Most states have made drinking alcohol at home illegal due to the proliferation of home facial-tattoo machines. Enjoy alcohol in public with today's deal: for $20, you get $50 worth of tavern spirits and American concept and comfort cuisine at Mill Creek Tavern, a neighborhood hub in Bayville.
Mill Creek, a fully-stocked tavern with warm wood paneling, tile floors, and sports-friendly TVs, has a separate, white-tablecloth-decked dining room that the New York Times calls "a place for families." The dinner menu, overflowing with tavern classics, huge salads, fresh fish, steak, and six styles of mussels, is as diverse as the types of teeth in a shark's mouth. Climb to culinary heights with a fresh-mozzarella tower—a stomach skyscraper of stacked grilled veggies, vine-ripe tomatoes, balsamic reduction, and basil-infused olive oil ($9.95). Mussel pots, starring two pounds of Prince Edward Island mussels, are served with herb-grilled French bread. Slurp spicy pomodoro mussels Fra Diavlo ($15.95) or mussels Casino with shallots, garlic, butter, roasted red pepper, bacon, and white wine ($15.95). Comforting classics including homemade chicken pot pie ($16.95) and chicken parmigiana ($17.95) soothe stomachs. Or wrap mouth muscles around market fish selections such as sesame-seared ahi tuna ($24.95), shrimp ($23.95), or scallops ($24.95), which include a choice of two sides and can be ordered grilled, blackened, or broiled.
Wine (available by the bottle or in 5 oz. or 9 oz. servings), beer, and all of alcohol's classic or confounding concoctions are available to make people believe they’re funnier, smarter, and two feet taller than they actually are. Sip and swirl away the evening in the cozy tavern, or pair crisp white grapen goodness with a seafood supper in the stately dining room. There's live music every Friday night at 9 p.m.
Reviews
Mill Creek Tavern grabs great reviews from the New York Times and Zagat. Six Yelpers give it an average of 3.5 stars, and more than 580 Facebookers are fans of the restaurant:
- The Mill Creek Tavern has all the earmarks of a popular neighborhood spot, from the jovial owner who stops at every table to table-hopping by patrons to the back-slapping crowd in the separate barroom. – Joanne Starkey, New York Times
- …this “local hot spot” in Bayville is “getting better by the minute”; with an extensive menu of seafood, steaks and other American fare (the two-pound mussel pots are “worth waiting for”), a “homey” setting and an owner who “makes you feel welcome”… – Zagat
- FRIENDLY, FUN AND COZY .REASONABLY PRICED FOR SUCH GREAT FOOD. – alexs4358, Zagat
Mill Creek Tavern
Mill Creek Tavern’s nautically themed dining room excites the eyes with model ships, wood crackling in a stone fireplace, and the restaurant’s logo of crossed canoe paddles. Meanwhile, the aroma of freshly caught seafood and juicy steaks on the grill signals the feast to come, much like the smell of cigar smoke signals a spritz of Winston Churchill cologne. A part of the Mim’s family of restaurants, Mill Creek Tavern has been a Bayville staple for more than a quarter century. One of the tavern’s owners is always onsite holding the entrees to a consistently lofty standard, inspiring a rave review from Joanne Starkey of The New York Times, who recommended “the fall-from-the-bones-tender baby-back ribs, a perfectly grilled fillet of lemon sole, and a rousing rendition of chicken scarpariello with meat on the bone and lots of garlic, sausage, and potatoes.”