Three Birds: Stellar Despite a Few Flaws

When Domenica Macchia emerged as Three Birds Tavern’s chef, I did the gutsiest thing I could think of to try her out: I took Daddy.  

At 67, my food-loving father (and 40-year veteran of the food industry) makes restaurants show their true colors. Dine with Dad and you’ll become the restaurant’s new best friend or it’s greatest enemy, unable to show your face there again.  Taking him to an outdoor pub with a new chef was risky business.  But it was a risk that paid off beautifully.

They had me at Parmesan truffle fries.  I love truffle oil.  It’s blatantly silly; there are no truffles whatsoever in truffle oil.  But it’s definitely, as Rachael Ray likes to say, yummy-licious.  Especially when paired with the “king of cheese” and used to fry potatoes.  

After the fries, the rest of our reasonably-priced meal was spectacular.  We had a friendly server, the weather was glorious, and no smokers sat nearby to taint my vegetable-laden chicken sandwich with stale fumes.  

Daddy enjoyed happy hour gin and tonics, I had decent wine; life felt as though "every little thing gonna be all right.”  I could dine here again.

My subsequent visits sans-Daddy? Equally stellar, despite a few flaws. The service is either absolutely fantastic or terribly mediocre.  I’ve had the best server in all St. Pete, but also have been woefully neglected several times.

The beer list never reflects the actual drinks available, but the beers they do have always prove a toothsome bunch. Plus, the outstanding menu items negate any missteps. Gooey bacon apple grilled cheese really melts away a bad day better than any Bob Marley tune.

Other standouts include the artery-clogging chicken fried bacon appetizer, crave-worthy short-rib sandwich, and meaty lamb burger.  The ahi tuna sandwich on wheatberry bread with zesty jalapeno aioli is perfect for a hot summer day.  Domenica’s food (and the price point), keeps me coming back for more.

The verdict? Three Birds’s tasty menu saves the day....and my Daddy will be back next time he’s in town.