TAPS Fish House & Brewery

Fireplace creating a warm ambiance.

My Raspberry Quince Tea

My unsweetened raspberry quince tea was good after adding about 5 (maybe 6 or 7 or 8...) packets of sugar.  There's a light raspberry taste, so if you're used to drinking sweet drinks like sodas and juices I wouldn't get this.  However, if you like tea from just tea leaves/packets without any additives, then you may like this.

Manila Clams

Manila clams slowly cooked in a buttery, white wine mixture with herbs and garlic.  A must-have as an appetizer.  Clams in all that buttery goodness made it worth while.  What's even better is that once everything has been consumed, you can dip the complimentary sourdough bread in the broth without wasting any of the juice!  Yup, fatty status.

Complimentary Sourdough Bread

TAPS' sourdough bread is paired with minced garlic swimming in a balsamic vinaigrette and olive-oil infused dip.  I've been to places where they've only served olive oil on the side, but combining it with small pieces of garlic and vinaigrette is genius!  Generally I like to avoid eating bread because they are fillers, but we couldn't stop ourselves from asking for more.

Oysters

Three types of oysters but unfortunately I didn't catch their names.  The four oysters at the top let corner were okay.  The next four in the middle and the last four were my favorite.  Both similar to one another but the middle oyster had a stronger seafood taste.

Eric's 32 oz. Tomahawk Chop

This tender cut ribeye was my favorite.  The meat alone had so much flavor but the charbroiled taste is what got to me.  The cheesy sauce on the potatoes were too flavorful and over empowered the potatoes so I stole some of Eric's potatoes that didn't have as much sauce on top.

Cold Water Maine Lobster Tail

The cold water Maine lobster tail was huge--I mean HUGE!!!  It was so big that I had to take a picture with it so that you can have something to compare it to.  Like everything I tried thus far, the lobster was tasty and worth every bite.

New England Clam Chowder

The clam chowder at TAPS is the best better than the clam chowder they serve at Fisherman's Wharf which I think says a lot.  Don't believe me?  Go see for yourself.  I even confirmed it with both Eric and his dad who are also avid food lovers.  I don't know what it was but this clam chowder had the right amount of creaminess to it too.  

N'Awlins Style Gumbo

Last night was the very first time I've tried gumbo and was it good.  The first bite I took I immediately associated the taste with beef jerky and pizza.  A weird combination, but I guess I didn't expect gumbo to taste like it did.  I had this false notion that gumbo was made of various seafoods but last night's N'awlins Style Gumbo had sausages and tomatoes hence why I thought it had a pizza taste to the dish.

I ordered the special of the day which consisted of a 12 oz. filet mignon with sautéed mushrooms and asparagus and lobster mac and cheese on the side.  This dish was superb.  I enjoyed ever bite of it.  Earlier I pointed out that I the 33 oz. steak above was my favorite and it still is because it had that charbroiled taste.  Both dishes are wonderful and I wouldn't hesitate ever getting this dish ever again.  Unfortunately this is a special that they rarely serve at TAPS, hence why I ordered it instead of their well-known dish, the miso-marinated Chilean sea bass.

Red Velvet Cake

Before our waitress arrived with the main entrees, she had asked us if we wanted dessert.  At first I thought that was odd, but after listing a couple of their dessert items I realized that some of their desserts take about 30 minutes to prepare.  The red velvet cake is one of those desserts.  The waiter/waitress brings out the red velvet cake in a small skillet, then prepares the dessert right then and there by spreading the cream cheese, vanilla frosting on top, and adds toasted pecans and fresh berries (strawberries, blueberries, and raspberries).  Served with a side of vanilla bean ice cream on the side.

Happy Birthday Vanilla Bean Ice Cream

Even though Eric's moms' birthday isn't until the end of this month, I had requested the restaurant to place a candle on top of the red velvet cake I had ordered because it's rare to have the entire Fang family all together.  Surprisingly they brought a cup of vanilla bean ice cream just for her birthday and then another one for me after our waitress found out my birthday was at the end of this month.  Our waitress was so nice.

Last night's plethora of foods was unbelievable.  Finding a gem like this place was like hitting the jackpot--only it was food.

<3  Lina Chen

101 E. Imperial Hwy, Brea, CA 92821

714.257.0101.   www.tapsfishhouse.com