[By Lexi Lines]
On Tuesday, I walked into NiagaraHub expecting a normal day of media work, when I received a pleasant surprise; today’s assignment was to go visit a local restaurant – Taylor’s Tap & Grille. This presented me with an opportunity to get out of the office and go try somewhere new I’d never been to before. I called my friend Anne, picked her up and off we went.
It was really easy to find, the large sign out front made it easily recognizable from the road. Parking wasn’t a problem either, I was able to find a spot right next to the restaurant even though they were slammed!
From the moment I walked in, I was impressed. It’s said that first impressions are what stick in your mind, and Taylor’s Tap left a great impression with both Anne and I.
The rustic modern design was done perfectly. I loved the red leather booths and the worn wooden chairs, the metal detailing throughout the restaurant and the overall welcoming feel. The attention to detail was impressive. My favorite detail was the quote on the far left when you walked in. It said, “Why Go Home? You’re Here” and covered the wall. It was tasteful and truthful. I felt at home as soon as I walked in with the friendly staff and the relaxing atmosphere. It felt like a place I could spend an entire day in, and definitely go back to for fun times with friends.
We were seated right away, and provided with water and menus instantly. Quickly though, we ran into a problem… Everything on the menu sounded so good! We had to tell the waitress we weren’t ready yet because we couldn’t decide what sounded the best. Finally, I decided on the Tequila BBQ wings and Anne ordered the popular Bacon and Brie Burger. Our waitress informed us both options were best sellers, but we were determined to decide that for ourselves.
Our food came out quickly and was presented beautifully (As beautiful as you can make wings and a burger look)! They both looked delicious, and we couldn’t wait to dig in. Within the first few bites I realized that ordering the Tequila BBQ sauce was the best decision I’d made all day by far. Discarding any thought of being polite I devoured all ten wings, they were so good! They had the perfect amount of crisp to them and came with plenty of sauce (I hate wings that are dry or too crispy). I didn’t even need the Bleu cheese that’s generally a staple for my wings. They were so good I forgot all about water, bleu cheese, and Anne for that matter, for a solid five minutes.
When I finally looked back up, I realized she was doing the same thing as me… devouring her burger in record time. I asked her how it was and she gave me the “hold on” look and made me wait until she was done to answer. “That was the best burger I’ve had in a long time!” was her first response with a thumbs up. I asked her what made it different, why was it so special? She told me that the burger was cooked to a perfect medium (like she ordered) and that the jam worked perfectly with the burger. The bacon and Brie burger, in case you’re not aware, is made with brie cheese, onion straws, and Jameson glazed bacon served with whiskey bacon jam. Who would’ve thought jam belonged on a hamburger?
Our service was phenomenal as well. Even though they were relatively busy our waitress came over immediately and was all smiles. After helping us decide what we wanted the great service continued throughout the remainder of our meal. She checked on us a few times and actually had a few minutes to talk to me about what it’s like to work at Taylor’s Tap. She claimed that she loved working there, and hopes she can remain there until she retires. She said that the owner, Jeff Taylor, loves his employees and treats them really well. She seemed genuine and like she truly cared about the restaurant!
Finally after our food was sadly gone and we were as content as could be, it was time to go. We paid our bill, very reasonably priced, and ventured outside to take a look at the outdoor patio (which is officially open now).
Needless to say, we’ll be going back very soon to try the rest of the menu!
Check out their new website (still in design stage) here: www.taylorstap.net
Wow, guess it really pays to be an advertiser on your site. How can anyone take your restaurant reviews seriously when this place has gotten 2 stellar reviews while virtually all other restaurants in the city have been ignored?
Well, mike b., aren’t you the harbinger of joy to this community? So far, you have trashed two restaurant reviews for no reason other than we liked them. Do you have any fun in your life, or are we just lobbing the softballs for you to bitch about? Actually, I see no problem in reviewing and promoting the businesses that sponsor the Hub. We’re just trying to talk about what’s going on, and point people in the direction of positive shit. Sorry this sponsor helped us pay the bills, and sorry we found the food and service to be ok. we are also sorry to provide an opportunity for a Niagara university student to gain experience in writing about things in her community. If she went there and was taken by ambulance to NFMMC for a gastrointestinal disorder, would you be trashing our praise of the hospital since they too, have placed information on the hub related to their services? Next time you think to write about how corrupt our observations are about our community and those who support each other, think about joining the positive side of life and stop being a dick just because you think that’s cool. Stop by sometime and I’ll tell you how I really feel about people like you in our community. Craig
Its sad that I have to point this out but it has very little to do with this particular restaurant. What other restaurant reviews have you done? Trying to pass off an ad as a review is just lazy and a poor business practice. You would be doing the readers an actual service if you took the time it took to respond to my post and did a review on one of the other fine restaurants we have in the area. Loved the personal attack though. I just wish you had that much passion for journalism. By the way, loved to see how busy this particular place was in the pictures!