Tap and Table (Emmaus)

Nestled up near Emmaus is a brand spanking-new gastro pub called the Tap and Table.  While the outside resembles a shed and seems more fit to house barn animals, the inside is a unique Belgian-inspired pub with a copper bar, “candle-liers,” and cask beer- complete with quintessential Ghent redlight district bathroom.  The Tap and Table offers an interesting menu with offerings like Mussels and Clams, Cheese Plate, or Raw Oysters to start, and a Grilled Cheesesteak Flatbread (with braised short ribs, trumpet mushrooms, and tomato glace), Soft Shell Crab BLT, or Black Forest Ham Sandwich with Brioche and Fried Quail Egg to fill your stomach while you imbibe.  More impressive than the menu is the beer selection with three cask drafts, a draft list of six beers like Bells Two Hearted to Belgian classics like La Chouffe, as well as a bottle list of great choices that will rotate often.  The current bottle list included craft selections like Bear Republic Hop Rod Rye and Saint Somewhere Lectino Divino to Aecht Schlenkra Marzen, a delicious smoky lager, and t’Brouwkot Kalle, a complex tripel.  If you’re not sure what you’re looking for, you’re probably in good hands as the 2009 Philly Beer Geek winner Nate Gefvert was manning the bar when I visited.  Their website is coming soon, but the Tap and Table is open 7 days a week at 11:30am and worth the trip!

Update: website is now online http://tapandtable.com/