Review: Highland Tap

When realtors are desperate to sell a house that is old, small and crowded, the listing will use words like warm, cozy, cottage, or bungalow. Well, the website for the Highland Tap describes the atmosphere in its dining room as “warm and clubby.” You do the math. The idea of eating a $26 NY Strip in a “clubby” atmosphere is not exactly appealing to me. Unfortunately, I went to the website ex post facto.

The dimly lit basement dining room and the speakeasy ambiance of the Highland Tap provide a romantic setting for those couples that tend to lurk in the shadows or sleep in coffins. While the dining room itself is smoke free, the bar area at the base of the main entrance is anything but. The secondhand smoke from the junior associates and middle managers sipping their martinis and sucking down their butts at the bar will find you. Even if you are hiding in the back corners of the Highland Tap, the nauseating cloud of cigarette smoke will track you down like the Smoke Monster from Lost.

During my first and last dining visit to the Highland Tap, I ordered the NY Strip, medium rare, with a side of asparagus glazed in hollandaise sauce. While the steak was cooked to my specifications, the meat was flavorless and dry, and trimmed in fat. The asparagus was tasty, but come on, it’s asparagus. All meals come with a small loaf of bread and butter and a side salad, both of which I did enjoy. However, I was quite disappointed with the steak.

The Highland Tap has received accolades in the past for being one of the best martini bars in Atlanta, but since I do not typically drink martinis, I cannot attest to this. What I can say, is that the bar was well stocked and had a decent selection of draft beers, including Sierra Nevada, a personal favorite.

The staff was very friendly and the Virginia-Highlands location is prime, but the bad steak and cellar like atmosphere left me with a bad taste in my mouth and a nice shirt caked in smoke. The food is not worth the price, but the bar and secretive dining room makes for a perfect rendezvous point for internet dates. Just don’t forget to tack on your dry-cleaning bill to your check total.

Highland Tap Steak Cellar
1026 N. Highland Ave.
ATL, GA 30306
(404) 875-3673
http://www.nnnwcorp.com/highlandtap.html