Negative reviews can be entertaining — people complain about the darnedest things. Reading them out loud on the way back after a good meal is like reading Chekhov’s The Complaints Book:
— kitchen closes at 11, at 11:02 the manager refuses to let us order a burger… this chris christie look-alike sissy man was supposed to be serving me at the bar and pretended I wasn’t there…
— they kicked me out at 1:30 on St Patrick’s when closing time is 2… never again…
— the bartender called last call at 11 pm and proceeded to pour until 12:30… just really weird…
— the burgers are gross… served on paper plates with a pickle… 1 star for the fries…
— the place was packed and impossible to maneuver… the crowd is very young… would not go back…
— I ask for less head and bartender says “sure thing your highness…” if my friend hadn’t already paid for the beer I would have just left…
— the place looked, well, sketchy… bartender ignores you… oh, and it has the ambiance of a gulag…
These were the real one-star reviews of the 90-year-old bar placed by USA TODAY on the list of 27 Bars of the Year for 2024 in the US, the bar that, back in the day, The Sopranos picked as a shooting location.
Remember Anthony Bourdain’s Elite Yelper and a jumbo shrimp?
Yes, the bartender at Tierney Tavern did not throw himself on our chest, and the burger was on a paper plate, and there was a head on Guinness he took care of.
I have never been to the Gulag but something tells me it would be lacking antique wooden walls, sports memorabilia, TVs broadcasting athletic events, and a battery of booze bottles.
We did not order their famous but secret cheesy onion-clad Buddy Burger — I like my burger for the burger itself, no frills. And theirs was perfect — well proportioned to the size of the bun, thin not to slide around creating a mess. Being thin it was perfectly medium rare as ordered.
The fries were crispy without hollow middle.
And wings — neither battered which I can’t, nor really bare — had the right meat to skin ratio, crunchy on the outside, melting inside, sliding off the bone with two fingers enough to handle.
Potato salad was good. This is one of those dishes I can’t resist when it’s on the menu.
Wish we lived closer.
