These Taps Run Hot And Cold
Tribune photo by JASON BEHNKEN
Curried salmon tartare is among the trendy dishes at Taps, which is divided into a small wine lounge and a beer-centric bar.
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Published: November 20, 2008
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TAMPA - It's hard to know what to make of Taps Wine & Beer Merchants. The new bar and restaurant opened in June on the ground floor of downtown's Skypoint condominium tower, catering to an upwardly mobile crowd with high-end booze and a hip menu.
Although you can't help rooting for the latest commercial stab at urban renewal, Taps seems to match each tantalizing plus with a daunting minus.
Wine is all the rage right now, and consumption is way up. That's good. But the economy is circling the drain and Congress is jiggling the handle. That's bad.
The nearby Fly bar and restaurant has survived with a similar concept, albeit far warmer and more vibrant. That's good. But parking is considerably tougher to come by at Taps, and downtown's residential boom still hasn't happened. That's bad.
Very bad, because despite the not-so-faint whiff of pretension, Taps is the kind of place you can imagine hanging out if you lived nearby. It's divided into two intimate rooms - one a wine-centric lounge, the other a beer-focused bar and dining room - both with a sleek, clean (some might say sterile) and contemporary vibe. There's comfortable al fresco seating, a fantastic selection of brews on draft and an above-average wine list. Servers are without exception friendly and, it must be said, nice to look at.
Then there's the food.
Taps' menu is a mix of all things trendy, from raw fish dishes to upscale comfort foods. (Does anyone need another slider?) Befitting its social setting, the bulk of the selections are plates for sharing, and among those we found mixed results.
We loved the rich flavor and mild spice of the Roasted Poblano Peppers and Sausage, baked with Provolone cheese, sweet piquillo pepper sauce and avocado cream, but were disappointed that it arrived cold. And our Tuna Crudo was an adventurous mash-up of flavors and textures, but the spicy chili oil dominated the countless other flavors - avocado, fennel, red onion, sun-dried tomato - to the extent that the tuna was practically beside the point.
The lesson there may be "keep it simple, stupid." To wit, we thoroughly enjoyed the Bean Dip Trio - especially the nutty hummus - and although we couldn't find the slightest hint of smokiness in our Smokey Guacamole (it was more lemony than anything), we scraped the bottom of the bowl clean even though the chips seemed to come straight from a vending machine.
We had great luck at lunch. Among sandwiches, the BLT&A - applewood smoked bacon, lettuce, avocado and tomato aioli on grilled ciabatta - was a big hit. And it was hard to nitpick the meal-size Napa Valley Salad, with its harmonious blend of greens, asparagus, tomatoes, green apple, red onion and almonds, topped with a delicate apple cider vinaigrette and a deliciously tart goat cheese croquette.
Dinner entrees, on the other hand, underwhelmed. Our meatloaf was ... well, meatloaf. Slathered in Heinz 57 and served with duck fat potatoes, it was perfectly edible and perfectly ordinary. Meanwhile, the Chicken Roulade was just plain weird. Wrapped in prosciutto, the rolled, stuffed breast ended up tasting more like - and even taking on the texture of - ham.
But maybe we just expected too much from a place where happy hour drinks are the big draw. After all, as snacks go, you could do a lot worse.
DINING REVIEW
Taps Wine & Beer Merchants
BOTTOM LINE: Small plates and big prices in an uber-trendy setting.
WHERE: 777 N. Ashley Drive, Tampa
HOURS: 11 a.m. to 2 a.m. Monday through Friday, noon to 2 a.m. Saturday, 4 p.m. to 2 a.m. Sunday
CREDIT CARDS: All major
RESERVATIONS: No
CHILDREN'S MENU: No
ALCOHOL: Beer and wine
WHEELCHAIR ACCESS: Yes
PRICE RANGE: $7 to $18
CALL: (813) 463-1968
Tribune reviewers eat anonymously. Rommie Johnson can be reached at (813) 259-7426.
