“As an appetizer special tonight,” said our affable waiter, “we have a deep-fried burrata.” “Ohhh sh!t,” I exclaimed. “You’re familiar with burrata then?” he asked. When I confirmed, he added: “then I guess you’ll be getting that.” Yeah, we will be, I admitted begrudgingly. It wasn’t that I didn’t want to order the deep fried ball of fresh mozzarella mixed with fresh cream (how could I not?) — my exasperation was due to the fact that I had already planned to warm my belly on a cold winter’s night with the seasonal “Reindeer Stew” at Teresa’s Next Door, which I rightfully took to be a very hearty meal. Adding the most decadent mozzarella stick ever created, plus a couple of TND’s amazing but heavy beers, surely meant a bellyache later. But there was no way I was turning down that burrata.
We didn’t go to TND that night with the intention of re-reviewing the popular Wayne bar & restaurant; though our previous article was a few years old, it still seemed to accurately describe the TND experience. Surprisingly however, the food has evolved quite a bit, and though the old standbys (an amazing beer list, 6 varieties of mussels with those amazing fries, comfort-food sandwiches) remain, the chefs have taken the specials and seasonal dishes to new heights of distinction and creativity.
