The Miller’s Tavern

Sometimes you want to be out at a place that is big and loud and fun, a place like Miller's Tavern in Methuen.

Miller's Tavern has a great feel. You've got that octagon bar, a fireplace, plants on the walls, industrial ceilings. I love those long tables by the bar and that really cool feature you don't see too often by these low top tables, there are couches for two. I think that's perfect if you're going on a double date.

“Miller's Tavern is a large restaurant and what we tried to do is give it a small town feel. It's your local bar, your local grill, your local restaurant…has a really positive, fun vibe to it.”

Ryan Cox has owned over a dozen restaurants and this guy seems to believe in equal portions of food and fun.

At a place like this, you're going to want to share appetizers with your friends. I think you want something a little hearty so it stands up to the drinks. I recommend the braised short rib poutine. You have those delicious, crunchy french fries, the cheese curd and, of course, that short rib, which they cook for hours, so it really has that deep flavor and texture. It's served in the skillet, so it's ooey, gooey, crispy, the perfect appetizers to have at a place like this.

“The bite is really rich actually. It's savory. It's something that you're going to remember for the rest of the week. It's a really nice, homey type of meal that can really fill a whole group.”

I don't know if the loaded potato pizza is drinking food or hangover food. I love it either way, this pie has some crispiness to it, but also some chewiness to it. It's got potatoes, bacon bits, no red sauce, just a white sauce, and that big pile of sour cream.

“Our loaded potato pizza is a great dish. It's like a fusion between pizza and a potato skin   appetizer. What we do is, we start with a traditional pizza crust. We use a white sauce on the bottom, cheese, and it's like a deconstructed potato skin where we break down a potato.It's very filling. It's very different, but it's something that everyone kind of thinks about when they come back here.”

The Bang Bang shrimp was so popular as an appetizer, they made it into an entree. So it's two tacos. It's got that Bang Bang sauce with sort of a spicy Sriracha, pickled red onions. It comes with coleslaw, and a lot of people like to put the coleslaw in the taco.

“So we served that with lettuce, Pico, bang, bang, sauce and shrimp, and it's excellent. You have to try it.”

Coming in hot. Ooh. Listen to that sizzle.

I think fajitas are the most dramatic food in the business, I love the smell and the sight of it. This one comes with chicken and beef. You can also get it with shrimp. Got your bell peppers and onions in the skillet.

“We're really big on the sizzle. So you want to make sure that it gets to the table sizzling hot. Either the steak, the chicken or the shrimp, are all cooked to order. We have onions, we have peppers. It's served with cheese, sour cream, guacamole and tortillas.”

One of my favorite trends in restaurants is the way they keep elevating the hamburger. And this is a prime example. The beef comes from a local farm in Maine. The Cheese comes from Vermont, where they really know their cheese. The brioche bun is made by a local baker. It comes with french fries. And it's served on that board. I cannot wait to dig into this hamburger. That’s a good burger.

“Our extra local burger is something we're really proud of. We really wanted to bring all of New England into one sandwich. So you're really getting a flavor of all of New England when you take that first bite”

You may have heard me say this before, but I am a steak tip freak, and I love these. They're made with a Kentucky barbecue sauce that's a little bit sweet, but they're char grilled, so that really gives it that great grill flavor.That is classic Massachusetts food.

“Our steak tips are excellent. They are very sweet but then they finish with a nice, balanced flavor. They are grilled to order, with char marks on top, and there's a very large portion of one pound.”

In New Orleans, they call this dish beignet, which sounds gourmet in French. Here in Methuen, we call it fried dough bites. I count 17 of them.

“So they're golden brown, they're fried, they're drizzled with chocolate and covered with whipped cream topping. It's amazing”

“You wanna come to The Miller’s Tavern if you like that big restaurant feel, but that local tavern feel as well. We have great staff who knows everybody by name, we have a huge menu that has many, many, many options on it. You're really going to get everything you want here at the Miller’s Tavern.”

I'm done for the day. Time for a beer Dan after the show, meet me at Miller's Tavern in Methuen. Back to you.