Dean Ogan credits the highly visible location at one of Cary's busiest intersections for the crowds that flocked to Tribeca Tavern (500 Ledgestone Way; 465-3055; www.tribecataverncary.com) within hours of its opening last week.
The restaurant is the first venture into Cary for Ogan, whose Rocky Top Hospitality owns a number of successful restaurants in Raleigh, among them Michael Dean's, Bogart's and the Red Room. "We served almost 200 meals the first night," Ogan says, though Tribeca Tavern opened on a notoriously slow Monday and did no advertising other than hanging a large Now Open sign.
The sign may have gotten them through the door, but it's the food that will likely keep them coming back, and it doesn't hurt that nothing on the menu is priced over $15. The offering covers the traditional American pub bases well, and mixes it up with the occasional culinary curveball such as short rib French dip sandwich, chicken risotto with prosciutto and Taleggio,and pizza topped with shrimp and basil cream sauce. Fans of other Rocky Top restaurants will recognize a few of their favorites, among them Japanese black wings and cheesy poofs from Hi5 and Michael Dean's signature shrimp and grits.
But the biggest sellers on opening night - and likely for the foreseeable future - are the house specialty burgers. Featuring a whopping 10 ounces of ground sirloin, chuck and rib-eye grilled to order and served on an oversize locally baked brioche bun, they're available in more than a dozen variations, from traditional to Southern Lovin' (topped with fried green tomatoes, goat cheese and bacon) to Wellington (mushroom duxelles and Saint Andre triple cream cheese). If beef isn't your thing, choose from alternatives such as veggie, turkey, salmon, crab with chipotle remoulade and ground lamb sirloin with Maytag blue cheese on ciabatta.
Tribeca Tavern's atmosphere is a bit more upscale than the typical sports pub, though it could hardly be called stuffy with 32 high-definition TV screens scattered throughout the dining room and bar. Milkshakes, made the old-fashioned way with homemade ice cream, are a gastronomic welcome sign for kids of all ages.
Of course, many of those over 21 will likely be drawn to the pub's selection of 20 draft beers, all from North Carolina breweries. Normally $5 a pint, they're all $3 on Mondays - which, as it happens, was opening night. Come to think of it, maybe that's another reason Tribeca Tavern filled up so fast. I can just picture the text message: "Get over here now. They've got Aviator Old Bulldog ESB for 3 bucks."
