The Big Black Dog Tavern & Grill

3.5 stars.

They've made great strides. The beer selection is super. They've worked out most of the kinks in service and food. The decor has grown more full of character. Nearly all of the little things that drug the place down have been eradicated.

If you visited The Big Black Dog in the first few months of operation and were disappointed, come back. Its better. Much better. Give them a second chance.

We tried to go to BBD the first week they opened, but we didn't have a reservation and there were no tables for walk-ins. We went back tonight (a Wednesday in February) with a Groupon that gave us $60 in dining for $29.

The restaurant was pretty much empty when we arrived at 6:00, so seating was not a problem. We sat in the back room near the big windows. The chairs aren't very comfortable, but the table was fine.

Hannah, our waitress, was very friendly and great with our kids. She was attentive, but not overbearing.

We had the pretzel appetizer, a California burger (avocado on it), macaroni and cheese, a taunt burger (totally plain), and the combination pulled chicken/pork plate. The burgers are big, and good. The Mac n' cheese wasn't very good, and my son only ate a bit of it. I had the butter garlic mashed potatoes with my burger and didn't like it at all - they reminded me of either mashed from a box, or mashed made with the wrong kind of potatoes - too gooey. My husband liked his pulled chicken and pork. My son loved his taunt burger.

I had a glass of Pinot Noir, and it was a large pour and enjoyable.

We had two desserts: brownie cheesecake, and coconut creme pie. I love dessert, but would not order either of these again.

One appetizer, three entrees, one kid's meal, one glass of wine, two Sprites, and two desserts came to $17 after the Groupon (which was $29). I'm not sure that this meal would have been worth full price.

I would love to see BBD thrive, as the north shore needs more good restaurants. I think to do so the restaurant needs a few things:

1. Better decor. Add some more color, texture and warmth. The rooms are big and feel cold.

2. Don't cross something off the menu with a black sharpie; it's tacky. Replace the page or have your staff announce that you are out of that item.

3. Perk up your appetizers. The pretzels were microwave hot when they got to the table, and sort of soggy.

4. Work on presentation. The pulled meat plate could not have been more boring looking. Chicken, pork, and cole slaw are pretty much in the same color family: blah.

5. The paper towel dispensers on the walls are a cute idea for messy ribs, but made me feel like I was eating in a bathroom.

6. Pay attention to your walls. I sat across from three paintings of black dogs, and each one was really crooked. That kind of lack of attention to detail is just lazy.

7. Up the age of your kids' meals. My ten year old pointed out that the kids meals were for kids aged nine or younger. I don't think I've ever seen such a young cut off before.

This place has potential, but it's not there yet.

on the plus side the beer menu is fantastic, extensive list, the prices are very very good. well done. they also have paper towel machines at each booth which is great. they tell you what the barbecue sauces are which is good too. the john wayne poster is great.

the service was awful. we sat down, about 5 minutes later another group sat down and they were served first before us.

the menu
-about half of the menu is appetizers which are mostly chips with different kids of dips priced wildly differently.

-the burgers for $13 are about the size of a mcdonalds hamburger which is not what you expect. I also thought the sides were small and the tomatoes were not fresh.

-the menus themselves were paper and wrinkled and dirty, like what a 9 year old would give their parents if they made dinner for them.

-the 2 person tables are too small if you're over 4'5, you can fit your plate on them, that's about it.

I think it's great if you have small kids-there are no table clothes, lots of walls to keep in sound and you have no expectations.

I wanted to like the place, but it's not even close to worth going back and it's pretty hard to screw up a burger and tv joint.

they have a long way to go, they figured out the beer and the napkins, but everything else was just clueless.