The Revere Tavern..... (Read to the end)

The place:   Revere Tavern, 3063 Lincoln Highway, Paradise, Pa.

Dinner for two:  $107, with a decent tip.

What we ordered:  One mixed drink, one seasonal beer on tap, a bowl of signature soup, an appetizer, two entrees that came with salads, coffee, and desert to share.

What we received for our money:   A rich, satisfying, and tasty 'date-night' dinner served in a classically gentile setting, with service that made us feel like special customers.

Every once in a while, we like to get away for a nice dinner.  Just Herself and I, having a meal someplace special.  Not our everyday fare, but something outside our ordinary daily grind.  You know.... a date night.... treating ourselves to an experience as much as dinner.

This time, we chose The Revere Tavern, in Paradise.  
 
The place has been there as long as I can recall, which makes sense given it's 250+ year history. The Inn carries that age with grace and beauty, lending a lovely ambiance to the diners experience.  True to it's 'tavern' nature, the Revere also offers a comfortable bar sporting it's own light menu.

We were made to feel special from the moment we walked in, being escorted immediately to our reserved table. Service was incredibly attentive and professional. I only had two complaints that are small issues. The restaurant was not very busy, as we had early reservations and they put us in the back corner, by a serving station, so my view was poop. Also if you run cold, wear a sweater. I was very chilly, and I normally run hot. 

Service began with warm, crusty rolls and an herbed butter.   Two types of rolls were presented, two with herbs and two plain.  Herself found the herbed butter a bit too salty (a bit? A lot!) and I cannot disagree.... although I was okay with it.  Honestly, it may have been the only flaw in the entire evening.  I should note... our waiter was able to instantly tell us everything that had gone into the herbed butter upon being asked.  His knowledge of both the food and bar menus was first rate.

Salads were crisp, fresh, and Herself could barely find even a bit of wilted lettuce... and she looks hard! (I really do. I evaluate every salad I eat for the littlest bit of wilt.Wilt grosses me out, it's a thing. 😸) Basic dinner salads, relatively simple but refreshing.

For an appetizer, we shared Clams Revere, although I had but a wee nibble.... having ordered a bowl of their signature Snappy Soup.  Herself wanted nothing to do with the soup, declaring it

made from creatures of her tribe.... or something. I tasted the soup, I did not care for it. I thought snapper soup was made from Snapper the fish, not turtles. I like turtles.

 As for me, having had their Snapper Soup on previous occasions, I wouldn't have missed it.  Extremely rich, even before dosing with the provided sherry, the bowl of soup would make a fair light meal all on it's own.

Snapper Soup is perhaps a niche food.  Like Blue Crabs, or maybe Quiche..... not everyone likes it.  Those of us who do, however, *really* like it, and will go out of our way for a well done offering. Revere certainly does not disappoint on that front.  At $7 a bowl, it's not cheap, but instead an excellent value.

The clams revere were tasty. Again, maybe slightly over-salted to my taste. They are served as 5 half-shell clams, broiled with bacon, spinach, peppers, onion and Monterrey jack cheese. I was pleased with them. The clams had no grit and were not over-cooked.

For mains, we each went for our comfort zone.  Herself had mushroom ravioli:  "Sautéed wild mushrooms, baby spinach and walnuts tossed in a truffle Madeira cream sauce, over mushroom stuffed raviolis".  She went a step further and asked for a serving of grilled chicken to go with it. This was a delicious dish, that was both satisfying and tasty. The portions at Revere are generous. The chicken was grilled perfectly and was moist. It went very well with the pasta dish. I am picky about my pasta and the ravioli were cooked perfectly. No arguments on my part.  The ravioli was really nicely done. Not overdone and mushy, as so many kitchens turn out.

Lil 'ol me... I went with the beef tips: "6 oz. beef tenderloin, sauteed with onions and mushrooms in a beef burgundy sauce. Served over mashed potatoes".

Speaking for my dinner..... it was all but flawless.  Well plated, the beef was fork tender while being cooked to the medium-rare I had specified.  The gravy was intensely rich, setting the mushrooms up for success and neatly building the steak tips up to their full potential.  The mashed potatoes were flavorful, nicely seasoned, and well presented. They made a perfect counterpoint to the rich gravy and beef. I finished off his sauteed onions and mushrooms because they were too delicious to go to waste!

After dinner, even as well fed as we were, Herself just had to try the Snickerdoodle Creme Brulee, a favorite of hers (Two favorites actually, snickerdoodles are my favorite cookie...mmm cinnamon and creme brulee... mmm creamy goodness!).  Once again, The Revere did not disappoint. It was not overly sweet, having a simple light richness and flavor.  The carefully melted sugar topping was perfectly done. It had a delicious addition as cinnamon and was prepared perfectly. The custard was not too loose, nor was it scrambled eggs.

Rounding off with coffee, we sat back from the table and relaxed in peace.  It was a good moment.  A very good moment. 

By our standards, the Revere is not inexpensive.   That said, it certainly offers a value that exceeds the bottom line on the check. It is a classically good restaurant that is exactly what it purposes to be, fine dining in a beautiful location. We exchanged some dollars for an excellent memory, and that's priceless.

How does The Revere Tavern Fork up? 
4.75 Forks for flavor.
4 Forks for atmosphere. (This was decided after some discussion, because I was unhappy with our particular table, and cold the entire evening.)
4.5  Forks for location. (Easy to find & plenty of parking)
3.75 Forks for your value. (Expensive, but worth it.)
4.85 Forks for service.
4.37 Forks overall

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We went back.  Stayed at the hotel, and had dinner again at the Revere.   It caused us to reconsider our rating, and we can no longer go with a 4.37 forks.  Due to some issues and general unhappiness, I doubt we will be back.    You draw your own conclusion, but we will take our hard earned money elsewhere I think.