Ottawa Tavern

Although Ottawa Hills, if you believe the sign, has kakistocracy, Ottawa Tavern seems to be under excellent culinary leadership.  

After looking at the menu, I couldn't decide what to order, because I wanted to try several items.  That's a good thing.  

I finally decided on the Southwest Avocado burger.  It was delicious, and big.  I must say felt like a hog, because I, pretty much, ate it all at once; I couldn't put it down long enough to even wipe my face.  The combination of flavors, avocado and local beef (obviously), plus salsa, smoked pepper cheese, sour cream, lime, jalapeños, etc., was outstanding.     ONE MINOR COMPLAINT:  I ordered the burger to be cooked "medium" and it came out "well done."  I can only imagine how great this thing would have tasted if the burger had been juicier.  Like Bob Seger says:  "Next tiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiime, we'll get it right!"

Still a little hungry, I ordered the fried green tomatoes.  I was shocked by the portion size; you get three BIG (about 5/8 inches thick by 4 or 5 inches diameter) slices of awesome tangy goodness, fried in a nicely seasoned panko crust.   Excellent.  I was pretty stuffed.

They have a good selection of beer, also.  I had an appropriately chilled Brooklyn IPA on draft.   Smooth.   (Yes, Yes, Yes, I'm aware of the bar's reputation.  I agree that I should have ordered a PBR.  Again, "Next tiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiime, we'll get it right!")

Basically, I can't wait to go back.

This place is just awful.  The menu looks so cool but when if you actually are able to get food it ends up looking like it was cooked by your drunk college roommate.  

Ottawa Tavern is poorly organized and the staff is not trained at all.  I could launch into a rant about the many times we've tried and failed to either get or enjoy any food here.  If Ottawa Tavern wants to be a concert venue, be that.  But don't tempt me with a potentially awesome food menu that you woefully fail to deliver on.

After four attempts, we all agreed never to go back here.  Ever.  

This is THE hipster spot in town so it can still be quite packed when there is a band playing.  At these times it's really hard to get a drink.

The Ottowa Tavern has redone their menu, focusing on locally sourced, fresh ingredients, from their beef to things most diners, including myself, might take for granted, like jalapeno poppers and mozzarella sticks.

The jalapeno poppers we ordered last night featured crisp bacon and a blend of cheeses, hand battered and deep-fried. The jalapeno was bright green and retained a crisp snap despite being subjected to a deep-fryer. The batter was so light that they didn't give us that "weighed down" feeling we usually get when cockpunching our aortae.

On to the burgers (for two bucks you can add homemade chips, onion straws, fries, or asparagus). I had the peanut butter bacon burger with apples. The peanut butter took on a savory flavor against the bacon and the beef, and the crispiness of the bacon worked well with the texture of the generous portion of apples.

My boyfriend scored a rare victory in ordering something better than mine, though, as the saying goes, a blind clock will find a nut twice a day. Or something.

He got the Southwestern burger, topped with salsa, banana peppers, avocado, a thick slice of high quality smoked pepper jack cheese, and lime infused sour cream. I thought the description of his burger sounded fairly pedestrian, but I underestimated the OT. This burger has been done before in other restaurants. What really made this a standout was the quality of the ingredients, the cheese in particular, though we both agreed with cool, mellow citrus sour cream really brought it all together.

In future visits we look forward to trying the fried green tomatoes and mozzarella sticks (described to be by the bartender as "logs"). There are also some salads, chicken sandwiches, wraps, and melts on the menu as well.

I found their wine list extremely lacking, though the bartender advised me that most menu items pair well with PBR.