The Tap and Mallet, Rochester's first gastropub, has been open for four months, but it has the feeling of a place that has been open for much longer. There are still some kinks to work out - in particular, something needs to be done to stem the Hobbesian struggle for tables in the dining room on weekends - but overall the service is good and knowledgeable. The earth tones and warm honey-colored wood in the bar and dining room are welcoming, even more so on a chilly night when snow is swirling outside the windows. The menu offers an intriguing mix of pub classics and what can only be described as bistro or brasserie food - steaks, chops, an occasional fish entrée, and a round of nightly specials that Chef Paul Brewer uses to test additions to a new menu that will be rolled out in early April, about the same time that the pub starts opening for lunch.
A pub is foremost about beer. A gastropub is foremost about the interaction between good beer and good food. As such, owner Joe McBane and chef Brewer's menu starts from the solid base of beer-friendly cuisines: Belgian, English, and American bar-favorites. Belgian food is well known for two things: frites (French-fried potatoes served with a variety of toppings) and mussels (steamed in a rich broth of either white wine or beer). Brewer's frites ($4) are excellent, his mussels ($8.50) sublime.
Most restaurants serve Prince Edward Island mussels. Brewer serves New Zealand greenlipped mussels, which are at least twice the size of their Canadian cousins. Sweet, salmon-colored, and meaty, the huge shellfish were still tender and perfumed by the mixture of wheat beer, chorizo, shallots, garlic, and parsley in which they were cooked. The broth makes a nice dipping sauce, but is even better on its own - spicy, slightly malty, with overtones of roasted garlic and the astringent green of Italian parsley. The yeasty goodness of a glass of Maredsous 8 - a dark, wine-like Belgian dubbel - threw the seafood and the broth into high relief, teasing even more depth out of an already impressive dish.
A beer-friendly pub cannot do without British food. McBane and Brewer remain true to English dishes and English styles, tweaking them a bit to bring in more flavor and make them more attractive than their more authentic kin. The folks at the Tap and Mallet developed their own pork and veal sausage recipe in the English tradition. The result is links that are less dense than other bangers, far more meaty, and accented with subtle additions of onion, garlic, and sage that make them a true joy to eat. Served alongside a generous heap of creamy yet chunky mashed potatoes, and topped with a gravy made with the restaurant's signature "McBane's Best Bitter" and a shot of demi-glace, it seems almost a shame to group them with other bangers that I've had ($12).
The other staple of the British pub, the sausage roll ($6), is not on the current menu, but Brewer has been offering his take on it as a special appetizer and plans to add it to the new menu in April. These "rolls" are in fact puff-pastry cups filled with the same pork and veal sausage featured in the bangers and mash. The dab of citrus salsa (cut to a perfect 1/16" brunoise) on top of each of the cups throws the sausage into high relief, bringing the sage and garlic to the front in a most agreeable and surprising way.
The Brits love their curry, and so Brewer included a tandoori chicken sandwich ($7.25) on the menu. The high, dry heat method of cooking tandoori chicken almost inevitably dries it somewhat, but the moist zing of the mint yogurt sauce on top of the sandwich married well with the smoky, spicy profile of the meat, and added back some much-needed moisture to produce a delightful sandwich. (Although I would love to see it served with a tikka masala sauce on top, too). And then there are the fish and chips ($11). The menu claims that they are "the best in town," and I'm not likely to dispute that claim. The fish - a plate-covering slab of pearly white and sweet flesh - is dipped in a batter that is somewhere between tempura and beer batter to produce a crust that is thick and crunchy without being overly greasy. The fish steams in its batter coating, rendering it moist, rich, and delectable. The same process produces a superlative chicken tender ($6).
The menu also features bar classics like spinach artichoke dip ($7) and Buffalo wings ($6.75). Served with very fresh-tasting tortilla chips, the spinach dip was rich and thick, contrasting earthy spinach with the lemony zip of artichoke hearts and the creamy combination of cream cheese, sour cream, and mayonnaise. The wings were above average and on par with those found in Buffalo. The skin was ever-so-slightly crispy and not absolutely drenched in the buttery-tasting hot sauce that coated them. The bleu cheese dressing had herbal notes that were a very nice surprise.
The best thing I tasted in three visits, though, is not on the menu, although it soon will be: a pair of pork shanks, brined and then grill-roasted to bring out a delectable smokiness that countered the richness of the meat and the silky texture of the ale gravy in which they were dressed ($12). This was a thoroughly delightful entrée, even more so when paired with a glass of Rodenbach Red Ale - a sour ale made with wild yeast and a generous hit of cherry - which cut through the fat and smoke like a knife, allowing the underlying sweetness of the meat to shine through.
Even the desserts here show careful attention to taste and presentation. The cheesecake, topped with cherries and bright-blue pop-rocks (yes, you read that right; $5), delighted on all sorts of levels. The cheesecake itself was creamy and absolutely first rate, although the curious sensation of creamy dessert plus effervescence took a bit of getting used to. The only challenge presented by the bread pudding ($5) was figuring out how to keep it all for myself. A gratin dish full of chunks of butter-tossed bread, toasted over a creamy and sinfully rich custard and finished with what seemed to be turbinado sugar, along with a glass of light, sweet mead, made a pleasant ending to an epic meal.
The Tap and Mallet
381 Gregory St.
473-0503
Daily 4 p.m.-2 a.m.