Watch CBS News

Phantom Gourmet: Tips And More At Beacon Hill's Tip Tap Room

Chef Brian Poe is no stranger to Boston's fine dining scene, but when it came to creating the Tip Tap Room in Beacon Hill, he knew he needed something a little different.

"Since people don't have backyards in Beacon Hill, we try to provide an area where they can sit down, relax, enjoy, have a nice grilled dinner," said Poe.

"Like an amped up version of what I'd be cooking if we were just hanging out in each other's yard and enjoying the afternoon."

They've taken the backyard barbecue to a whole new level, with over 36 beers on Tap and Tips made with just about any kind of meat you can imagine. Hence the name, Tip Tap Room. Let's start with the tips.

Tip Tap Room Tips
Steak tips from Tip Tap Room. (Image Credit: Phantom Gourmet)

"What's been fun in my career is to take that whole entree and break it down into tips. It gives you a fun way to still make a great dish," Poe explains.

"A lot of where we were able to find the flavors with all the different meats was by layering or stacking flavors. So you start with the marinade; and then a really cool rub that we have that goes on at the beginning, middle and end. So you continue to build on those flavors."

The best part about these tips is that there's really no going wrong. You can order the classic Steak Tips served with horseradish potatoes and cherry peppers; try some Citrus Chicken tips served over jasmine rice; mint and shallot Lamb Tips with creamy goat cheese potatoes; seared Tofu Tips over quinoa and fresh avocado; even Swordfish Tips served with olive tampenade potatoes.

Tip Tap Room Turkey Tips
Tip Tap Toom's Turkey Tips. (Image Credit: Phantom Gourmet)

For a dinner that will make any day feel like a holiday, Brian recommends the Turkey Tips served over creamed corn potatoes and topped with cranberry fennel slaw.

"The idea is just this ultimate kind of comfort. You can have Thanksgiving in the summer, Thanksgiving in the winter, whenever you kind of feel that need to dig into some comfort and flavor. And it's all in one package on one little tip plate," Poe said.

Even after you work your way through all the tips, there are plenty of plates to keep coming back for, like the burger made with ground steak and drizzled with A1 aioli and Tip Tap's secret dressing; Boar Meatballs sitting in a spicy ginger cilantro broth; Fried Calamari with shishito peppers and lemon yogurt sauce for dipping; Grilled Corn doused in Korean pepper aioli and sprinkled with ricotta salata; and the inventive Glazed Barbeque Riblets.

"You just pick it up. It's a little bite-sized piece, and then you put it down and it's not so messy," Poe describes. You can have it with a beer at the bar; you can have it while you're watching the game; you can have it while you're sitting down with a group of friends."

Or you can forgo the menu altogether and order straight from the specialty board above the bar.

"The chalkboard is how, when people walk in, sit down at the bar and look up, you know exactly what choices you have. On a Friday or Saturday night, we might have 10 different new ideas that we come up with that we put up there. And we might have to, in the middle of dinner service, get up there and erase that dish because people loved it," Poe says.

"We continuously, continuously change and create and do and make stuff up. I actually want to get a t-shirt that says, 'I make stuff up.' We just make up food all the time, and it's an amazing place to be."

No matter what your dinner indulgence, be it a plate of savory Steak Tips or something off the special board, like a rack of Wild Boar served with spiced yogurt and grilled ramps, the Tip Tap Room offers plenty of desserts to enjoy - even on a full stomach.

Tip Tap Room Apple
The Caramel Apple from the Tip Tap Room. (Image Credit: Phantom Gourmet)

House favorites include the Blondie Sundae topped with poached fruit and a scoop of butter ice cream, and the Caramel Apple with vanilla bean ice cream and walnut streusel.

"It's beautiful little apples that are filled with caramel. And it's got that kind of candy apple red sauce on the sides of it. So you get that New Englandy kind of flavors that you want to taste as a kid. But it's just the ultimate finish to a dinner," Poe says.

While the caramel apple may make you smile, what makes Chef Brian happiest is a loud, busy dining room.

"That's the best feeling in the world. That means that people like the food; they like the environment; they like the drinks that we provide. So that's the ultimate reward. And most of the time, I get that every single night. It's one of the most amazing feelings in the world," exclaims Poe.

You can find the Tip Tap Room at 138 Cambridge Street in Boston, and online at thetiptaproom.com.

Watch Phantom Gourmet on Saturdays and Sundays at 10:30 and 11 a.m. on myTV38.

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.