Blogging about Tom Moore's Tavern is long overdue. It has been one of our favorite restaurants on the island for several years. When Dev arrived for a week's visit, he had a short to do list, mostly of culinary delights, and the quail at Tom Moore's one right near the top.
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| Tom Moore's Tavern |
Tom Moore's tavern is the oldest restaurant on the island. It was built in 1652 as a private residence, and converted to a tavern a mere century or so ago. As we pulled into the driveway, Siobhan related that Tom Moore was Irish. And he was, and a famous poet to boot. In his short time at Bermuda, he wrote about the island in some of his poetry, and allegedly had a scandalous affair. In his somewhat dubious honor, we have Tom Moore's Tavern, which the website hints that he may have been at back when it was a private residence.
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| Helen, Dev, and Siobhan on a random Tuesday at Tom Moore's |
The food is fit for a King. Literally. Prince Charles dined here in 1970. I don't think he has been back to Bermuda, which is surprising after eating here, I would charter a jet at least once a month if I have billions. In fact, the couple next to us had flown in from California, and have been dining with Bruno (I believe Bruno is the maitre d'hotel) several times a year for the last 20 years. In all of our repeat visits, we have never been snickerdoodled. (aside -- snickerdoodle is a term we have adopted to describe that feeling when you go to a restaurant and have the most amazing desert ever that you think was called a snickerdoodle and you spend years telling everyone about it and when you finally go back there to dine and refuse to share desert with anyone and ask for the snickerdoodle, the waiter looks at you like you are nuts and tells you they have the snicker bar desert and when all eyes are on you as you take the first bite and your incredible disappointment becomes legendary. That is being snickerdoodled). I say again, no one has ever been snickerdoodled at Tom Moore's. And we always order the same meal we had that very first time because we can't imagine anything better. In fact, I even wore the same dress from one of our other dinners here.
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| Helen, myself, and Siobhan |
Tom Moore's treats you well, and is the kind of place you want to come back to. The staff are excellent, and most of them have been there for many years and have given incredible service whenever we arrive. If you want to bring your kids, great. If you want to bring your dogs, I have seen that too. It is posh, but not uptight. You are made comfortable, and if your table's laughter drowns out the Celine Dion CD in the background, nobody minds. In fact, the neighbouring table joined in our conversation during dinner, and shared a little bit about their life, their Bermuda experiences, their cat collection, and the story of Spanky the Dog. The wife threw in a mortified disclaimer i advance, but knew her husband was unstoppable once the Spanky story came out. Having overheard our conversation about waking up with cats staring you down in bed, the husband said "Excuse me, I can't help but say I know exactly what you mean." They proceeded to introduce themselves, show pictures of their 7 cats and mention the wife's work in animal rescue in LA, and then talk about a certain "uncle" who married a lovely lady with a dog named Spanky. Upon moving in with the wife and Spanky after the nuptials, on the wedding night, Spanky became jealous and leaped and nipped a certain delicate anatomical part. It goes without saying that the wedding night was not what was planned, and a certain "uncle" made his first trip to Bermuda with his new wife and an ice pack on his lap for the flight. We howled with laughter between the to die for entrees of beef tenderloin, quail, and homemade pasta and the round of deserts, including creme brulee, panna cotter, and I think there was a chocolate brownie in the mix. The Spanky story will forever be entwined with Tom Moore's in my mind, and I am still smiling recalling it.
Surprisingly, I could not finish my entree and manage desert, so I saved some and got it wrapped to go. The very first time we had attended this restaurant, our friend Simon was with us and also had some leftovers. They do not use a Styrofoam container (they get a bonus green point for that), but rather wrap it in tinfoil and twist the extra length into a handle for ease of carrying, Initially we had all laughed at Simon, with his shiny silver accessory that looked just like a little clutch purse. He tried to counter that it wasn't a purse, and instead dubbed it the "Meat Sack," to try to make it a little more manly. This terminology didn't exactly slow down the mockery train that had already left the station. We still get a round of laughs when we argue about whether it is a meat purse or a meat sack. I had a meat purse on this occasion and took a little picture.
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The meat purse
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Now in this next photo, blast from the past from 2011, you can see Simon holding the meat bag -- I will let the public decide if this is a meat purse or meat sack.
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| The first ever dinner at Tom Moore's 2011 -- Meat Purse, or Meat Sack? -- with Devl myself, Cherie, and Simon |
A good time is always had by all at Tom Moore's. Aside from outstanding food and service, a quaint and elegant historical building, the ambiance makes the night perfect.
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