After reading a plentiful amount of reviews espousing the qualities of The Stone Tavern, and…read moreviewing some amazing looking photos of the food, a work colleague and I were excited to visit for lunch and try it out.
We were promptly seated in a mostly full dining area just to the right of the entrance around 12:30 pm on a Thursday. The dining room was spacious with plenty of room between tables though the booths are a tad tight. A large bar area with lots of TVs looked appealing as well. Drinks were quickly ordered and served as we perused the menu. While we had both looked at the menu prior to coming, and had an idea of what we wanted, there were so many appealing options that we second guessed a little as we made the tough decisions to not order way more than we could consume. Finally we decided on The Hot Roast Beef Sandwich with fries, the Ribeye Cheesesteak with fries, and a bowl of the Tomato, Bacon Mac & Cheese with the agreement to split the sandwiches and mac & cheese so we could both try additional items.
Three very full and visually appealing plates of food arrived quickly (about 10-12 minutes after ordering) and we were ready to dig in.
First up was the Ribeye Cheesesteak with caramelized stout onions, truffled local mushrooms, and sharp provolone on a Liscio's roll. Immediately viewable was the limited amount of cheese that was only lining the roll and not mixed into the meat in any way. Biting into the sandwich revealed a dry meat with a distinctly non-cheesesteak flavor. It wasn't bad, but it just tasted like a bland steak and cheese sandwich. The sharp provolone didn't make it to the party and had no noticeable presence. After eating half of my portion I added some ketchup which helped some with the dryness. This was a 25 out of 5 and I wouldn't bother ordering it again.
I also started to consume the shoestring french fries while I ate the cheesesteak, and they were delicious. Crisp with just the right amount of salt. 4.5 out of 5.
Next up was the Hot Roast Beef Sandwich with thinly shaved Black Angus beef that is roasted daily, served with Au Jus, and horseradish sauce on a long roll. Topped with cheese and loaded with meat, this is what I was most looking forward to and couldn't wait to take a bite. I wish I hadn't! By itself, this was probably the blandest sandwich I have ever had in my life, while dipping into the Au Jus definitely improved the flavor, it still wasn't enough. I tried adding the horseradish sauce, but that was a sad approximation of real horseradish. Worst of all was the meat itself, where I had three different bites that were fatty/gristly and couldn't be chewed. Can't say I've ever had that from a roast beef sandwich before. 1.5 out of 5.
Lastly, we had the Tomato, Bacon Mac & Cheese consisting of cavatappi pasta, applewood smoked bacon, and some diced tomato. This was sadly also a disappointment. The quality of the cheese left something to be desired and the sauce was very runny in consistency even after letting it sit for 10 mins while everything else was eaten. Another bland dish that neither of us even bothered to finish or box up to take home. Ketchup couldn't save this. 2 out of 5.
Other than the fries, the only other bright spot was the service. Our waitress Isabella was polite, attentive, and performed her job well. Refilling drinks and making sure we were taken care of. 5 out of 5 for service.
Affordability... for the three dishes and two Diet Cokes the total came to $57.27 with tax plus a $12 tip. The portion sizes were strong, but the flavor eliminated any value proposition.
Overall, the food looked far better than it tasted and I was really disappointed in the meal. I had hoped I'd found a good local pub to take family and friends, but The Stone Tavern doesn't cut it. 2 out of 5 rating with no good reason to return.
