Yankee Doodle Tap Room

An enthusiastic new chef adds verve to the moderately priced American pub food at this historic Princeton landmark.

By: Faith Bahadurian

   THE 1756 Nassau Inn is the historic heart of Princeton’s business district. While much has changed over the years on the inn’s upper levels, the Yankee Doodle Tap room looks untouched since it first opened in its present lower-level location more than 60 years ago.
   Looks can be deceiving though, and the Tap Room, like the upstairs, has been renovated many times, but always with great care to preserve its historical trappings. The famous 1930s mural telling the story of Yankee Doodle was commissioned from Norman Rockwell and graces the wall behind the bar area, protected by glass. You have to brave the smoky bar if you want to gaze at it while you eat.
   Entering directly off the Nassau Inn lobby, one is greeted by appealing green-and-white checked tablecloths under pools of light. To the right is the famous photo display of Princeton University alumni who were denizens of the Tap Room — statesmen (Adlai Stevenson, Class of 1922, Donald Rumsfeld, ’54), sports figures (the 1933 football team, Bill Bradley, ’65), entertainment celebrities (Jimmy Stewart, ’32, Brook Shields, ’87). Whenever I peruse these photos (there are more in other public areas of the inn), I am struck by the undeniable influence the university’s alumni have had on the life of our nation and beyond.
   Along the dim recesses of the left wall are the time-worn booths with curved high backs, providing intimate seating. To our relief, once seated in a booth, the lighting was perfectly adequate, and our table provided a cozy lair for people-watching in the dining area.
   A new executive chef took the helm in mid-March. New Jersey native David Levin attended Atlantic Community College’s culinary school before stints around the country with Doubletree and Four Seasons hotels. As executive chef, Mr. Levin is in charge of all of the inn’s food service — the Tap Room, room service, and the extensive banquet and event catering. He warned me that the menu will change in the next few weeks — and it does need an overhaul to update some standards and add some more contemporary touches. But the focus in the Tap Room will rightfully stay on pub food and moderately priced dinner entrées, and I’ll look forward to a return visit to try some new dishes from this well-traveled chef.

Staff photo by Frank Wojciechowski

The 1756 Nassau Inn is the historic heart of Princeton’s business district.

   My companion and I shared two appetizers, and both were good enough to challenge our resolve to save room for dinner, especially since we’d also sampled the basket of bread that arrived shortly after we were seated. Thai-spiced fried calamari ($8) was properly crunchy, mildly spicy outside and tender within. We preferred the definitely non-Thai marinara sauce that accompanied it to the spicier mayonnaise-based rémoulade.
   The chicken quesadilla ($9) was quite large and cut into quarters. The tortillas were flaky and crisp, not greasy. The stuffing of spicy jack cheese and tender shredded chicken was just right, and garnishes of guacamole, sour cream and fresh salsa came on the side.
   Our entrées were also good. I enjoyed a grilled 12-ounce New York strip steak ($19) with a flavorful Wild Turkey bourbon sauce. The steak, rare per my request, had that good char-grilled flavor I can never seem to replicate in my electric broiler or gas grill at home. My companion was very pleased by her pan-seared snapper with lemon dill butter ($17.75). She asked to substitute the sour cream dilled mashed potatoes from one of the evening’s specials for the plainer version routinely offered, and the dilled version was excellent, with lots of lively tart flavor.
   An attractive mix of vegetables accompanied both entrées — broccoli, cauliflower, red pepper and carrots. They appeared to be hand cut, and while a bit too tender for my companion, were just right to me.
   The wine list had some interesting choices, especially among the reds, and there was also a Coastal Vineyards list of featured wines. We enjoyed glasses of a fine Erath Pinot Noir ($7.50) and a Louis Martini Sauvignon Blanc ($5.50) that was a bit strong on the finish.

Staff photo by Frank Wojciechowski

Entering directly off the Nassau Inn lobby, one is greeted by the famous photo display of Princeton University alumni who were denizens of the Tap Room.

   The Tap Room staff was extremely gracious, although service was somewhat uneven. There was a bit of a communication barrier, although our server was charming and accommodating. There was a longish wait for the mixed drink, and he was not informed about the wine list. He didn’t always notice if something was missing, such as empty water glasses or the butter for my baked potato, and it took some time to attract his attention in the spread-out area he was covering. A good attitude goes a long way, though, and we had no trouble enjoying our meal.
   In spite of generous portions throughout the dinner, we forged ahead to desserts and enjoyed the flavorful berries in a warm mixed berry cobbler ($5), although the streusel topping had melted into the berries. But disappointment came with the raspberry crème brulée ($4.95). It was served in a shallow gratin dish, which should have resulted in a large area of crispy caramelized sugar. However, there was far too much sugar, lending an unpleasant gritty texture to the custard below. There was very little custard, and it was heavy and viscous instead of soft and tender. An unnecessary dollop of whipped cream on top provided the coup de grace to the surface texture.
   We enjoyed our coffee and might have lingered, but loud blues music had started up in the bar area. It was barely after 7 p.m. on a Wednesday, and while not deafening, the music made it hard on any conversation in the dining area. My companion had asked to have her leftover entrée packaged to take home, but somehow the message didn’t get through, at least partly our fault since we were vacillating a bit. When we inquired of our server, he unhesitatingly offered to have the chef cook up a new portion for her to take home! It was a lovely gesture, although unnecessary, and it certainly impressed us.
   I think the Tap Room suffers from the same limitations of many hotel dining rooms: the need to have a please-all menu for its varied lodgers, and the public’s perception that hotel dining is somehow of lower quality because of that. But the Tap Room’s menu (and value for the money) stands up quite well to other bar/restaurant competitors in town. Its historical ambiance and central location, along with an enthusiastic new chef in David Levin, will get me back soon to try the new menu.
For directions to Yankee Doodle Tap Room, click here.