When searching the interwebs for a potential new trivia location, I learned a lot of new things about the Woodside Tavern. Other than hosting a monthly trivia night (sorry, not frequent enough for my team), they have a ton of live music (the Gus' Pub of Dartmouth?) and some dabs of South Asian food on their menu, including Nepalese momos. Intrigued, I popped by for lunch while in the area.
The expansive space was mostly empty when I showed up on a Monday afternoon, with a couple slot jockeys at the back of the bar. Their stage is at the front, with seating for a few dozen across several tables and booths. Wood paneling, dart boards, and a pool table complete the expected vibe.
I was quickly seen to by the warm and welcoming woman working the front of house, and I went with the aforementioned dumplings, as well as their lentil soup to get a little more veg in my meal.
The lentil soup came quickly, flanked by a slice of toasted whole wheat bread. It's not traditional, but it is about as telling as the very noticeable menu descriptions like "mild curry" and the "mild" sauce that comes with the momos. There's a lot of hand-holding here, and catering to more delicate palettes.
I'm a big fan of dal makhani, although I'm used to it being much thicker, and more of a curry dish than a soup, but this warm and earthy, albeit thinner, version was delicious nonetheless. It didn't pack any of the heat that dal makhanis often do, but I was in Dartmouth's oldest bar, after all.
The momos arrived shortly thereafter, with seven large, pleated dumplings in a spiral around a small ramekin of (mild) sauce. The steamed dumplings were tender and moist, with pliable wrappers that held up well. The minced chicken had a punch of flavour from some sauteed onions, and the (mild) tomato and sesame sauce brought a lot of flavour and depth, as I eagerly dunked each momo in it.
My next time there had me coming for a mid-week dinner, and I sat in the same spot as before up on the stage and by a window facing Pleasant Street.
I ordered up at the bar this time, grabbing a pint of Moosehead and the cheeseburger (with added bacon).
It was pretty quiet once again, so the food didn't take long.
The menu states that the burger has a hefty 7oz patty, and it was definitely broad and thick, although it had a light, almost meatball-like texture. The cheese wasn't quite as melted as you'd want, but the bacon was nice and crisp, and the toasted bun held up well. Not an award winner, but a satisfying dive bar burger.
The accompanying fries were of the crispy coated sort, which I'll give the Woodside a pass for, since they were likely never going to have hand-cut, twice-cooked fries. So they were crisp, and a light seasoning added a little je ne sais quoi.
It's cool that the Woodside is mixing up the menu, compared to their dive bar peers, and doing all kinds of live shows, and I look forward to coming back to experience both! read more