Union Depot Taverne
25+ years ago, this cute little place was called Pufferbelly’s and was actually quite good. Though I’m not sure exactly when it either closed or changed it’s name; it’s been a couple of places since but has recently reopened (11/20/12) as Union Depot Taverne. I checked out their menu online (nice website) and it looked interesting, with a few unique-sounding items, so being as close to home as it is, figured it was time to check it out – AGAIN.
Décor-wise, it hasn’t changed all that much, though it looked like they had done some updating and remodeling inside. There are quite a few separate rooms, including a nice bar area with several big-screen TVs. The main dining room was very nice – warm and cozy; however the area where we were seated was long, narrow and one wall was cinder-block (I’m sure that was intentional, but it was pretty stark and boring).
I think that our server was either new to the business (of serving) or simply didn’t major in customer interaction. She was attentive enough (almost to the point of annoyance), but wasn’t very well-versed on the menu itself, the preparation or what the soup of the day was!
Finally, the food – as ‘interesting’ as the menu sounded; our choices fell short. I had a spinach salad and though that doesn’t sound like a very adventurous choice; I’ve had some wonderful spinach salads in several restaurants and was anxious to see how theirs measured up. Sadly, it didn’t – it was completely overloaded with spinach (enough for 3 decent-sized entrée salads), but they skimped on the chopped egg and rather than crumbled bacon, used very chewy prosciutto (again, way too much). The dressing was a bacon vinaigrette but rather than being served warm as it typically is; it was ice cold. Overall, the entire salad missed the mark. The pub pretzel appetizer, however, was outstanding and served with a delicious cheesy dip, as well as stone- ground mustard. Mr. Z had the fish and chips which he said was “ok” (Lake Erie Perch). Three pretty large pieces with a very light, but crunchy breading, but…… he said it was very “gummy” – hmmmmmm! Served with shoestring fries and (he said) the worst coleslaw he’s ever tasted (very sour-tasting).
So… would we go back???? Maybe to try a burger or sandwich (or have more of those yummy pretzels), but as I’ve said in the past – there are just way too many REALLY great places out there to spend our hard-earned $$ for mediocre food!
Union Depot Taverne is located at:
30 Depot Street
Berea,OH
(440) 243-6169