My husband and I celebrated our 39th wedding anniversary two days ago. Another year of attempting to go out and enjoy a nice dinner in this university town. Another year of incredible disappointment in the quality of food served in area restaurants.
We had a $50 gift card to The Tavern in State College, PA. I ordered the sirloin, medium, he ordered the liver and onions. I received a hockey-puck-sized lump of meat very obviously overcooked. He received a flat piece of what looked like leather with overdone bacon, and onions that were barely recognizable.
Who does this to food?! Why?!
I attempted to slice my sirloin with the serrated knive provided and the meat shredded under the pressure. Completely shredded. It was disgusting. His thin slab of liver was no better. Overcooked, dry and inedible. Honestly, I am appalled at what they charge for food here. Appalled!
We began our evening with drinks that we had to send back because we were sure the bartender forgot the alcohol. Nope! They came back the same way, watery and flat. It was a taste of things to come.
This particular restaurant is a supposed beloved institution…why, I will never know. It’s crap. The interior is dark, dank and dingy. There were waterstains all over the ceiling. The faux colonial style brass hanging lamps over every table were filthy, pitted, and dusty. The floor was sticky. The Windsor style chairs we were sitting in were dirty, scarred and creaky. Do these people not clean their restaurant every day?!
When we owned our restaurant you could literally eat off of our floors, not just in the dining room but in the kitchen as well! They shone like glass, they were immaculate. The minute food or straw wrappers or anything landed on that floor one of our wait staff promptly cleaned it up. No one wants to eat in a restaurant with dirty floors or sticky tables. What does that say about the cleanliness of the kitchen? Do they leave food debris all over the place, possibly contaminating your dish? Do they care? This place certainly does not.
The Tavern also has a horribly insulting dining gimmick – unlimited sides. The list of sides was recited with such enthusiasm by our sweet waitress that I actually laughed when they arrived – it was an image I won’t ever forget. Teeny, tiny little monkey dishes with one or two tablespoonsful of food. Our forks were too big for the dish, they were that small. No wonder diners around us were ordering 6, 7, 8 of the sides right away with their main courses. What a joke!
After six years of living in this area we have yet to find a restaurant that is worth the money paid for a meal.
I do not fancy The Tavern in State College, PA. Not at all.
