Best of the East 2017: Restaurant

Burntwood Tavern

Corporate chef Joseph Tuller put this entree on the menu after it gained popularity earlier this year as a Friday night Lenten special. It was born of a love for fish tacos developed during a decade-long stint in southern Florida cooking for the Brio restaurant chain. The trio of tacos is representative of the ones he grew up with in small-town Clovis, New Mexico, a couple hours’ drive from the Mexican border — not the Americanized version. “Cheese, lettuce, you know, all that — it’s really not,” he says. $17, Multiple locations, burntwoodtavern.com

The grilled mahi: Tuller notes that the warm-water fish, flown in fresh daily, has a mild flavor that blends perfectly with a range of toppings. “It’s a meatier fish — it actually grills really, really well,” he adds. “It eats like a steak, texture-wise.” 

The soft flour tortillas: “They’re very flexible — they bend, they eat well,” Tuller says. “And the softness goes really well with the mahi.”

The tortilla chips and pico de gallo: Customers can use the mix of freshly diced tomatoes and onions, lime juice, cilantro and cumin for yet another topping instead of a dip for the house-made chips. “It just adds that little more freshness,” Tuller says.

The summer couscous: Tuller’s surprising side tosses large-pearl Israeli couscous with slivered almonds and dried cherries in the house vinaigrette. The play of sweet and sour mimics that in the taco toppings. “Tavern food can be just a blend of anything,” he explains. “That’s basically what we’re doing here.” 

The coleslaw: Tuller uses shredded cabbage and carrots dressed in a blend of mayonnaise, house sweet-and-sour vinaigrette and horseradish as a topping instead of a side. “They put coleslaw on tacos in Mexico,” he says. The horseradish “gives it a kick,” while the vinaigrette provides “some citrus notes.” 

The pickled red onions: Tuller says the house-made crowning condiment supplies a touch of earthiness. The sweetness from the sugar and sourness from the vinegar intensifies flavors supplied by the coleslaw-dressing vinaigrette.

The avocado salsa: Tuller’s version of a basic guacamole — mashed avocado, lime juice and cilantro — supplies a layer of “fruitiness.”