Dining Guide

The Tavern

This Tanglewood-TCU hangout, which reminds us of an upscale diner, is quite possibly our most reliable go-to for impromptu dinner outings. We love to start with the fire-roasted artichokes, emanating wood-grilled flavor and augmented nicely with a creamy chipotle dipping sauce and charred lemon for squeezing. That wood richness also imbues the smoked salmon, served with crunchy toast and an irresistible rémoulade. Among entrée salads, the meaty crab cakes over mixed greens pairs well with chopped tomato, grilled corn, chunks of avocado, and walnut halves in bacon vinaigrette. At brunch, we can’t decide whether brisket hash, topped with a sunny-side-up egg and cheddar, or the grilled pork chop, topped with sautéed apples and paired with fried eggs and potatoes, is better—so we get both.