Tavern On Clark — Restaurant in Rockford Township

Came here for Christmas Eve dinner and was very pleasantly surprised by how great the experience was. Ordered the pulled pork nachos as an appetizer and admittedly they fell below expectations. I felt that the pork was lacking flavor and in general it seemed like the plate was rushed - there was a pile of jalapenos on one side and none on the other. We then had the french onion soup which was AMAZING. Hands down the best french onion soup I have ever had, bar none. I will be coming back here just for this soup if I ever have a craving for it. For the main course, we had the blackened salmon and the chicken marsala, both of which came with asparagus and mashed potatoes. Here's where this place really came through - both meals were absolutely incredible. The salmon was tender and flaky, the mashed potatoes were flavorful, but the stars of the show were the marsala sauce and asparagus. Truly, this was the best marsala sauce I have ever tasted - just absolutely bursting with flavor! My eyes widened with the first bite - it was SO GOOD. The chicken was juicy and tender, and the mushrooms were savory and delicious. The asparagus was also the best I have ever had - just the right amount of char was a great touch to the tender texture and made for a fantastic side dish. The meal ended on a positive note with a salted caramel cake slice which was also quite tasty.

I will say that the server neglected to disclose that ordering the french onion soup would include an upcharge on the final bill, which was a little awkward. However, given the exquisite flavors of the meal, I can't give any less than 5 stars. Will very...

We went here on a Friday Night. I didn't have reservations, but thought we'd see if they could accommodate us. The hostess informed us that all the tables were reserved, but we could sit in the bar area at one of the tall tables for two. So if you don't have reservations, you might not be able to get a table, but you could get a spot in the bar area.

Our waitress was nice and attentive. She went over the menu, answered questions and made recommendations. For a starter we had the Deep Fried Bacon. It's bacon dipped in Tempura batter and deep fried served with a chocolate drizzle dip. You could either pour it over the bacon or dip it into it. The flavor combination was excellent. Then again, can you really go wrong with bacon?

My main course was the Fish Tacos. They had a good flavor, I'd say they were better than average. Nothing I would go out of my way to get. Homemade Tortilla's and salsa came as a side. They had a good flavor, and I liked the salsa. However I could see where some people might think it was a little too spicy. My girlfriend had the Ricotta Stuffed Chicken special with Parmesan mashed potatoes and even though the menu said asparagus, it was served with squash. (There was no complaining because she really liked the squash) She said the whole meal was delicious.

There was a nice atmosphere, the staff was friendly, efficient, and polite, Tavern on Clark is worth...

I think this rating may improve if I went more often, but as a first impression, it wasn't anything spectacular when the prices were certainly indicating it should be. Our waitress was lovely and friendly, but seemed a little hurried and distracted. The Ahi tuna appetizer was bland...I am a huge fan of Ahi tuna seared with the sizzling crispness on the outside and packed full of flavor on the inside. This just didn't have that flavor and freshness I am used to. The friend bacon appetizer was interesting and tasty-I have not had something like that before (breaded bacon slices dipped in chocolate -probably best I don't have it too often as I would die). I got the salmon Oscar...this also was lacking in some flavor but it was cooked to perfection which is a major key to getting salmon right. And luckily a hollandaise sauce was included that made up for the flavor. My mom got lamb and was immensely pleased with it. Our family friend ordered the fish tacos. Decent, but she did comment that she thought they'd be much better grilled than fried. Cocktails were decent, Mai Tai and Cucumber Cosmo martini were fun things to enjoy during the Easter Saturday lunch. Overall, would recommend as the atmosphere and service were good and the presentation of the food was incredible, but the food was just not up to my expectations. This might change if I try more items...