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LOCKPORT – When I head to something called a Tap House, I'm never sure what to expect.
I'm confident there will be good beer, but can I bring my kids? Will it be too dark to see anything or too loud to hear the person next to me?
Luckily, Embers Tap House in Lockport was none of those things.
The beer list was immense and diverse. The food was creative and outstanding. And the setup was bright, friendly and spacious. There were plenty of TVs for watching sports, news, or whatever is on, but not so many that you felt the need to stare at the screens instead of talking to your dinner companions.
For starters, we shared the bottomless bowl of chips and salsa with a side of guacamole. It gave the young ones something to snack on while they played with the crayons and activity sheets provided by the restaurant. It was also gluten free, which one of our diners needed. The menu marked the many gluten-free options clearly.
It also gave the adults time to dive into the beer list. I chose a Local Option Morning Wood Oak Coffee Amber Ale. Try to say that 10 times fast. And the other adult in our group of diners started with a Lexington Kentucky Bourbon Barrel Ale.
Both were good decisions.
But not as good as the decision to order one of the Smokin' Thursdays specials, the $10 BBQ pulled pork sandwich, which came with a choice of side (I went with sweet potato fries). Not only was it a great pulled pork sandwich, unique as it was with a fried egg on top, it was a good deal too, $1.99 less than the regular price.
I've had farmhouse burgers with an egg on top, and consider myself a fan with plenty of pulled pork experience, but this was new for me. The combination worked. The meat was tender, the sauce was sweet, and the egg was cooked just right to pull it off.
There was also a BBQ brisket option on Thursdays for $9, something I would consider for next time.
My fellow diner got the black and blue burger with sweet potato fries ($10.99.) The burger, cooked just to her liking and medium done, was topped with blue cheese, bacon, arugula and sweet BBQ sauce on a pretzel bun.
Embers also offers a wide variety of pastas, sandwiches and entrees from smoked chicken ($9.99 to $11.99) to Embers salmon ($16.99) to smoked ribs ($13.99, available Thursday through Sunday) or an Embers grilled chop ($14.79).
They also offer a kids menu for the not-so-easy-to-please subset. Embers' unique mac and cheese with penne pasta and sauce with fries on the side was enjoyed and finished entirely, with nothing left on the plate.
For another of our younger diners, it was grilled cheese. Usually, the crust is either picked off or left like a watermelon rind, but instead we got a smile as she showed off an empty plate. The crust was gone.
And the other diner, the one with dietary restrictions, had plenty of options on the menu as well. She went with the bunless cheeseburger sliders and a side of fries.
All of the kids meals were $5 and, while they were enjoying, we picked out one more beer from the expansive list. This time, I couldn't even say the full name out loud (or type it here), but it started with Pig Minds Vanilla, and the sweet taste of the Mandarin Vanilla Beans (the same ones used in Not Your Father's Root Beer) was evident, along with a stout brew.
The other choice was Saugatuck Neopolitan Milk Stout Nitro. It was a sweet, yet full-bodied beer with a bit of head that was reminiscent of a float. I had tried Saugatuck's Blueberry Maple Stout before (which tastes like breakfast drowning in syrup), so I knew this one would be worth my time.
It was.
And so was Embers.
Because it was way more than just a Tap House.
It had unique tastes to fulfill a grownup or a kids' palette and it left us all looking forward to coming back.
• The Mystery Diner is a newsroom employee at The Herald-News. The diner’s identity is not revealed to restaurant staff before or during the meal. The Mystery Diner visits a restaurant and then reports on the experience. If the Mystery Diner cannot recommend the establishment, we will not publish a review.
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IF YOU GO
WHAT: Embers Tap House
WHEN: 11 a.m. to midnight Sunday through Thursday; 11 a.m. to 2 a.m. Friday and Saturday
WHERE: 933 S State Street, Lockport
INFO: Call 815-552-3031 or visit emberstaphouse.com.