While waiting on our food one Sunday morning at Tamp & Tap, we sipped Earl Grey tea and listened to a solo artist play his guitar to a soulful, folksy beat. I ordered a grilled cheese with bacon, lettuce, tomato, and a side of eggs, which I promptly placed between two slices of toasted brioche. I was pleasantly surprised that the Packard was not an ordinary breakfast sandwich. Instead, it was topped with fresh cherry tomatoes, field greens and a sweet, citrus dressing for a lighter version of what could easily be a heavy brunch item.
My friend ordered the Imperial, house-cured salmon served on an English muffin and topped with chipotle cream cheese, capers, pickled onions, and arugula. The Tamp & Tap cooks also garnished the dish with caper berries, a rare treat any time I see them on a plate. I liked this sandwich better on the English muffin than on the baguette it is paired with at lunch.
For customers who lean toward breakfast at brunch, Tamp & Tap also offers several other tempting plates, such as pumpkin waffles with sassafras maple syrup, praline pecans, and candied bacon, and frittata Fiorentina, a scrumptious scramble of eggs, spinach, pancetta, capicola, bell peppers, and fontina cheese.
As expected, our brunch at Tamp & Tap was kind of perfect. Served Saturday and Sunday from 9 a.m. until 2 p.m., our food tasted as good as it looked, and the place itself was charming. Plus, the restaurant served fancy lattes, teas, and almost two dozen craft beers by the bottle and on tap.
No matter what the means — breakfast, lunch, dinner, or weekend brunch — here’s my recommendation: Go with someone who likes to share, pass around a couple of different dishes, and definitely try the restaurant’s cold pressed coffee.
Tamp & Tap, 122 Gayoso (901.207.1053). Open daily from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m.
