Whenever I go out with my TasteCasting team, I know I’m in for an experience filled with laughter, generosity and a few hours of tasting my way through a restaurant’s menu. There are no light meals allowed when it comes to TasteCasting (or when it comes to anything having to do with working for DINE), and our latest restaurant filled our stomachs with surprisingly tasty offerings. I will admit, I still get nervous when visiting chains, as you just never know what you are getting yourself into.

Our latest TasteCasting event took us to Village Tavern in Boynton Beach, an upscale and modern bar and restaurant offering guests a little of everything where guests can gather in a sophisticated atmosphere to gather after work or spend their weekend cheering on their favorite sports team. (They do have some flat screens in the bar area.) As their motto says, it brings people together to celebrate classic American food — and that we did. The night began in the bar area, where we perused the menu waiting for the group to arrive. While the team was quite impressed with the large selection of wines by the glass (60+ wines ranging in price from $2.75-$14.00 a glass) and the beer menu (including draft, imported and craft beers), Village Tavern does get some points for being creative, though a little too sweet for me, with their cocktails. While you could definitely sit down for dinner in the bar area, and either sit at the bar, in a comfortable booth or at one of the high tops, we chose just to gather here to wait for the entire group to arrive.

While the bar area was buzzing and might be considered a bit noisy by some, the dining room was more relaxed — perfect for all age ranges and group sizes — and both evoked a contemporary tavern-like feel with the dark woods and subdued lighting. We moved into the back area of the restaurant and were ready for our feast to begin. And I’m not kidding when I say feast.

Let the eating begin!

Maryland-Style Crab Cake

The menu at Village Tavern has something for everyone. From burgers and pizzas to seafood, steaks and pastas to small plates and salads — all will be satisfied.

This is what we discovered.

Spinach Salad with Poppy Seed Dressing

Why you should run to Village Tavern:

• Steamed Mussels – These sweet, tender Prince Edwards mussels were steamed and set in a broth of garlic, shallots and white wine broth. A touch of pesto was added to the mix to make this a favorite of the table. I don’t think we left a drop in the bowl, as sopping up the broth with the garlic bread, was just as satisfying.
• Spinach Salad – This brought a myriad of flavors and textures together in every bite. Fresh spinach leaves, grape tomatoes, spiced pecans, slices of Granny Smith apples, bleu cheese, craisins and a sliced hard-boiled egg were lightly tossed in a sweet poppy seed dressing. And to add to this already sought-after salad, the moist apple muffin served alongside the salad, packed a burst of flavor into every bite.
• Grouper Hemingway – This piece of mild and firm grouper filet was served atop angel hair pasta that was tossed with sauce of lemon, garlic, butter and capers. The lemon and caper flavors were strong, though not overwhelming to me, but be sure you do like capers or this will not be the dish for you.
• Grilled Rainbow Trout – The sweet soy glaze added a salty sweetness to this delicate piece of fish. It was served with a collection of sauteed vegetables and a scoop of rice to satisfy my never-ending yearning for Asian flavors.
• Banana Crepes – Combining the comforting flavors and textures of ice cream, chocolate, fruit and crepes together — this was a sinful ending to the meal. The quest to get a bit of all of the elements together in every bite, made for a challenging, yet oh-so worthwhile tasting sensation to finish off our meal.
• They have a diversified menu that will satisfy the pickiest eaters. It is a chain, something on the line of J. Alexander’s or Houston’s, but in some cases, like this one, being a chain is not a bad thing. They take pride in offering both fantastic customer service, and nearly every menu item is made from scratch.

Banana Crepes layered with Nutella and banana ice cream, fresh banana, caramel and chocolate sauces

Not worth the calories:

• Organic Pink Sangria – While this exotic take on a traditional sangria recipe sounded fabulous, my mouth was left filled with a sugary sweetness, and I was quickly ready to switch drinks.
• Tavern Salad – While this might be their signature salad, it’s rather boring and tastes more like a chopped up Iceberg lettuce topped with Italian dressing. Skip this and go with the spinach salad instead.
• Spaghetti Squash and Zucchini – So I was craving some vegetables on the day of our tasting and even added some juicy scallops to liven it up, but it did nothing for me and remained on the plate.
• Pan-Seared Scallops – I found these to be uninspired. They were served with a staple of mashed potatoes and green beans. They weren’t bad, but there were many better items on the menu.

You can’t forget their weekly highlights –

During happy hour, Village Tavern offers every cocktail for half price in both the bar area and on the patio. Happy hour runs M-F (4:30-6:30 pm), M-Th (9:00-11:00 pm) and on Fridays and Saturdays from 10:00 pm – 1:00 am.

Wednesdays are also called Wine & Dine Wednesdays. Enjoy more than 60 wines by the glass for only half price. This means that their already insanely cheap wine for only $2.75 is now less than $2.00. While this might not be the ideal choice for the more sophisticated wine drinkers, you can also get a glass of Conundrum for only $6.00 on Wednesdays.

If you like to dine early (between 3:30 – 5:30 pm), you can save money. 2 salads and 2 pizzas or flat breads can be enjoyed for $20. You can also share 1 appetizer and 2 entrees (from their special list of 5) for $25.

If you’d like to view the rest of the photos from Village Tavern, I’ve made a slide show.

Village Tavern is located at 1880 N. Congress Ave., Suite 170, Boynton Beach 561.853.0280