Our last few meals out haven’t been planned – we’ve pretty much found ourselves in a suburb running errands when hunger hit, and put ourselves at the mercy of Yelp or Urbanspoon to guide us to nearby sustenance. Fortunately for us, we’ve yet to be let down by a choice we were given.
Such is the case with Matt the Miller’s Tavern. It occupies the space on Perimeter Drive that previously housed The Burgundy Room Dublin. We were hoping another great restaurant would grab that space, and we’re glad to see that it made the transition fairly painlessly. Although we went mid-afternoon on a weekday, when it was fairly empty, I hear the place really gets packed on weekends.
The menu is fairly extensive – literally, there are choices there for everyone. We honestly had a difficult time narrowing our choices down to what we ultimately got. We’re hoping to go back again soon to try out more of the menu.
Rather than ordering an appetizer from the Starter portion of the menu, we decided to split one of their flatbreads – in our case we splurged and went with the Ahi Tuna flatbread ($14.95 – other flatbread choices are significantly cheaper), and did not regret it for a second. A crispy dough was topped with a creamy miso mousse, avocado slices, Asian slaw, perfectly seared sliced ahi tuna, toasted sesame seeds, wasabi aioli and a soy reduction. The combination of flavors was out of this world. Even the portions that didn’t have tuna on them had an enticing umami about them that left me wanting more – I could have eaten this for days. Needless to say, I can see myself ordering this as an entree all to myself on our next visit – it was THAT good.
P. decided to get himself a bowl of their soup of the day, a black bean and beef chili ($4.95), which had a nice complex spice profile with a pleasant smoky undercurrent to it.
I chose to get a side portion of Matt’s Salad ($3.00), a combination of super fresh salad greens tossed with white cheddar shreds, caramelized walnuts, dried apricots, and a mustard maple vinaigrette. On first thought, I thought the dried apricots were a bit out of place, but by the time I finished the salad, I appreciated the slight sweetness they brought to the party. Great salad, I absolutely loved the vinaigrette, which was creamy and vinegary without being too much of either.
I was a bit less enamored with my entree choice, the Turkey and Avocado Sandwich ($9.25), in which all white meat turkey breast, smoked bacon, Swiss cheese, herb mayo, avocado, lettuce and tomato fill a buttery grilled brioche. It wasn’t that the sandwich was badly prepared – the preparation was just fine. We just happened to find it a bit bland compared to their other offerings. The best part of the entree was the sweet potato fries on the side – while by themselves they are nothing special (think McCain’s), with the addition of salt and dipped into a side of garlic aioli (bypass the normal ketchup and ask for this instead) they were downright addictive.
P. absolutely loved his burger, The Miller ($12.50), a 3/4 lb. behemoth topped with lettuce, tomato, onion rings, bacon, Swiss, cheddar, garlic aioli, and creamy slaw in between a homemade rosemary potato bun that definitely held up to the burger. The combination of flavors was tantalizing, but what stuck us the most that it was actually cooked correctly – we asked for medium rare and got just that, which is one of the first times that has happened – kudos!
For his side, he switched out the normal fries for an order of their scalloped potatoes, which were aptly prepared – nice browned edges, tender but not mushy potatoes, good balance of cream to cheese.
Service was quite excellent – our server was attentive and thoughtful, thinking to tuck away a couple extra containers of garlic aioli into our take-home bag knowing how much we loved it. The whole cost of the meal was quite reasonable. Knowing they have a great patio, we can see ourselves returning often on nice days, even though Dublin is a bit out of our way. Great selection of beers on tap, and good happy hour deals. If you find yourself and Dublin, this is an excellent choice. We were quite pleased with all aspects of our experience and do not hesitate to give it a full recommendation.
If you’d like to go: Matt the Miller’s Tavern, 6725 Avery-Muirfield Drive (entrance to the parking lot is on Perimeter behind the Huntington Bank), Dublin, OH 43017, 614-799-9102.
More reviews by swampkitty can be found online at ColumbusFoodie.com.
