Best Letdown Ever

On a recent tip from friends, GWG headed to Cary to attempt a monster meat challenge that promised to outdo all prior challenges. Tribeca Tavern offers an extensive burger menu including the forty-dollar “Glutton’s Glory.” We knew this meal had GWG written all over it and were willing to make the trip—but on arrival we were disappointed to learn it is no longer available.

 After overcoming the burger blow, we still had our hefty appetites to deal with and decided to stay for dinner—a decision that paid off.  We chose to sit on the outdoor patio, but the tavern also offers an indoor sports bar atmosphere and a unique second floor balcony area. We started with a couple of house reds from their large tap system of North Carolina beers—each came adorned with hard pretzels, a nice and unexpected touch.

In order to create some semblance of a massive meal we decided not to skip a course and started with the “Cheesy Poofs,” a dish that is a lot more sophisticated than it sounds. These puff pastries have a warm brie, cashew and smoked bacon center and are served with raspberry sauce. The combination of the flaky crust, the creamy cheese and the tart topping was delectable—we had quickly forgotten about our initial setback.

Then we were on to the burgers and our waitress gave us the rundown—Tribeca uses meats that are freshly ground in-house and offers many cheeses and toppings from local farms. Their gourmet burger menu gives Red Robin a run for their money—they offer a selection of original and adventurous burger combinations that make it hard to chose just one, so we each chose our favorite and agreed to share.

One of our choices was the “Mastering Augusta” beef burger topped with home-made pimento cheese, fried green tomatoes and three slices of bacon—a combination that rang our southern bells. The burger was cooked well and all the ingredients fresh and tasty, but with so much going on nothing really stood out. That being said, with a little more pimento cheese this burger could still qualify as a guilty pleasure.

The second choice was the Really Mean Mexican burger; it was bursting with flavor and heat. The ground beef was cooked medium-rare maintaining its juice and flavor and the burger included heaps of guacamole, salsa, chipotle coulis, NC pepperjack cheese and fried jalapenos. Although it was messy, this burger was one of the top burgers we've ever tasted.  To balance the heat, the GWG opted for sweet potatoes fries with a rum honey sauce. The waffle cut fries were fried to perfection and the sweet rum honey sauce was sent straight from heaven.

Reluctantly passing up on milkshakes made with homemade ice cream and the other delicious desserts at Tribeca Tavern, we made our way to Kilwin’s, a fudge, candy, ice cream shop located in the same shopping center.  Kilwin's, a national chain, has eight locations in North Carolina.

After sampling fudge, surveying the candy and peeking at the ice cream, we opted for the chocolate walnut fudge and some treats for friends. We made our way outside, sat at a table located in front of the shop, and quickly made our way into the fudge. The creamy texture of the rich fudge paired with the crunchy nutty walnuts was the perfect ending to an exquisite meal.

The GWG may not have accomplished the mission of tackling the Glutton’s Glory, but we did walk away happily stuffed and excited to go back and try more of Tribeca Tavern’s unique, fresh menu. With the glossiness of a chain and the special touches of a local favorite, Tribeca Tavern is a must try.