The Autograph
You ever just walk up to a restaurant, and you’re just like “wow”! Well this is that kind of place: The Autograph in Andover, Massachusetts.
I mean, this is just such an incredible, beautiful building. Especially when you consider that the Autograph is basically an American tavern with the heart of a sports bar.
It has the feel of a Vermont farm, laid out over two floors. There are 300 seats, two bars, lots of classic sports memorabilia, cool lighting, and even a vintage pick up truck. And according to owner Paul Larosa, it’s a great spot for pretty much any occasion.
“So the Autograph, classic American tavern. Think a place for your family, girls night out, bring the kids after a baseball game. Guys want to grab a couple beers, catch a game. We want the customers to feel like they've just been welcomed into our home. This just happens to be, just a really, really big home, but we essentially want to give our customers a hug. We give them a hug through our drinks, through our food and really through our hospitality.”
The menu was definitely designed for sports fans and comfort food aficionados. For starters, there’s an impressive Onion Ring Tower, it’s over a foot tall with thick-cut, well seasoned rings, along with two sauces: Alabama White, and Tavern aioli.
The Steak and Cheese Spring Rolls are made in house, packed with shaved ribeye steak, cheddar cheese, peppers, onions, and mushrooms. They’re very crispy on the outside, and they go great with the Horseradish Aioli dipping sauce.
And you definitely need to try the massively delicious BBQ Nachos.
“We're doing things a little bit different. We use potato chips here. The BBQ nachos have everything that you would think of, guacamole, pico de gallo, sour cream, loads and loads of melted cheese all over it. They're baked to come right of our pizza oven. When they come out, you can see the people, they're just ripping it apart. Really, really great.”
On the sandwich side of things, The Autograph serves up a serious steak and cheese known as the Route 28 Cheesesteak. It’s made with Dom’s marinated steak tips. Plus, black pepper aioli and American cheese along with a side of truffle fries.
Or you could for the Autograph Burger. They get their ground beef from Pat LaFrieda out of New York. Topped off with white cheddar cheese, crispy onion strings, and a couple slices of sweet and smoky housemade candied bacon.
And for all you chicken sandwich lovers out there, there’s the Evil Chick. This is their take on a Nashville Hot sandwich, boasting a juicy and tender buttermilk brined chicken, that’s tossed in a Nashville style honey hot sauce, then simply topped with some pickles on a brioche bun.
You can also order fried chicken as an entree. The dinner portion features both breast and thigh meat, and you gotta drizzle it in their rich, herb gravy. And that’s plate up with white cheddar mashed potatoes and garlic green beans.
You don’t often find a steak this good as a sports bar, but the New York Strip here is totally legit. It’s juicy, and well seasoned, and plenty big at 12 ounces.
Or, go for the ultimate comfort food: the macaroni and cheese.
“We make our own cheese sauce here. We actually add a little bit of beer in our cheese sauce, even a touch of whiskey, just to give it a little bit that extra zing. We top it off with pulled pork. Our pulled pork, slow roasted for over 12 hours. Then we do a cheesy cracker crumb, which is done with just a bunch of crushed Ritz cracker, bread crumbs. Soon as you get it, you should get that nice cheese pulling off right from the spoon. Really, really great dish.”
And if that’s not enough cheese for you, why not get a pizza too? My favorite is the sausage pizza, that has sliced Italian sausage, and hot cherry peppers. Plus, they put an extra pepper on the side, I guess just to remind you that this pie could be a little spicy.
And for something sweet to end your meal, we recommend the Brown Sugar Blondie Sundae.
“We're topping it off with vanilla ice cream, a nice little caramel sauce, and some whipped cream. It's a great way to end the dinner. It's a great thing to share for the table. It's gooey. It's hot, melted. We've got that caramel sauce and a little bit of that fresh whipped cream. It's really, really awesome.”
“I think what you'll love about the Autograph American Tavern, we're here, located in the beautiful, historic town of downtown Andover. We've got this beautiful old school barn style building. Think about how many people come through here in a week. We actually have impact on families, on people. Somebody's having a bad day, you make it a great day. Somebody's having a great day, you make it a better day. I think it's really exceptional in that way, what we get to do for people.”
