Out to Lunch: Tava

When you walk into the vestibule of Tava, you are faced with two doors. Behind door number one (on the right), is the Tava that has been around for several years. Decorated in dark wood and velvets, it beckons those who seek Mediterranean in an appropriate ambiance. But take the second door, the one on the left, the one that says "burgers" over the top of the doorjamb, and you are in for quite a different experience. This review will focus only on the burger side of Tava, although I do look forward to visiting the "fancy" half of Tava one day soon.  

The décor is sort of a cross between 1950s diner, school cafeteria, and someone's oddly kitschy living room. Plastic '60s-looking chairs are placed at grey plastic-topped tables. A flat screen TV (luckily with the sound turned off) was showing soccer from some other continent. Near the entrance were several shelf units selling things like rubber chickens, tiaras, Hello Kitty-type products, and other odd, yet pleasantly childish chatchkas. An orange pleather sofa, with a small table in front of it, sat near the back of the restaurant, by the back wall — a cascade of iridescent tiles, with some toy cars stuck in its niches. There are maybe eight or 10 tables at most, two of which were occupied when I arrived for lunch.

The plastic-covered menu stuck to three main categories: salads, sandwiches and burgers, yet there was plenty of variety. Salads range from $7 to $9, and include some interesting choices like Tava's Asian Chicken Salad (grilled chicken/romaine lettuce/crispy wontons/sweet chili ginger ponzu dressing) and the Port Salad (romaine/sun dried raisins/candied walnuts/fresh goat cheese/pomegranate vinaigrette). Sandwiches run from the very simple such as grilled cheese or a $3 hot dog and fries, to some interesting wraps and an intriguing Zucchiniwich. Sandwich prices average $7.

But it was the burgers that brought me into this side of Tava. They range from the basic Tava Burger ($6) to a California Veggie Burger ($8) to the Sands Point Burger ($8) which is topped with goat cheese, grilled onions and roasted peppers.

I opted for the BBQ Burger, topped with homemade BBQ sauce, frizzled onions and crispy beef bacon. My companion opted for a vegetarian choice, the Zucchiniwich — a zucchini pancake topped with cucumber, lettuce and yogurt sauce and served on a bun. All burgers and most sandwiches are served with fries.

We ordered iced tea, which came in HUGE plastic cups. Our food arrived promptly, on rectangular plates with metal cups lined in wax paper holding the fries (ala the French-style "pommes frites"). My companion had the sweet potato fries which were flavorful and interesting, yet somewhat greasy. My french fries were fine, but ordinary.

My burger, however, was wonderful. It was cooked exactly as I had asked (well done), yet was moist and flavorful. It was slathered with a smoky and slightly spicy BBQ sauce that complimented the meat perfectly. The frizzed onions (thin strands of sautéed onion) also added to the overall taste, as did the crispy (as advertised) beef bacon. This may have been my first exposure to beef bacon. While it tasted like regular bacon, I think it was meatier and less fatty. All in all, I was extremely pleased with my burger, and (embarrassing as it is to admit), I cleaned my plate.

My companion had a little less luck with her Zucchiniwich. While she liked the zucchini pancake itself (and by the way, that is probably the only overlap from the two sides of Tava — both serve the zucchini pancake), she found that it was impossible to eat as a sandwich. The yogurt sauce, which covered the bottom bun, made the bun too soft to bear the weight of the zucchini pancake, plus the pancake itself wasn't well done enough to hold itself together. After a brief attempt at picking it up as a sandwich, (an attempt resulting in the need for several napkins), she gave up and ate it with her fork and knife instead. "Not a good choice for a date," she said. "Too messy."  Her dish was also served with a dish of a mustard-based dip, perhaps for the sweet potato fries, but they really didn't need it.

Since the departure of Cheeburger Cheeburger, it's been challenging to find a reasonably priced, good burger in a casual environment (although not quite Burger King casual). Tava's burger joint provides what I had been looking for — a reasonably priced, quick (we were in and out in 40 minutes), pleasant place to eat a great burger. If you're looking for one of those giant burgers where you have to unhinge your jaw to get it in — this is not the place for you. The burgers were the right size — I didn't feel like I needed an angioplasty after eating one. And for those who don't want burgers, or even for vegetarians, there are plenty of other options.

This is not the place for a business lunch, but it is the place to go with your friends or your kids, for a reasonable price (we spent $25 for two, including tax and tip) and delicious meal.