After seeing endless photos on Instagram of all of the amazing entrees Taxman produces, I just had to check this place out! I get the feeling that this will be a popular spot once people catch on to how cool of a place it is, so I wanted to get in while it was still not on the radar for a lot of people yet.
Going before 5 pm on a Friday night, the place was somewhat busy, but nowhere near being crowded and no wait for a table. We were offered the nightly appetizer specials and ended up going with the Chicken Chili to start. Of course, you assume chicken chili is always white, right? Wrong. This chili was made in a dark base of pinto and black beans, with something like a jerk seasoning on the chicken. There was also an unidentifiable sweet flavor to it… maybe ginger. It sounds a little bit of a strange blend of flavors, but it was amazing. It was also very spicy. I loved it and would return to eat this as an entree, but ask for extra tortilla strips on the top. The portion was large enough to be a meal.
My party ordered the Ribeye, Burger and Liege Waffle with Fried Chicken as entrees. My meal was the Liege Waffle. It had a liege syrup on top that tasted exactly like apple butter, a delicious, lightly-dressed slaw on the slide and pickled chilis on top. I enjoyed trying this dish, though I have definitely had better chicken & waffles elsewhere.
The Ribeye was tender and flavorful, cooked medium as a standard unless you request a different level of doneness. The combination of the potatoes, mushrooms, and beets on the side was an excellent flavor pairing to the meat. This is a dish I’d order next time.
The Burger was… a burger. It was topped with the usual veggies and condiments, American cheese, and a “fancy sauce”. To me, this burger tasted like a Whopper from Burger King, if Burger King used better-quality meat. I’d opt to try either the Bacon Burger or Venison Burger if I came back and was in the mood for a hamburger. The fries that came with this burger were excellent! Lightly salted and cooked perfectly crispy, but not burnt.
On to the desserts! I opted not to order my own dessert and just got a coffee (which came in a Taxman-logoed mug that I adored), but once everyone else’s desserts showed up, the food envy kicked in and I ended up sampling the two desserts ordered — the Baked Pear and the Delicata Cheesecake.
The baked pear was lightly spiced and perfectly baked. It had just enough give to it that you could eat it with a spoon. It came a-la-mode with a piece of brittle on top and cranberry coulis surrounding the bottom. All of the flavors combined well in this dish, but it was definitely sized for one person, not large enough to share.
The cheesecake, on the other hand, was a generous portion, enough for two people to share unless you’re really hungry! It looked like it was a pumpkin cheesecake, but had a mild vanilla taste to the cake portion of the dessert and the crust was an oat blondie that may have been a good dessert all on its own. The entire dessert was topped with whipped cream and drizzled with the same cranberry coulis as the pear dessert.
Overall, Taxman didn’t disappoint. I loved the fact that they have a seasonal menu and have interesting flavor pairings in many of the dishes on their menu. There are at least six other items I took note of on the menu that I’d like to come back and try. I highly recommend checking this place out before it gets too popular!
