OPINION — Remember back in the 1970s when your favorite college football team might be on television once or twice in a whole season? To this day, I still can’t believe that in 1972, the classic “Punt, Bama, Punt,” between Auburn and Alabama was only on the radio.
Well, obviously, times have changed quite a lot. These days, with all the sports channels available, you can usually watch your favorite college football team every week.
Recently, Mike and I dined at a place where you can watch college football with your friends on numerous TV screens and enjoy a great meal, too: The Tavern on the Traxs at 307 N. College St. in Auburn.
Now, Mike and I went to The Tavern on the Traxs because some friends had recommended it. We went on a weekday because we watch college football at home; that way, if we get angry at the game, we don’t act up in public.
The Tavern on the Traxs opened in 2022, and local owner Courtney Hicks runs the business. The restaurant is a lively, upbeat place and offers indoor and outdoor dining.
Lola, our server, was delightful. She was so friendly and helpful. Also, she patiently answered all of my questions.
For our shareable, Mike and I chose the queso and tortilla chips. The queso had a great flavor; it wasn’t too spicy, which is important since we’re in our sixties. When we were young, both Mike and I could eat pizza at midnight without a burp. Now, acid reflux is a clear and present culinary danger for us, so we steer clear of really spicy dishes.
For his entrée, Mike chose the creamy Alfredo pasta with chicken. This dish consisted of linguine tossed in a rich, homemade, creamy Alfredo sauce and was served with warm garlic bread and a fresh side salad; Mike chose not to get the salad.
I selected the pimento cheese chicken sandwich, which had fried chicken tenders tossed in mild sauce, topped with bacon, pimento cheese and lettuce on grilled sourdough bread. I chose tater tots as my side.
Mike loved his entrée, and my sandwich was really delicious. My tater tots were hot and crisp, just the way I like them, and the portions were very generous.
Besides our tasty choice, The Tavern on the Traxs serves a large variety of shareables, like loaded fries, Buffalo fries/tots, spicy pickle fries, Traxs Nachos and cauliflower wings, among others. Handhelds include fish & chips, quesadilla, Traxs club, Tavern B.L.T., chicken/steak tacos and more.
Besides our delectable dishes, The Tavern on the Traxs offers sandwiches, such as the Tavern ba-con steak burger, bacon jam pimento cheeseburger, black ‘n’ blue steak burger, ribeye sandwich and grilled chicken. In addition, Tavern favorites include jacked up chicken, jacked up beef, chicken tenders and wings.
The Tavern on the Traxs is closed on Monday. The restaurant is open on Sunday from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., on Tuesday and Wednesday from 4 to 9 p.m.; on Thursday from 4 to 10 p.m. and on Friday and Saturday from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.
The Tavern on the Traxs makes the grade with an A+ from this retired English teacher.
Remember, “Pooh-sized” people NEVER lie about food. Enjoy!
Stacey Patton Wallace, who retired from teaching language arts for 30 years, is a professional diner. Her column, “Making the Grade,” will appear every other week in The Observer.
Stacey may be reached at retiredlangartsteacher2020@gmail.com.
