Brunch Report

[plumtreeblossom.livejournal.com]

This is technically about a Porter Square restaurant, but since no one has used that comm since January, I hope the mods won't mind if I share with my neighbors here.

Tavern in the Square in Porter Exchange is a local chain restaurant that I'd ignored from its inception, as I had the previous restaurants occupying that space. That is, until earlier this week when I happened to glance at their entrance-posted menu and noticed they serve Sunday brunch buffet. One text to beowabbit and it was added to our weekend schedule.

It's the sheer bounty of the offerings that filled us with shamefaced glee. I mean, look. This isn't haute cuisine -- it's a sports bar, and comfort brunch. But I was only able to sample about 10% of the offerings before I was stuffed to the gills. You get a sushi-style omelette card to fill out and bring to the chef if you want, and which we did. Our pineapple juice was fresh-squeezed. There's a sundae bar, for mercy sake. A carvery. Umpty-leven chaffing dishes of food. It's beyond reason, which we counted as a good thing.

I hadn't seen a published price per person and was expecting about $30 a pop, but it was only $17 (drinks not included). Service until 2:30 PM, Sundays only. Seating for large groups available. Kid-friendly. We waddled out with the sheepish guiltiness that is the result of inexcusable overeating. And we will again.



My plate, minus the omelette that was on its way.

Comments

[ron_newman]

As a mod here, I'm thrilled to see posts like this one.

[plumtreeblossom.livejournal.com]

Good! And you should go sometime. Maybe we could get a brunch mob together some time.

[ron_newman]

I'd be up for a 'brunch mob' anytime.

[lonelyholiday.livejournal.com]

Agreed. I used to live up at the corner of Oxford and Beacon, so I went the first time just because it was the most convenient brunch location. But after that first visit, it became my go-to, not about convenience. Friends from Brookline, etc, were always happy to come meet there.

And I also have to recommend it to fans of out-of-market sports teams, if there are any others around. On football Sundays, they always have every game on at least one TV, and were always willing to turn to a Penguins game on at least one TV for us, even during the playoffs, and even if the Bruins were playing at the same time. I really appreciated that, especially for games that were not on national TV, that I couldn't watch at home.

(I also appreciated the one time my cousin and I went to watch a playoff game on a night the Bruins WEREN'T playing, and the manager gave us free shots. I guess he was just happy to have customers in on an "off" weeknight. Pretty funny for the two of us, who are not really the shots type, but we enjoyed the hospitality.)

This got longer than I intended, but yeah. Like Ron, I enjoy seeing recommendation posts, and especially a place close to my heart. :)

[plumtreeblossom.livejournal.com]

I love restaurant reviews in this comm, even when they're not favorable. I'd love to see more!

[koshmom.livejournal.com]

If it's another satellite restaurant of Tavern on the Square from Central Square, that Sunday brunch is wonderful! Before I started dieting, my husband and I would visit the Central Square Sunday brunch regularly. I like the themes they had...Sinatra music along with things Frankie would have eaten, same with Elvis day, etc.

[clevernonsense.livejournal.com]

oh man, am i the only one who things TitS (ha!) is an absolute douche powehouse? with godawful food.

[inahandbasket]

I'd been assuming that, but never actually eaten there...

[secretlyironic.livejournal.com]

I've been to the Central Square location for lunch and found it aggressively mediocre.

But I know some people who go there regularly for trivia and say it's good.

That location was a high-turnover spot for a long time, so a restaurant that's managed to stay in business there for more than a couple years has got something going for it.

[lefauxfrog.livejournal.com]

Not a good place for trivia. Especially tonight. Stay far away.

[ron_newman]

Say more please? (And are you talking about Porter Square or Central?)

[lefauxfrog.livejournal.com]

I played trivia at Tavern on the Square (Porter) with some friends on Monday the 19th. We were veterans of local Stump trivia games and we wanted to try a relatively new trivia option there called Geeks Who Drink (http://geekswhodrink.com/). I had experienced it once before and it was okay. The format includes a video round and an audio round and they were fun novelties.

Last Monday the trivia game host, a substitute apparently, was very condescending towards players, full of himself, and prone to five minute long rants about game rules and cheaters. He wouldn't stop talking and he made the short trivia game drag on and on with endless explanations of relatively simple rules and shout-outs to a few of his friends somewhere near the bar.

We couldn't stand him and many of the other teams sitting near us in the half-empty restaurant felt the same way. A waitress even confided in us that the Geeks Who Drink experiment might be ending in a few weeks due to multiple complaints.

Overall that restaurant is average at best for food and atmosphere. If all you want to do is grab a beer and watch a game on a dozen TVs then I suppose it will do the job. Otherwise walk five minutes in almost any direction to find a better option.

So my apologies for being cryptic in the earlier message. There are many better places to play trivia in the area.

[teele-sq.livejournal.com]

I think it too. I've had the brunch; thought the food was wretched.