There was no escaping the heat last night. But inside Tilt Classic Arcade and Ale House, it was practically a sauna. The air conditioning shorted out earlier that day, leaving the restaurant steamy by its 7:30 p.m. opening. The system will be fixed on Thursday morning, but the throngs at last night’s opening sweated to the oldies nonetheless.
Anticipation had built to a fever pitch since Seven Days announced the upcoming “adult” arcade in March. The usual new-restaurant holdups ensued, slowed by the major renovations to the space involved in creating Tilt’s two floors of arcade games in just 12 weeks
“It’s been a series of unfortunate events,” says co-owner Thom Dodge, of the weeks and days that led up to opening.
Last week, the fire department was called to the space to help with wiring concerns in the hood system. Following a longer-than-expected wait for approval from the fire marshall, Tilt opened at last evening after a brief false start of a promised 3 p.m. debut.
What did gamers find?
The game list above was posted next to the 24-beer tap list (see list for cabinet games and pinball). Options included local suds from Lost Nation Brewing, Zero Gravity Brewery and Fiddlehead Brewing Company, but also Schlitz. Not beer drinkers ourselves, my other half and I ordered the first signature cocktail sold at Tilt.
The Hadoken is named for the “surge fist” move in the Street Fighter series that most players refer to as a fireball. The tall, $10 drink was suitably incendiary, made with Rookie’s ginger beer mixed with habanero-infused Green Mountain Vodka. Coincidentally, Rookie’s owner Dave Rooke is a member of the Vermont Pinball Association, says Dodge.
Dodge bristles at the term gastropub, preferring to call Tilt’s bill of fare “an organically driven pub menu.” The options, all organic and GMO-free, include several burgers, among them a weekly game option. This week, it’s bison with Buffalo sauce (another Street Fighter reference. Small plates range from Fiddlehead-inflected hummus and a kale salad with shaved fennel to more classic pub fare such as wings and loaded gravy fries.
I didn’t get a chance to try any of the food yet, but I did make a bathroom stop. And my inner 12-year-old girl, who reserved a copy of Mortal Kombat for Sega Genesis months in advance, squealed with delight. (See bathroom door sign below.)
Naturally, boys got equal treatment.
But arcade fans are unlikely to be finished with Tilt anytime soon.
Related Stories
Got something to say?
Send a letter to the editor and we'll publish your feedback in print!
get the racing going!! INITIAL D
Let me start off by saying that I wanted to love this place, but it was not a romance to be. The space is great! The staff were very nice and hard working. So here is the deal, the arcade videos games like Pac Man, Galaga and pin ball machines are the hook to this themed restaurant. It is what draws people in to reminisce about their days of youth (anyone over the age of 35) and yes…. the beer. But where they are going wrong is the seasoning in the food. Good seasoning is essential, especially when you are trying to sell beer. They go hand in hand. Although the French fries and cheese balls were tasty, the rest of the food lacked flavor and everything tasted the same, like when you have a bad cold. The sauces and seasonings were the culprit. I think they should partner with a Vermont company like Richards Barbecue sauce to keep with their mission, and should skip making their homemade ketchup and or any sauce for that matter. It was unanimous four out of four people did not like the ketchup. However the food that they serve like hamburgers and fries require ketchup. We were tempted to run to the McDonald’s which is right next door and smuggle some in. Bring on the Heinz baby. The seasoning on the chicken barbecue sandwich was super bland. It literally tasted like no salt was added to the food and i am by no means a salt addict. There was not even a shaker on the table. The GMO free chicken wings were NOT a hit. They were super small, super expensive, coated with a watery bland homemade barbecue sauce and we had to try to get someone to want to eat the last two. The mystery was finally solved when the waitress revealed that the chef is vegan. Apparently he doesn’t taste any of the meat, poultry or dairy dishes he prepares. He asks his staff what they think. A chef needs to taste his food or it just doesn’t work. Something tells me that no one wants to tell the Emperor he has no taste. Until food improves, it was four forks down.