The first thing you need to know: The mac and cheese is back.
It’s one of many changes at Table and Tap, downtown Flint’s urban barbecue joint with outdoor seating, unique craft beers, soon-to-open “express” side, and a revamped management team.
The menu overhaul brought back the gooey macaroni and cheese with a crusty top and added some new features including smoked salmon and a BBQ Smoked Chicken Chopped Salad to go along with its traditional ribs, pulled pork, and yard bird.
The restaurant closed briefly in January when Redwood Restaurant Management led by Luis Fernandes took over operations and began preparing for a new, fresh start at the facility. It reopened Feb. 1, and this spring the bar will also add Table and Tap Express next door.
Merge, an asian fusion restaurant, closed to make room for the Table and Tap expansion—which also will allow for even more specialties to be added to the menu and a more efficient kitchen.
Expected to open in late April, Table and Tap Express will offer lunch-goers a “quick in-and-out experience” with fresh eats and a heavy focus on Michigan brews, General Manager Caleb DeHart said.
DeHart, who grew up in Flint, says the menu options will surprise regulars and newcomers alike.
Table and Tap now has 30 Michigan beers on tap and that will expand to 42 when Express opens. The expanded menu also will include a corned beef entree, reuben, brisket entree and sandwich, and panini sandwiches.
“You’ll be able to come in and get anything barbecue,” DeHart said. “We’re really sticking to our barbecue roots. We’re going to use six different kinds of chips in our smoker, with beer and food pairings to come.”
Bartender Josh Teague is glad that Table and Tap, even with the new expansion for the lunch counter, is committed to a farm-to-table policy.
“The food is a presentation of the best that Michigan can offer,” he said. “People should know we’re still locally sourced. We still get all our food from all local producers. That's really important.”
It's hard to argue with him—sitting back in the late afternoon with a pulled pork sandwich, slow cooked and smothered in slaw, garlic fries, a Michigan craft beer or cocktail, with walled bay windows that look out on the city center.
The pork is juicy, so be sure to ask for extra napkins as you wash it down with a themed signature cocktail. In this case it was a refreshing St. Patrick's Day inspired, “Paddy’s Punch” a mix of coconut rum, Midori, Blue Curacao, and pineapple.
“I think people will like knowing that by eating here, they’re keeping dollars in the local economy,” Teague said.
Table and Tap is located at the corner of South Saginaw and Second streets, across from the Capitol Theatre. It operates 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Tuesdays through Thursdays, 11 a.m. to 2 a.m. Fridays and Saturdays. Closed Sundays and Mondays.
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