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DINING DINING REVIEW REVIEW

THE NEIGHBORHOOD TAVERN 318 MAIN ST, NORTHBOROUGH WWW.THENEIGHBORHOODTAVERN.COM BERNIE WHITMORE

We all want to have a restaurant located conveniently nearby, where we meet friends for drinks and a decent dinner at a decent price. These are the places we go to all the time and call our own, the neighborhood meeting place.

When you name yourself ‘The Neighborhood’, though, are you setting the bar kind of low? I wondered about this as my friend and I made the trip to Northborough, 20 minutes outside of our own neighborhood.

As we walked in, we suddenly realized we were not wearing masks and were ready to be turned away. After all these many months of pandemic, when am I going to stop forgetting my mask? But masks were not, at the time, mandatory in Northborough and we were greeted as long-time friends and shown to a booth in their spacious dining room.

Grace waited on us, took my drink order, and then left us to study the menu. I thought the number of V and GF items they offered was exceptional. Scanning the appetizer list, I would have been happy with most of the offerings; Fried Pickles or Sea Salt Pretzels were possibilities.

But then my friend suggested sharing a Beet Salad, one of my favorites, and I was all in.

The Neighborhood’s beet salad consisted of a plate-load of fresh curly greens studded with chunks of ruby and golden beets that glistened jewel-like and were cooked tender but still firm. At the center was a puck-shaped cake of fried goat cheese, golden and crusty outside, creamy-white within. The salad was rounded out with a generous tossing of pecan bits and dressed with balsamic vinaigrette that accentuated the delicate flavors of the salad rather than dominating.

Partway through our salad a member of the ‘TNT’ team arrived with entrées. It felt rather rushed, but salad is something I can enjoy before, during or after my meal. Moments later, after noticing what had happened, Grace came over to acknowledge and apologized for the accelerated pacing of the meal.

No harm done. We just pushed the salad plate aside and eventually boxed it to go home. And moved on to our entrées. I’d ordered Street Tacos with fish. Two flour tortillas had been warmed on the grill and folded onto a metal frame, then layered with a base of coleslaw topped with thick filets of white fish deep-fried ‘til the exteriors were crunchy. A topping of colorful chopped red onion, fresh tomato and green pepper clung to the fish by a generous dabbing of zesty chipotle ranch dressing.

The portion of two tacos was perfect; I’d paired them with a glass of Nightshift Brewing’s Santilli IPA who’s bright hoppiness hinted of citrus and shades of pine. Overall, it was a meal that tasted and felt healthy and was fun to eat. When finished, I sampled from a bowl of fluffy short-grained rice while my friend tackled his heftier entrée. My friend’s Short Rib entrée was classic tavern fare, one large boxy-shaped chunk of beef draped with soft spears of steamed asparagus and served over a bed of creamy Yukon gold mashed potatoes. The meat and potatoes gleamed with rich red wine braising sauce that pooled in the bottom of the plate.

When I asked for a sample, he easily flecked a forkful of meat from the short rib; its beefy flavor was concentrated from slow braising and its texture was as tender as butter left out on the counter for the afternoon.

We finished with a favorite; the Neighborhood’s Espresso Crème Brûlée. Each spoonful shattered through a thin golden crust of crispy burnt sugar to creamy egg custard below. Its subdued coffee flavor could be ignited by the roasted espresso beans garnishing the top – one crunch and my crème brûlée experience took on a deeper, more caffeinated, dimension.

If we lived in Northborough ‘the TNT’ could easily become the neighborhood’s favorite restaurant for Friday night dinner. But let’s not over think this! The Neighborhood Tavern is a solid choice for dining regardless of your point of origin.