Taggarts
 Canton, Ohio         Date of Visit  01/21/11            
http://taggartsicecream.com/

I got a new camera!!! I promise I didn’t break the old one on purpose. To find a particular model in stock meant returning to both of our undergrad stomping grounds. The only difference is Taggarts was a part of my college stomping grounds…at least when we had a couple of bucks to step outside of the grind of the cafeteria. I have very specific and fond memories of Taggarts but it has been years since I have eaten there. I shouldn’t have worried…Taggarts has been churning since 1926. How much could it have changed in the past decade or so. The answer is…outside of a couple of faces…not a single bit. Thank God!!! It seems nothing has changed at Taggarts for the 85 years they have been serving Canton.



 


 
 


Super Heavy Cream of Cauliflower Soup
 

This includes the furniture and likely the kitchen equipment. The service at Taggarts is essentially what you would expect in a place staffed by college students. Friendly and straightforward. The menu remains the same, lots of classic sandwich combinations, some salads, etc. We split a bowl of cream of cauliflower soup. The soups at Taggarts are the antithesis of modern. So it is with the cauliflower. Thick and lumpy with vegetable it brings you back to the good ole’ days with heavy but tasty results. Steph ordered a roast beef and cheddar sandwich but we soon learned the roast beef had petered out for the night. Instead she opted for the Reuben with all of the classic fixins. She proclaimed she might prefer the Taggarts variety better than Primo’s. Wow! I wouldn’t take it quite that far but it was a very well made Reuben with wonderfully balanced and strong flavors. The dark rye, succulent corned brisket, acidic kraut, nutty cheese, and sharp dressing were all fantastic. I ordered the burger I used to order twenty years ago, the Wimpy. The Wimpy is a pretty standard burger, ground beef, lettuce, pickles, cheese…the difference is the Wimpy gets a furious dusting of an onion and garlic based seasoning. What I really adore about the burgers here is the crunchy exterior they get from the fire. Still moist inside the crunch really brings out the Maillard reaction flavors that make grilled meat so popular. It also gives the burger a more interesting texture.
 

 
 
Excellent Reuben
 

I Will Gladly Pay You Tuesday...The Wimpy
 

Crazy But Delicious Olive Nut Sandwich
 
 
 

Now there was a sandwich on the menu I had seen before but never tried. I wasn’t all that adventurous in college. Can anyone say Domino’s half priced delivery for Sunday football and Ramen noodles? Well, given my more risky exploits today was the day. I tried the Taggarts Original Olive Nut Sandwich instead of getting fries. The menu lays it all out for you, chopped green olives and pecans in a cream cheese dressing spread thick between two slices of rye bread with lettuce. Why? Who thought to themselves…this would make a good sandwich? Well, they were right. It’s odd, but it actually tastes really good. I did have trouble wrapping my head around what I was chewing while I was chewing but in the end I would absolutely order it again.

We finished with an absolute Taggarts tradition which they have been serving since the 30’s. It was often the reason we ended up at Taggarts so many years ago. The Bittner. It’s simple. Vanilla ice cream mixed with chocolate syrup and liberally doused with salted roasted pecans and a dollop of whipped cream. It should be just another Sundae. Somehow when they plop all of this in a glass something magic happens. The same magic of excellent and limited ingredients that happens all over the world, just like the Reuben and the burger we had earlier. In a world full of fancy and exotic ingredients and preparations places like Taggarts are stupendously more comforting than their nearly century old seats. Absolutely worth a trip. Be sure to get the Bittner!
 


A Peek Inside the Bittner

 
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        Bittner and Sammys No Single Standout    
 
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