By Karen Talbot 

The Tap House
16 Depot Square, Tuckahoe, NY, 914-337-6941
Mon.-Thurs., 11:30 am to 10:00 pm
Fri.-Sat., 11:30 am to 11:00 pm
Sun., 11:00 am to 9:00 pm 

Dec. 2, 2015:  The Tap House in Tuckahoe is a gastro-pub: "A trendy bar and restaurant that serves high-end beer" offering a selection of over 70 craft premium beers and 14 on tap.  

Chris O'Brien is a managing partner, and he has been in charge of the restaurant for eight years. The main dining room, as you enter, has a large bar and looks like a "go-to place" for a younger crowd that likes beer and modern American fare. My daughter and her friends love this place.   

Toward the back, off of the kitchen area, is a more spacious and subdued dining room with a stone fireplace, equestrian prints on the walls, dark wood floors, black tables, banquettes, and upholstered chairs. An upstairs-loft dining room overlooking the busy bar gives diners a third venue. 

The menu begins with "starters" consisting of snacks, classics, and soup & salad. Two snacks that we tried were house pickled vegetables, roasted garlic, and hummus for $6, and the baked eggplant, ricotta, and mozzarella in a tomato sauce for $10. The latter was way too rich, with tons of cheese and not enough eggplant, and it seemed out of place on the menu.  

For main courses you can choose from sandwiches, big salads, and pub fare. The chef, Kevin Bertrand, makes a very good char-grilled Tap House burger with "everything fries" and crispy onions on a sesame bun for $13. The fries are worth a trip there, seasoned with poppy and sesame seeds and garlic and onion flakes. With the delicious crispy-thin onions, this is a very heavy choice. The other main course we tried was from pub fare: grilled bratwurst, sauerkraut, caramelized onions, bacon, and German potato salad for $22. 

The menu changes seasonally, and The Tap House offers nightly specials and a beer of the week. The restaurant also offers beer (brewmaster) dinners quarterly. These dinners pair five courses with five different breweries and are very popular.  

There is a wine cellar room downstairs that can be rented out for 15 to 35 people. The Pearl Management Group owns this restaurant and six others in Westchester, Rye, and Greenwich. 

Pictured here:  The Tap House decked out for the Christmas season.

Photo by Karen Talbot