The Washington Square Tavern is a small restaurant located in Washington square in Brookline (hence the name). This is one of the few places that Keri and I go back to with some degree of regularity. Since our most recent trip was last week (Saturday 9/18), I feel like this would be a great time to write a review. While I still enjoy this place, I have come to see it for what it is: a tavern that can do some simple things really well.
When you walk into the restaurant there is a large bar area on the right and the dining area on the left. While there is not separation of the space, they really make this work because of the long group tables that run almost the whole length of the restaurant. Even though the space is small and can get crowded at times, we love the atmosphere on the inside. The kitchen is located right behind a study style wall of books and there is window so can sort of see what is going on. A few tables seat up to 10 people and more than one group may be at the same table (sort of private cafeteria style seating). The lighting on the inside is soft and the windows tinted, which give the place a warm feel.
We went out with our friends Erin and Brian and when we arrived around 7:30, there was about a half an hour wait. There is a great selection of beers, wine and cocktails so the wait flew by. Our second round at the bar that we all had was the Brooklyn Brewery Post Road Pumpkin Ale, which had a nice hopy pumpkin flavor; a great way to kick off the fall.
The menu is small and they always have a few interesting specials. Generally when we go, i get the Steak Frittes or the burger and if we go back I will stick with those two.
We decided to start off with an order of PEI muscles in a dijon mustard sauce. The muscles tasted fresh and the order came with plenty for the four of us to share. The mustard sauce was flavorful and not overpowering, but not nearly enough to get a taste with all the muscles. I also started with a traditional wedge salad. The salad was a quarter head instead of the usual half; covered with two strips of perfectly cooked bacon and a healthy amount of bland blue cheese dressing. Overall the salad was decent, the star was definitely the bacon. The dressing needed some pepper, which says a lot coming from someone who doesn't really love pepper.
The girls both had black bean burgers with sweet potato fries on top of greens instead of a bun. They both really enjoyed their meal. The burger was over an inch thick and had a large circumference. Even with the large size, the burger was cooked throughout and very moist. The flavor of the burger was excellent and a great vegetarian option. Brian had a traditional burger that he said was excellent, having them in the past, I would concur.
I decided to mix things up a little tonight and got the linguini and clams sauce. The serving was a decent size, but not huge. There were 8-10 small clams that tasted good, but I would have liked a few more. The pasta was fresh but had a very sticky consistency which I attribute to the lack of sauce on the dish. The sauce was a garlic white wine sauce that tasted great, but the noodles were not coated with the sauce and there was truly an under-abundance. overall the dish was mediocre and I would not recommend it. The clams and noodles were fresh, but the miniscule amount of sauce left the dish flavorless.
With a great atmosphere and a few good entrees on the menu, I would recommend this to anyone looking for a fun night out. Don't get too adventurous with what you order as it seems they only do the simple things really well. The sauces they use lack complex flavors and while no one wants their food drowning in sauce, don't expect their to be enough sauce to cover your food. Stick to the standard burger, veggie burger or Steak.
Rating
Ambiance: 8, they really make the small space work. Even when it is busy, it doesn't get too loud.
Service: 9, service is accurate and friendly, we have never had an issue.
Overall Menu: 7, small can be good, but not if only a portion of those items are good.
Presentation: 8, food is assembled with care, nothing fancy though
Order Accuracy: 9, the ladies made a few substitutions and they got them all right
Overall taste: 7, nothing tasted bad, but the food lacked elements
Value: 7, if you want a good deal, go with the burger. drinks can be very pricey.
Flavor Complexity: 7, simple flavors and a lot of the ingredients are bland without their sauces
Quality of Ingredients: 9, everything tasted very fresh, especially the seafood.
Accessibility: 8, located in washington square, there is street parking around and 30 seconds from the T.
Total: 79, Worth trying but don't be too adventurous!
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