Tip A Few Tavern

By Tobin Bennison

Excellent food isn't supposed to be found in watering holes. At best, you can expect a passable sandwich or a basket of salty fries and woefully greasy wings. Let's face it, if you found the food "excellent," drink probably hand a double-visioned hand in according it that status, for everything tastes wonderful when deep in one's cups.

Pub food, or "grub," as it's often aptly called, is, by definition, sub-par sustenance for the recently slaked. In theory, it's meant to roll invisibly over alcoholically-blunted taste buds en route to grumbling bellies. Fry it in oil, shower it with salt, and "Bob" is, as they say, "your uncle."

There are of course a few minor exceptions stateside, mainly found along the chain circuit, yet even then, meals end up tasting as plastically packaged as the atmosphere. Across the Atlantic, exemplars include bistros and traditional country pubs which are renowned as much for their drink-friendly ambience as for their well-prepared specialties.

Here in the U.S., our senses have been so dulled by experience that any bar burger's a good one so long as it's well-done, and unfinished fries are forgiven their sogginess on their way to the garbage along with that seemingly useless sprig of parsley.

At Cape Canaveral's Tip A Few Tavern, the "Tavern" bit unfairly sets newcomers against the sober beauty of its food. It's a prejudice that's hard to overcome, but thankfully, owner/head chef Ed Liquori makes the process easy. Droves of die-hard regulars will tell you that he makes some of the best food on the beach, and the drinks he proffers (as icily intoxicating as they are), are merely icing on the proverbial cake.

Liquori, a Culinary Institute of America alumnus and former executive chef for the Indian Harbour Beach Radisson, takes exceptional pride in everything he prepares. Readers may know him through his past venture, the Tomato Grille, caterers of authentic Italian cuisine. Eight years ago, Liquori took Tip A Few's helm, and, undaunted by the tavern trappings and attendant expectations, he continued his mission to spread the gospel of delicious, freshly-prepared food.

His respect for high quality and refined flavor is evidenced by meticulous preparation and his support of smaller distributors and produce providers. As we sat down for this review one recent afternoon, a driver strode toward the kitchen bearing a small crate of plump peppers and tomatoes, and they arrived a short time later on our warm restaurant plates (no plastic, wax-paper lined baskets here), piled amid small, bulging gardens of fresh greens and other veggies.

We began with an order of Bistro Cajun wings -- one of four popular varieties (served hot, medium, or mild) including true Buffalo style, Bull's Eye BBQ, and House Garlic (made with fresh chopped garlic cloves) -- and one bite convinced us of the honored reputation they hold in aficionados' hearts. Served with that small garden of crunchy vegetables and a creamy bleu cheese dressing, they must have been clipped from angels moments before, for in Liquori's masterful hands, they had all the crispiness ideal wings are meant to exhibit.

So often wings are whipped together swiftly with little regard for texture and fried to the point of disintegration, and the slapdash results are greasy, oily and drowned in an over-spiced coating. You likely ingested more sauce than actual meat, and conceivably, half their cost went toward stocking more jumbo rolls of paper towels.

Liquori's are ideal wings: piquant without tasting overbearing, flavorful, meaty and perfectly crisp. If that weren't enough, they were presented impeccably, and this attention to appearance plays an important role in all of Tip A Few's beautifully-granished made-to-order meals.

Take the bacon cheddar burger: delicious-sounding enough on its own, but brought straight from Liquori's kitchen surrounded by (again) that small garden of greens and golden fries, it almost seemed too perfect to touch. As with other things in life, that seeming unattainability made it taste that much better.

Liquori uses butcher-ground sirloin beef, which to those in the know, is altogether different from run-of-the-mill hamburger meat. Glazed briefly with a secret beef butter sauce and placed on a puffy Kaiser bun, it defies comparison to any other burger for miles around.

Likewise, the featured Bistro Chicken Philly special (with sauteed peppers, onions, mushrooms, and a side of au jus), lain beside a creamy mountain of Red Bliss Potato salad, at first appeared remote, as if clipped from a gourmet magazine. Its beauty was that as refined as it looked and tasted, it came clothed in a blue collar guise. If for nothing else, Tip A Few should be visited for that potato salad, which easily takes top prize as the best in town. To Liquori, even the most rudimentary meal is an opportunity for improvement, elevation and culinary discovery.

It's best to ease yourself into what looks like familiar territory with an appetizer. Along with cheddar cheese or bacon cheddar fries are mozzarella sticks, Buffalo chicken tenders, hefty beer-battered onion rings, lightly tempura-breaded fantail shrimp, and "you peel" large shrimp (hot or cold) served by the pound or half-pound. By the time you're seduced into ordering a sandwich platter or other entree, it's clear Tip A Few's food is something special.

Each day of the week sees a featured entree, among them: a selection of huge salads, bona fide beer-battered cod and chips, and a selection of sandwiches, including Italian sausage, marinated chicken breast, and traditional Philly cheesesteak or chicken. On a regular basis, customers can also enjoy a freshly-baked "New York"-style pizza with toppings like sausage, pepperoni, and broccoli and minced garlic.

Other char-grilled burger choices are the Cajun Bleu burger, mushroom Swiss, a straight cheddar, and a few permutations of those flavors cooked to desired doneness. Though the 1/2 pounder is delicious enough, a platter comes with a choice of cole slaw, Greek pasta salad, excellent fries, or that famous Red Bliss Potato salad. No side is given short shrift here; Liquori treats even the most minor accompaniment with equal devotion, redefining staples we all take for granted.

Every huge portion is reasonably-priced, to boot. On all counts, Tip A Few Tavern defies all expectations. It's a place where the common is uncommonly excellent.

The family-friendly Tip A Few Tavern (6890 N. Atlantic Ave., Cape Canaveral; 784-2478) serves lunch from 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. and dinner from 4:30 p.m. to 10 p.m. 7 days a week. Bar hours are Sunday through Thursday from 11 a.m. to 1 a.m. and Fridays and Saturdays from 11 a.m. to 2 a.m. Tip A Few is a smoking-friendly beer and wine bar, offering Bud, Bud Lite, Killian's, and Fosters on draught as well as bottles of all your favorite domestics and imports. Wine selections include Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Grigio, White Zinfandel and Chardonnay. Every night sees an "In the Biz" Hospitality Happy Hour from 11 p.m. to close, with all drinks at Happy Hour price for those in the Hospitality Industry. See their staff for your "T.I.P" (Truly Important Person) discount card for those connected to the industry. They also boast 22 televisions, video games, a Bose music system (always kept to a desirable level), a pool table and an "NFL Sunday Ticket" with grilled beer brats, kosher beef franks, free snacks and prizes all day long. Meals can be enjoyed at the bar, in the lounge area, or outdoors on their shaded patio. Children are always welcome at the Tavern, and though kids' selections are offered, any item can be amended for smaller appetites. Ed Liquori is a faithful supporter of community charities and hosts his annual Children's Christmas Party at Tip A Few on December 16th featuring games, free beverages, snacks, gifts and an appearance by Santa Claus himself. An adult party follows with a complimentary drink and free buffet. Parties of five or more should call ahead for reservations as each meal is made to order. Phone ahead for take-out orders or to inquire about their catered events. Liquori can prepare every menu item as well as some of his famous Italian recipes for business parties, meetings, and other events.