BTW in Tavares born of need for bar food
Emblazoned on the front windows of BTW in Tavares is the warning “This is a bad place for a diet.” A peek at the menu shows you why: It’s filled with burgers, fry baskets, tacos and waffles that feature some odd ingredient combinations.
The restaurant was the solution to the owners’ need for bar fare for their patrons at their nearby bar, Brü Tap House. What I would try a second time
BTW’s Signal 33 ($12) blackened burger was an appetizing combination of smoky, sweet and spicy, thanks to a stout and sriracha barbecue sauce, blue cheese crumbles and bacon and onion jam. It was hard to get a bland bite in the mix.
What I didn’t like
A hefty sprinkle of salt and pepper was needed on the smashed Brussels sprouts ($9) — the accompanying sriracha honey aioli couldn’t hide the lack of seasoning. The vegetables did have a wonderful crisp-tender texture that was enhanced by the shredded Parmesan sprinkled on top.
What I would put on Instagram This will not come as a surprise — but I have a penchant for tablescapes of food. Gather those baskets together and try to keep your dinner-mate from stealing a fry before taking a photo.
Other eats
BTW tweaked my beliefs on what can or cannot top Tater Tots. The restaurant offers up fry
baskets made up of either waffle fries or Tater Tots (both worthy choices) crowned with different combinations of ingredients. We went with the bar-ba-coma basket of Tater Tots ($8): sweet pulled barbacoa pork, cotija cheese, onion, cilantro and a healthy drizzle of savory avocado-lime crema sauce.
Taco Tuesday at BTW means three tacos for $11 — so you know what made up my entree. The WTF (What the Fish) taco featured blackened mahi-mahi covered in a tortilla-busting amount of pico de gallo, red cabbage and baja sauce.
The YOLO (an acronym for “you only live once”) taco lived up to its name. The gooey macaroni and
cheese, chorizo and beef mix, bacon crumbles, scallions and stout and sriracha barbecue sauce were all fine on their own — but do you need to put them in a tortilla? It seems like a personal question.
Finally, the KBQ was delicious — but not exactly what I expected. The protein listed as Korean barbecue
bulgogi pork had no spice and was pulled. It was a nice, sweet barbecue pork that received a little spice from the mango-jalapeno slaw garnishing it.
How I was treated
BTW is a counter-service restaurant, but our servers consistently checked on us to provide refills and boxes.
My next visit
We didn’t make it to the waffle portion of the menu, but I have an eye on “My Secret Lover” ($8) — Nutella, white chocolate chips, berries and whipped cream on a red velvet waffle.
For bar-hoppers
Beer and wine are available. If you’d like to enjoy your food at Bru Tap House, just let your cashier know.
For those with special diets
Vegetarian and glutenfree options are helpfully marked on the menu.