good, but not worth $13. It
was a little small, and the pretzel bun tasted more like a normal hamburger
bun. Although I’m sure the grass-fed
meat was high quality, it was cooked well-done rather than medium.
It
has better food than most bars, but I’d emphasize going for the drinks. They had a pretty unique selection (no Bud
Light here). It seems like it’s more of
a late-night hangout…we’ll probably try one of the other Seminole Heights
restaurants next time and just head here for drinks afterwards.
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