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Munch goes to Courthouse Tavern
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Munch is no stranger to the courts.
Munch has spent too much time there as a reporter; a friend of the victim; a potential juror and as a defendant (I was speeding; Chateau Street looks just like a highway).
So, when The Courthouse Tavern opened at 310 Forbes Ave., Munch knew there was just one way to eat there -- with the representation of counsel.
And so, Munch and Mouthpiece of Munch together approached the bar, the long one, and then headed to the bench -- or the two benches that made a booth along the wall of the restaurant. For Pittsburgh-style directions, The Courthouse Tavern is where the Chart Room used to be. It's your typical bar-ish sort of place. Booths down one wall, tables in the middle, bar along the other wall, kitchen in the back.
But the schtick at the Courthouse Tavern is the menu. The Atticus Fitch ($8.50) is a burger for those interested in law, literature and barbecue sauce, caramelized onions and pepper jack cheese. The Three Strikes Grilled Cheese ($7) has three cheeses, American, Monterey Jack and cheddar. The turkey breast wrap ($7.50) has the moniker "Flew the Coop."
Munch felt like a burger and passed up a Plea Bargain ($8.50, with sauteed mushrooms, swiss cheese and chipotle mayonnaise). Instead, Munch, after consultation with counsel, decided to go for the Reason of Insanity (with sauteed mushrooms, roasted red peppers, red onions and buffalo mozzarella). One might think Munch is insane, what with ordering a burger and fries that cost $8.50, but that seems to be the latest price for a hamburger these days, which is, crazy indeed.
After listening to all those lectures from the health department about cooking ground beef, Munch has been brainwashed, leading Munch to order the burger medium well. It was a tad overcooked, so it came well done, cooked throughout. The roasted red peppers added a distinct taste to the burger, which was good. The fries were the thickly cut sort.
The ambulance chaser had The Warden, which was served with bacon and caramelized onions with a ramekin of blue cheese. Hers, too, was very well done, despite requesting the burger be cooked to medium well.
When the waitress asked Munch how Munch liked the food, Munch, remembering recent hearings on Capitol Hill, leaned over, conferred with Attorney of Munch and said "I have no recollection of eating here."
The evidence presented to Munch, the empty plate, the to-go menu, the check, did not help jar Munch's memory. (Munch is hoping for a job in Washington if this newspaper thing doesn't pan out.)
Overall, the Courthouse Tavern is what Downtown needs. It's not outrageously overpriced. It's fairly quick. The coffee is made from ground beans and not that electronically measured concentrated slop that the chains are going with. The food is just fine and, best of all, Munch can go with the schtick and squeeze 500 words out of it.
What's not to like?
Courthouse Tavern, 310 Forbes Ave., Downtown. 412-338-8608.
First Published August 30, 2007 8:05 am
