Tavernakaya

3 Reviews on “Tavernakaya”

• Frank Or Casey

  We went in for restaurant week, because I’ve been dying to try TK for some time. I started out with the TK Mojito while I waited for my companions to arrive. A pretty solid spin on the Mojito, the TK Mojito is dryer and less sweet than its traditional counterpart. After my friends arrived and we were seated, I selected my four courses from the restaurant week menu, opting for the miso soup, the tempura cheese curds, the madtown roll, and for dessert black sesame ice cream. The first courses arrived, and my soup was pretty standard miso, not bad, but nothing unusual. Our second course arrived practically on top of our first course, so we ended up in pretty tight quarters. We asked our waitress to please slow it down. My second course, the Tempura Cheese curds were excellent. Thewhite cheddar wasfantastic with the tempura batter, and the aioli on the plate was very tasty. My only complaint would be the portion size (literally six curds) and the plating (the six curds were on two skewers and were plated directly in the aioli, which made them soggy because they arrived at the same time as my soup, and I left them sitting. My madtown roll was really good. The kale tempura added a nice crunch to every bite, and its always nice to see a vegetarian sushi roll that goes beyond just avocado and / or cucumber. The black sesame ice cream for dessert was wonderful. I tasted my friends mochi ice cream, and if I were ever to get dessert at TK again, I would definitely pull the trigger on that. Our bill arrived, and we asked the waitress to split it. She did so for us, but when she returned to pick it up, she wandered away without it, and we had to call her back. Generally, throughout our meal she was attentive enough, but probably a newer waitress. Overall a good experience and a nice atmosphere, and I can’t ding them too hard for our service which was adequate at best.

  April 25, 2017, 5:22 am

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• Martin Schneider

  Went here because a friend of a friend result wanted to try it. We got there and the atmosphere was great. The waitress was very aware of us. I we all ordered and the waitress warned us that all the food would probably not come out at the same time. Three of us got our food at the same time but one person did not get their appetizer until everyone else had their next part of the meal. I ordered pork belly buns and was extremely disappointed in them; mostly fat on them and over priced. I had sushi for $6.50 but I’ve never seen sushi so small. Everyone was really disappointed.

  August 23, 2016, 5:15 am

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• Rick Leed

  My partner really wanted to try Tavernakaya. Every time we walk by, it is always packed. The menu sounds so tasty. So despite an average first impression, I decided to go back. I doubt there will be a third visit.The visit started off well. We were seated immediately. The tables are very close together, but that can be a plus as it allowed us to check out what our neighbors on either side were eating. Everything looked and smelled amazing. Our waiter was very friendly and described the izakaya concept. I was a little concerned perusing the dinner menu as the prices seemed rather steep for small plates, but I was game to try. When we ordered our beverages and dishes out waiter assured us that these were his favorites too. Our drinks arrived promptly and they were delicious. They were also rather tiny considering the big-city prices, but I was going to do my best to ignore that.Once the runners started to bring our dishes, my opinion just continued to plummet. First up, beef short ribs. Two skewers with two bites of beef per skewer. They were pretty, they smelled great, the flavor was delicious, but once you bit into it, watch out! Gristle through-out. I chewed and chewed. I just needed to chew it enough to be able to swallow it otherwise I’d have to spit it out. Worst texture ever. Not a good beginning. Next up were the shishito peppers. This was actually my favorite course. Six tiny grilled peppers. I have no complaint about this dish except there’s a place in Iowa City where they are just as good and they serve twice as many peppers for half the price. By this time, my tiny drink was empty and I was hoping to order another one. A glass of water would also have been welcome. I started keeping my eye out for our waiter.The runners continued to bring dishes. Third course: pickled vegetables: kimchi, pickles, daikon radish, and shredded carrot. The pickles and carrot were fine. I’m not a fan of kimchi, so I won’t hold that against them. The daikon was horrible. I generally like pickled vegetables but this had an almost rotten flavor. Next up was General Tso’s Cauilflower. This was a pretty dish and a decent portion size. The sauce smelled and tasted quite good. But the breading was thick and soggy and the cauliflower overcooked. Another let-down. Finally we had the Taiwanese Popcorn Chicken. I had high-hopes for this from looking at our neighbor’s table. Again it was a nice presentation. But after biting into one, yet another disappointment. If you are a fan of 5-spice powder you might enjoy this. But if not, stay away because that was all I could taste. At this point, our long-lost waiter came by to check on us. He wanted to know if we would like to order more dishes or perhaps dessert. But frankly, by this time, I had given up on that second drink. I had given up on getting water. I just wanted to leave as quickly as possible.The check did come quickly. We paid it and left. I doubt I’ll go back.

  June 23, 2016, 6:35 pm

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