Tom Moore's Tavern - Bermuda

My husband and I have three "official anniversaries." The anniversary of our wedding, the anniversary of our first date, and the anniversary of the day he asked me to marry him. My husband finds the extra anniversaries ridiculous - I say they are an excuse to celebrate.

And so it was the latter anniversary - the day we became engaged - that we celebrated in Bermuda, with dinner at Tom Moore's Tavern. As Bermuda's oldest restaurant, Tom Moore's Tavern is housed in a 17th Century building that is in its original state (musty smell and all). It is where Tom Moore, the Irish poet, wrote many of his well known poems. A twenty minute cab ride from the City of Hamilton, we arrived at Tom Moore's full of anticipation.

We were greeted promptly and shown to our table in the front dining room. Several different waiters stopped by our table, filling water, taking drink orders, giving us bread. Only one waiter seemed to know what he was doing - the others seemed rather inexperienced - huddling in the corner together whispering, tripping over each other in the dining room, and asking the patrons the same questions over and over again. Hopefully they will get there act together on the service side of the house, because the food at Tom Moore's Tavern is excellent.

We were impressed with the wine list at the Tavern - which featured an '04 Opus One Pinot Noir, an '05 Goldeneye Pinot Noir (one of our favorites), an '05 Duckhorn Cabernet, and several Cakebread Cellars Chardonnays. Tired from a day in the sun, we didn't think we could consume an entire bottle of wine and opted for cocktails with our appetizers, and an excellent - extremely smooth - Chilean Pinot Noir (served by the glass) with our entrees.

I started with the Wild Mushroom Strudel ($16.75), a light, flaky pastry crust wrapped around a medley of sauteed mushrooms, then set upon a bed of baby bok choy, Surrounding the strudel was a wonderfully aromatic roasted garlic dressing that provided the right amount of moisture and contrasting flavor to the dish.

My husband continued his multi-year quest for the island's best version of Bermuda Fish Chowder ($8.50). Laced with the traditional Black Rum and Sherry Pepper sauce, Tom Moore's version is made with beef broth. Unlike some other versions we've tried, this one was well simmered - more like a thick soup than a chunky chowder. It certainly isn't the best Bermuda Fish Chowder on the island, but was tasty nonetheless.

For his entree, my husband selected the Pan Seared Cod ($33.50). The fish tasted extremely fresh and was topped with a Grilled Fennel Salad and set atop perfectly cooked (al dente) Israeli Cous Cous. The lemon vinaigrette that dressed the salad flavored the entire dish with a light citrus essence.

My Slow Roasted Salmon ($33.50) was served with Asparagus, Sugar Snap Peas, and the most wonderfully buttery Chive Cream Sauce. Everything in this dish was so fresh, I devoured every morsel - even sopping up the sauce with my bread.

While all of our courses were excellent, the hit of the evening was the Baked to Order Chocolate Souffle ($12.00). I order Souffle whenever I see it on the menu - and appreciate those restaurants who remind patrons to order it at the start of the meal so there is not such a long wait between courses. There is just something about the warm, fluffy cake drenched in rich, piping hot cream sauce that I can't resist.

Unlike many of the places we visit, Bermuda is not known for its culinary excellence. Most restaurants on the island feature rather mediocre food. The Newport Room and Tom Moore's are the exception to the rule, the very reason we sought them out as places to dine. While the cuisine at both of these establishments is excellent, the service at Tom Moore's Tavern leaves much to be desired and would be the only reason I would hesitate to return.