181 George Washington Highway
Smithfield, RI
02917
(401) 231-4777
March 22, 2014
Mom and I love to watch Phantom Gourmet on Sunday mornings
because we get to see a lot of local restaurants that we may not have heard
about. We recently caught an episode
featuring Blackie’s Bulldog Tavern in Smithfield, RI. Mom was excited about the starter of soft
pretzel bites, so we decided to hit up Blackie’s for a lunch of drinks and
appetizers.
It was absolutely packed when we arrived, but we were
seated right away. Perhaps the
appearance on Phantom piqued everyone’s curiosity. Either way, Mom and I were excited to be
there. We were seated directly in the middle
of the modern-style restaurant which was fine for dining, but difficult for picture taking. I managed to get a couple of shots while
trying my best not to aim the camera directly in somebody’s face.
Our waitress Catarina came over to take our drink
order. Mom and I had been checking out
the drink section of the large menu and decided to order a few fancy
cocktails. Mom chose the espresso
martini ($10) and I ordered the lemon chiffon cake ($10). Both drinks were amazing. Mom said her martini had a strong flavor of
espresso and was very creamy due to the added Bailey’s. My drink tasted exactly like a piece of lemon
meringue pie. It was topped with whipped
cream and lemon zest and had a sharp bite of Limoncello. It was an awesome start to our Blackie’s
experience.
For our meal, we decided on three appetizers: Blackie’s buffalo dip with corn tortilla
chips ($11), Tavern tenders with mild sauce ($10) and the coveted soft pretzel
bites ($10). Both Mom and I thought that
because the restaurant was so busy, the food might take a long time to
appear. (Plus there seemed to be a large
party happening on the second floor.)
The appetizers arrived at an appropriate time and we were excited to get
down to business.
The buffalo chicken dip came in a small pan with our
choice of corn tortilla chips in a separate bowl. The dip – which consisted of shredded chicken
breast, buffalo cream cheese, sharp Vermont cheddar and buttermilk ranch – was thick
and creamy. We chose the tortilla chips (over
the hand cut potato chips) because we thought they might be sturdy enough to
hold the dip. We were right! The dip had a good buffalo flavor but we
found it a little on the salty side.
This may have been due to the type of cheeses used, but we thought it
was quite tasty.
Our boneless tenders were smothered in a mild sauce, but
I felt the heat in every bite. However,
I think my palate has weakened over the years and what I find spicy, others
find bland. Mom thought the sauce was
perfect and only felt the heat a few times.
The tenders themselves were good, but a little on the dry side. They were hard to cut and when you did break
them apart, the batter fell off. Still, the
five tenders were good and they came with a side of cool blue cheese dressing and
cut celery and carrot sticks.
The soft pretzel bites – the reason that we were dining
at Blackie’s – were our biggest disappointment.
With that being said, we did enjoy the actual bites. What threw us off was the taste of the
compote which was hiding underneath.
Served in an adorable cast iron pot, the bites were topped with maple
cinnamon butter and more of the sharp Vermont cheddar. The mushy compote was a blend of apples,
pears and brown sugar bacon cracklings.
We both found the bacon flavor to be overpowering. Everything tasted like smoke. The pretzels were indeed soft, but they were
on the small side so once we had finished with the bites, all that was left was
the compote. It was OK, but we really
weren’t fans. I think Mom thought this
dish was going to have a sweet flavor, but it was more savory than expected.
We also thought that – for the price – the appetizers
could have been a little larger. We were
definitely full from snacking on all three, but at $10 and $11, there could
have been a little more on the plate. Our
total came to $55.08.
Blackie’s Bulldog Tavern is absolutely a restaurant that
Mom and I will visit again. We saw a lot
of great meal options (click here to view the menu) and we look forward to
going back. Although the appetizers
weren’t exactly what we expected, by the large lunch crowd you can tell that
Blackie’s is a popular restaurant. We’re
sure that the food and the service is what keeps people coming back.
