TAG The American Gastropub

Opened in fall 2015, TAG plays its game well. Attention focuses on small plates, appetizers and sandwiches, plus a couple of crazy "Tagline" dishes: #Kamikaze Hot Dog, tempura fried with cream cheese; and #Sushiritto-- an ahi tuna sushi-burrito hybrid. The menu plays with the hashtag theme, but doesn't beat it to death. Hashtags signify the restaurant's favorites, such as the PEI mussels simmered in beer, chorizo, coriander, orange and cilantro – one of four varieties of mussels available. Expectations get shaken – in a good way. The Caesar Cardini for instance, serves a grilled half head of romaine with preserved lemon dressing and grated salt-cured egg yolks, substitutes for anchovy saltiness. The carbonara also plays with a classic. Pork belly replaces the usual bacon or pancetta, while the traditional egg sauce translates as a wine sauce with a poached egg atop the pappardelle pasta. And instead of green peas, pea greens.