Gray's Tied House

Gray's Tied House in nearby Verona (just a short drive south and west of downtown Madison) first came to my attention when the local ESPN affiliated radio station did a broadcast from there a couple of weeks ago.

Part of what got my attention was that the host never said where they were other than Verona at Gray's Tied House.

My trips into Verona are pretty frequent, and I had never seen it - raising this restaurant to almost mythical status.  After the broadcast I heard an ad on the radio for it - again it was listed as in Verona, but no address or "you'll find us here" kind of information was forthcoming.

Just recently, I had heard about a place where people in my situation could learn the answers to life's vexing problems like this one.  Perhaps you've heard of ti?

It's called the internet.

Locating the web address was easy, but tracking it down based on my memory of the map on screen was still a little tricky.  It's off Old County PD in part of a mixed use apartment and retail development. 

You could probably drive by it many times, just a block away and never know it was there.  At least I could.

With that little dilemma solved, we went there Saturday early evening.  My partner's Taco Pizza made a great impression and combined a tortilla taste with a Mexican pizza flavor. 

Locally sourced Pulled Pork with Gray's Root Beer BBQ Sauce created an interesting taste for the palate and was quite satisfying.  The Sweet Potato Fries were very good and a nice compliment.

To wash it down, I enjoyed some Gray's Honey Ale.  It's made with honey from local bees (to keep the hive economy buzzing) and is used as fermentable sugar source instead of just for some flavor.  I really liked it, too.

You may be wondering, like I was - exactly what a Tied House might be. 

It is actually a pretty old term.  Pubs derived from Public Houses that could serve beer and spirits from any source.  A Tied house is directly owned by the brewery and just serves that brand.

Gray's Brewing is from my hometown of Janesville, started in 1856 by Joshua Gray and kept in the family ever since. 

I have great childhood memories of enjoying Gray's soda, although back then we really didn't think as much about buying local products.  It was inexpensive and tasted good.

With that in mind, it was fun to be able to take home some Gray's product after dinner, and I selected some of their Orange Cream Soda which I'm enjoying while writing this blog.  

It's deliciously creamy and full of fresh orange flavor..  The restaurant didn't have any of their popular Root Beer in stock, or I would have brought a four pack of that home, too.

It's not the easiest place to find in the world, but it's worth the search.

It has a great atmosphere with plenty of space at the bar and in the restaurant with plenty of TVs and a huge salt water aquarium to entertain while you are waiting.  We enjoyed that view while snacking on the wonderful fried pickles as a starter.

I'll be back - see you there!