What Micky Eats...: Park Tavern

Park Tavern is a new restaurant in an odd location. Run by Xavier Cervera, the man behind Molly Malone’s, Lola’s, and Pacifico Cantina on Barracks Row, Park Tavern is in a modern rectangular shaped building with a stairwayed passage on the roof and rock gardens along the side that collect rain water for re-use. While the interior is the typical wood-heavy design of the other Cervera restaurants, the main attraction is the outdoor seating at Canal Park that will have lots of draw after and before Nationals game. Closest Metro is Navy Yard.

Porch Swing

D's Deluxe Pimm's Cup

Keith and I took advantage of this gorgeous Spring day and went to a Nationals game. On our walk home, we decided to stop by Park Tavern for an early dinner bite and check out the new menu. Seating outside is reserved for those who actually order food, yet there are high top tables for those that just want to drink and bask in the sunshine. We sat in the neon green plastic chairs and each picked one of the featured Spring cocktails. I chose the Porch Swing made with San Fran's distillery 209 gin, muddle mint and blueberries, fresh lemon juice, and sugar. It was very refreshing and reminded me of a mojito. Keith ordered the D's Deluxe Pimm's Cup made with Pimm's, Square One cucumber vodka, muddles cucumber and berries, and house sour mix. His drink was very sour and a bit salty, but the fresh flavor of cucumbers came through.

Spring menu

The menu appears to change with the season and features "plates" that are great appetizers for sharing, "split bread" that are filling sandwiches, "wood-fired flat bread" that are various modern pizzas with a daily feature, and dessert selections titled "sweet finish." Keith wanted to try the grilled octopus, however the server informed us that they just received the shipment and so it was not ready for service yet. Instead, we ordered the Crispy Squid to share. It was a traditional preparation with cherry peppers and marinara sauce. The serving size was very large and would be great for groups to share. Additionally, Keith ordered the Fried Fish Cheeks that came with parsnip "barnacles" that were shaved dried pieces of parsnip and a house tartar sauce. The fish was very firm, chewy, and bland with one piece clearly under cooked. Overall a mediocre dish and Keith was not impressed. I also ordered one of the wood-fired flat breads. The description sounded much more interesting than the actual dish tasted. Topped with grilled pear, blue cheese, onions, and candied walnuts the blue cheese was very overpowering, especially in a large pizza. It was just too much for us to finish. I did like the pears and walnuts and found them to be a light mix of flavors that are great for summer. However, I would choose another cheese since the blue cheese is quite heavy, or perhaps put way less of it on the dish. To be fair, we did take home the leftover pizza and I ate a slice cold the next day. Chilling the pungent cheese made it less obtrusive and the sweetness of the pear came through more. The cold pizza made for a nice snack, but still is not my favorite choice.

While Park Tavern aims to provide more upscale dining options in the Navy Yard area, we were not that impressed with the food. The drinks and prices were better than average and I do see the appeal for those seeking something different on their way to/from Nationals Park. I would recommend Park Tavern for a couple drinks and maybe a snack due to its convenient location to Navy Yard, but prefer the full dining options along Barracks Row much better.

Total Rating: 3.33
Food: 3, Price: 4, Service: 3, Ambience: 3.5, Accessibility: 4.5

What I ate:

Crispy Squid

unusual salt, cherry peppers