Road Tips

Three Lyons Pub - West Fargo, ND

I did a less than favorable review for the burgers at JL Beers in Fargo last year (see that entry here) and I heard from a couple people who suggested that I try a place called Three Lyons Pub, an English Pub on the West side of Fargo.  (Actually, I don't know where Fargo ends and West Fargo begins.)  I had been out in Western North Dakota for a couple days and took a direct hit to my windshield from a rock that was kicked up by a truck in front of me.  A major crack developed in my windshield, so I made an appointment at a Safelite Glass location in Fargo to get it repaired.  I had some time to kill before I could get my car in and since it wasn't far away from Safelite Glass, I decided to go to Three Lyons to get a burger for lunch.

Three Lyons Pub is located in a strip mall on the south side of 13th Ave. E. in West Fargo (see map).  The owner, Blair Thoreson, opened the doors of the place in 2005.  Thoreson wears many hats - not only is he the owner of the Three Lyons Pub, he is also a medical program writer for Microsoft in Fargo (the largest Microsoft campus outside of the Seattle area is located in Fargo), and he has also served the Fargo area as a North Dakota state representative since 1998. Because he is so busy with other endeavors, Kent Larsen runs the day-to-day operation for Three Lyons Pub.  He's helped out by Michael Anderson who runs the kitchen, and Liz Swanson and Ryan Ellingson who co-manage the bar area.  

Blair Thoreson - pictured right  

I was a little apprehensive when I saw the exterior of Three Lyons Pub.  As my old neighbor, George, used to say about some Irish pubs, "They put up a couple Irish flags in a strip mall building and call it an Irish Pub."  I was afraid that Three Lyons may fall under that description, only as an English Pub in this case.  But I was pleasantly surprised when I entered to find a spacious dining area with high wooden tables with sturdy metal high back chairs, a long wooden bar to the left and a homey, pub style decor down to the pictures of Winston Churchill on the walls.  Ornate antique style lamps hung from the ceiling over the bar area. The back wall was made of brick and featured three flat screen televisions.  In fact, there were flat screen televisions located throughout the place.  

 

I had my pick of seats in the place as it was after the lunch rush, so I just decided to sit up at the bar.  One of the young ladies working the bar came over with a food menu and asked if I wanted anything to drink.  Since really all I had left that particular day was to get my windshield fixed, I ordered a pint of Smithwick's, one of nearly 20 beers Three Lyons has on tap.  Their beer menu is extensive with a number of domestic, import, craft brews, and cider beers available.  I've never been a big fan of the cider style beers, but they had six different ones to choose from at Three Lyons.  

Although I was told to try the burger at Three Lyons, they had a very interesting menu that included a dozen appetizers, three soups - including a corned beef and cabbage soup that sounded interesting to me, salads, sandwiches and a bevy of main entrees called "Her Majesty's Finest" which included Wellington Sliders - three small beef Wellington pastry puffs served with garlic mashed potatoes and Guinness beer gravy; Pasties - two puff pastry shells filled with ground beef with rutabagas and onions; Bangers and Mash - two pork sausages served with the Guinness gravy and garlic mashed potatoes; and a Shepherd's Pie - ground beef, carrots, onions and celery topped with garlic mashed potatoes and cheddar cheese.  The beef Wellington pastry puffs sounded very interesting to me.  

They also had a hot beef or hot turkey sandwich that was paired with garlic mashed potatoes and topped off with the Guinness gravy.  That actually sounded good to me - after a week of travel and eating all different types of food, some comfort food would have been welcome at that point.  They also had a London Broil sandwich featuring thin slices of steak on a French bread bun with your choice of two toppings that included sauteed mushrooms, sauteed onions and peppers, horseradish sauce, and jalapenos.  One other interesting sandwich was the Messy Jessy - pulled pieces of turkey topped with a homemade barbecue sauce, cheddar cheese and your choice of either pickles or jalapenos.  But, nope, I was there for a burger.

And their burger menu was rather interesting, as well.  You can get a regular hamburger or a turkey burger and build your own by adding cheese, veggies, bacon, etc.  But they also had a number of "signature" burgers including the "Klaus" - a burger with sauteed onions, jalapenos, bacon and cheddar cheese (jalapenos were very prevalent on many items on Three Lyons menu); the "Helle" - topped with, once again, jalapenos, bacon, pepperjack cheese and then sprinkled with the hot Chinese Sriracha sauce; the "Reu-burger" which wasn't a burger at all, but featured grilled corned beef and sauerkraut with Swiss cheese and 1000 Island dressing.  They had a blue cheese/bacon burger, a burger with American cheese and barbecue sauce, and a patty melt burger.

But the burger that caught my eye was the Mushroom Swiss cheese burger.  When the bartender asked me what I wanted to order, that's what I told her I wanted.  Except I also asked if I could get some bacon on the burger, as well.  For a dollar upcharge, she said it would be no problem.  Kettle potato chips come with the sandwich, but she told me for a small upcharge I could get a side of fries with a side of the Guinness gravy.  I quickly signed up for that.

It wasn't that long of a wait for the burger and fries to come out.  The burger patty was covered with Swiss cheese and an ample amount of mushrooms - canned, not fresh - and sat on the bacon.  The bun was big and fluffy, but it was a little dry and didn't really add much to the overall taste of the burger.  While the burger was good, I couldn't call it outstanding.  The bacon, cheese and mushrooms helped zip up the taste of the beef which was average, at best.  

The fries were also average, but the Guinness gravy was worth the price of admission.  Thick, savory and flavorful, it was better than dipping the fries in ketchup.  I even dipped the burger in the gravy for a couple bites.  The Guinness gravy was outstanding.  

While the burger at Three Lyons was all right, I don't know if it was better than the one I had last year just down the street at JL Beers.  It seemed to be a bit more flavorful, but still not one that I'd deem as excellent.  But for pub fare, the burger was fine.  As was the service from my bartender.  Three Lyons Pub is a nice little place with a pretty good - but not outstanding - burger.  If I were to make it back at some point, I'd want to try some of their more traditional English fare.   

Blarney Stone Pub - Bismarck, ND

I stopped in Bismarck earlier this summer to call on one of my long-time dealers in town and to take him out to lunch.  A couple three years ago, I had been up to Grand Forks and found a nice place called the Toasted Frog (see that entry here).  I heard that they had opened a location in Bismarck and I suggested we go there.  My dealer said, "Sure!  That sounds good.  I've been there a couple times and it's pretty good."  

We went to The Toasted Frog and found that it didn't open until 4 p.m.  Just across the street from The Toasted Frog was The Pirogue Grille, a place we had eaten at one time a few years ago.  (See that entry here.)  However, my dealer said, "Well, we're in the same boat with The Pirogue Grille.  It doesn't open until late afternoon, too."

He stood there for a moment and said, "Ah!  I know a place we can go.  It's just around the corner."  We walked down N. 4th St. to Main and took a left.  In the middle of the block was an Irish pub by the name of the Blarney Stone Pub.  (see map)  

(Disclosure - I didn't bring my phone with me, so the pictures I have in this blog were courtesy of the Blarney Stone's Facebook Page.) 

Thanks to a boom in oil and gas drilling in Northwest North Dakota, a number of cities and towns in the area are going through some major changes.  Some of the changes are good, but some are bad.  Bismarck is benefiting the most out of the oil and gas boom in North Dakota as it has become the favored place for oil company executives to live.  There has been an upscale housing and office space boom in the area and a handful of restaurants have popped up over the past couple three years.   The Blarney Stone is one of those places and they've been open for just under three years.  The pub is owned by a group consisting of Matt and Kelly Geiger, who own a construction company in Bismarck; Jim and Nicole Poolman (Jim Poolman is the former State Insurance Commissioner for North Dakota and is currently a consultant in Bismarck); Bil and Michele Rydquist (Bil Rydquist owns a heating and refrigeration business in Bismarck); and Russ Wanner, who is the managing partner at The Blarney Stone.  The group worked together to make decisions on the downtown location, the decor of the restaurant, and the eventual menu.  

The inside of the Blarney Stone is very reminiscent of an authentic Irish pub - heavy on the brick work with a large ornate wood bar in the main room as you walk in.  There's a large upstairs area for private parties and overflow dining.  

Off to the side of the main dining room/bar is an ornate and elegant dining room called the Grand Room with a large fireplace with a beautiful wooden mantle.  And through a large brick arch was a hallway with a handful of private booth dining areas, each with their own arch entry way.  The Blarney Stone would have been classy even in a much larger city.

We were escorted by a hostess into another dining area through the elegant room.  This was the Blarney Stone's "courtyard" dining area.  Actually, it was a long dining room with its own bar, and a number of high tables with what amounted to a large open garage door on the south end of the room.  We sat at a high table near the garage door and the hostess left off menus for us to look over.  Ricky was our server that day and he took our drink order while we took a look through the menus.  

Each day through the week, the Blarney Stone has a lunch special from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.  Since it was on a Wednesday when we were there, the special that day was a half smoked Sicilian sandwich with a bowl of cheesy chicken tortilla soup.  The Sicilian sandwich on its own piqued my interest - it consisted of smoked ham, pepperoni, and bacon with mozzarella cheese sitting on a bed of Spring lettuce, black olives, balsamic marinated tomato slices and sliced sweet onions, all sitting in between slices of grilled focaccia bread.  Marinara sauce came with it on the side.  I came into the place thinking a reuben would be pretty good, but this one jolted my taste buds.  

They also had a number of entrees, appetizers and burgers including something called the Haystack McFarland.  Named after a fictional Irish wrestler, this sandwich is Blarney Stone's "challenge" meal that consists of five different Blarney Stone signature burgers (such as the Rosemary O'Reilly, the Irish Mexican, and the Hot-Headed Irishman) along with two pounds of waffle fries.  It costs $48 bucks and you get 30 minutes to down the burger and fries or you have to pay for the burger.  You also get a free t-shirt if you win the challenge.  This is a somewhat disturbing trend I'm seeing in restaurants, primarily because of Adam Richman and his "Man vs. Food" food challenges on The Travel Channel.  Now, I love the Man vs. Food show, but I'm getting a little bored with these challenges.  Pictured at left is a young guy who is getting ready to take the challenge.  (He lost...)

My guest was thinking about getting one of the Blarney Stone's salads for lunch.  When Ricky came to take our order for food, my dealer had a question regarding the "angry sauce" that the Blarney Stone used on their Angry Chicken Caesar Salad.  Ricky said that it was a variation of a Buffalo wing sauce that they made in house.  "It's spicy, but not that bad," he told my dealer.  So, that's what my dealer ordered.

Even though the Smoked Sicilian sandwich was still at the top of my list, I couldn't help but notice a number of other items on the extensive menu.  The Shepherd's Pie looked very interesting, as did the corned beef and creamed cabbage platter.  There was also the Blarney Dip - sliced roast beef on a grilled hoagie bun, topped with melted Swiss cheese and garlic Aioli.  It came with a Rosemary Onion au jus gravy to dip the sandwich in. Oh, man!  It was between that and the Smoked Sicilian, but when it came my time to order I went with my original gut instinct and go the Smoked Sicilian - a whole without the soup - and waffle fries.  Ricky asked if I wanted any of the Dublin sauce to go along with it.  When I asked him what Dublin sauce was, he said, "It's mayo with pureed artichoke..."  I forgot what he said after that.  I immediately signed up for some of that, as well. 

As we waited for our lunches to show up, we talked a little business and how the oil and gas boom has been affecting my dealer's business.  He said, "Our retail traffic is still mediocre, but the number of homes that we're involved with doing home theaters or whole house systems is what's driving our overall business.  The housing boom is getting to the point that if someone calls up a builder and asks to talk to them about building them a home in the area, the first thing the builder asks is, 'Do you have a plot of land?'  If they don't, the builders won't even talk to them.  'Get a plot of land first,' the builders will say. 'Then come back and talk to me.'  I'm telling you, it's just crazy."

He was also telling me that with the boom, it's also brought some hardships to areas of North Dakota.  "Our infrastructure can't keep up.  The big trucks are tearing up our roads out west, we don't have enough state troopers to patrol the roads, crime is up in some of towns out west (that was confirmed later in the day by my dealer out in Dickinson).  The east side of the state isn't seeing this economic boom, but they have the most population.  None of the state legislators from out east aren't willing to earmark money for the problems that are starting to arise out west and they control most of the voting.  Even though I'm benefiting from it, I don't think this boom is good for the state as a whole."    

His salad and my sandwich was brought out to us and the sandwich was much larger than what I bargained for.   They actually had a picture (albeit not a good one) on the Blarney Stone Facebook page of the Smoked Sicilian sandwich with waffle fries and marinara on the side - exactly what I ordered.  The sandwich was piled high with the smoked ham, bacon and pepperoni, sitting on the bed of lettuce, tomatoes, olives and onions.  The focaccia was lightly toasted and crisp.  I had to cut it in half just to be able to handle it.  

The Smoked Sicilian was very good.  Years ago, T.G.I. Friday's used to have a similar sandwich - the Hot Sicilian - but they took it off the menu.  It was the only reason I would go into a T.G.I. Friday's to eat.  Every once in a while I'd find a T.G.I. Friday's that would still be able to make their Hot Sicilian sandwich, but it's been years since that last happened.  Which also directly correlates to the last time I can remember being in a T.G.I Friday's.  But the Smoked Sicilian at the Blarney Stone was every bit as good as the Hot Sicilian at T.G.I. Friday's.  And it was a lot of food.  I was having trouble eating the second half of the sandwich and I told my dealer, "Geez, I should have gotten the half sandwich and soup combo. This is a big sandwich!"

The waffle fries were all right, but they were helped with the Dublin sauce.  It had sort of a peppery taste to the sauce and it was very good.  I was extremely impressed with my meal at the Blarney Stone.  

My dealer was happy with his Angry Chicken Caesar Salad.  There were a lot of small chunks of grilled chicken that had been dipped in the spicy sauce before it was placed on the Caesar Salad.  He said that the waiter was right, the sauce wasn't all that spicy.  "This is very good," my dealer declared.  

I had been looking through the beer list earlier during our visit and I was impressed with the number of beers they had to choose from at the Blarney Stone.  I told my dealer that I'd like to come back some night and take the other guys who work for him out to dinner and to have a few beers at the place.  And the food prices were very affordable.  The Smoked Sicilian was $9.99 and the waffle fries came with it.  It was a lot of food at a great value.  

(Since my original visit to the Blarney Stone earlier this summer, I was just in North Dakota on business last week with a factory guy from Focal Loudspeakers.  We stopped at the Blarney Stone for lunch on our way out to Dickinson, ND and I had the Guinness Irish Stew - slow-roasted beef cubes with carrots, potatoes, mushrooms, onions, garlic, thyme and rosemary in a hearty Guinness beer broth served in a miniature pot.  The guy from Focal, Jean-Philippe, had the Hot-Headed Irishman burger - a 1/2 pound burger topped with jalapenos, blue cheese dressing, pepperjack cheese and Blarney Stone's "Angry" sauce.  He said the burger was outstanding and I have to say the Guinness Irish Stew was equally as good.)  

I was very impressed by the Blarney Stone.  As my old neighbor, George, used to say, "I hate places that put up a couple Irish flags and call themselves an Irish pub."  The Blarney Stone was far from that.  The ornate brick and woodwork throughout the place, along with the old world Irish feel, and the great food and beer menu would have worked for the Blarney Stone had it been in a city like Milwaukee, St. Louis or Indianapolis.  I don't get up to Bismarck all that often, but I have a place that has risen to the top of my list of "revisits".  And the way my business is growing in North Dakota, I need to get up there more often.  

Curragh Irish Pub - Holland, MI

One evening when we were in Western Michigan for our little long weekend trip earlier this year, Cindy and I decided that we wanted to keep it low key and eat at one of the more casual establishments in downtown Holland.  (Have I said how nice of town Holland is and how great their downtown shopping and restaurant area is?)  We had our choice between two - the New Holland Brewing Company and Curragh Irish Pub right across the street.  Cindy liked the idea of eating at an Irish Pub, so we decided upon eating at Curragh that evening.  (See map)

Curragh (pronounced CURR-ack with sort of a phlegmy throaty emphasis on the "ack") is named after the home of flatland racing in Ireland, the Curragh Racetrack, a historic race track that hosts all five of the classic Irish horse races - including the Irish Derby - and has been around since the 1700's.  It's documented that chariot races were held on the grounds of the Curragh race track in the third century.  

The original Curragh Irish Pub opened in 1999 in Schaumburg, IL next to the massive Woodfield Mall.  But the roots of the pub go back even further to a Chicago area restaurant called J.J. Finnegan's that was started by Jim Leongas in 1984.  His son, Paul Leongas, was the managing partner for the first Curragh and they later opened a second Curragh location in Skokie.  (The original location in Schaumburg had to move due to development of a strip mall on the spot where the building stood.  They moved the original building, piece by piece, to its present day location on Northwest Highway in the Chicago suburb of Edison Park.)

Jim Leongas opened a J.J. Finnegan's in Holland, MI in 1988 and it was run by his daughter, Sophia.  Sophia and her husband, Dave Jurgensen, opened the third Curragh in Holland around 2006 and closed the J.J. Finnegan's restaurant in Holland in 2009.  They hired an Irish ex-patriot, Glen Behan, to run the day-to-day operations at the Curragh.

My old neighbor, George, is half-Irish and he used to scoff at an establishment that called itself an "Irish pub" when it would put up a couple Irish flags in the place and have Guinness on tap.  George wouldn't have any trouble with Curragh calling themselves an Irish pub - the place is Irish, through and through.  The inside of the bar has an old Irish feeling down to the wooden bars (two of them) in the place.  A number of televisions are interspersed throughout the place and Curragh Irish Pub is the unofficial soccer headquarters for Western Michigan, showing games from Europe on satellite sports channels.  Flags of all the European countries are on display, hanging from the ceiling.  In fact, there was no other sports on television other than soccer that evening.  

There is an seating area at Curragh that features open air seating or seating under an awning.  When we checked in at the outside hostess stand, we were asked if we wanted inside or outside seating.  Clouds were moving in and rain was forecast for later in the evening, so we sort of hemmed and hawed for a moment before we decided on sitting outside at one of the wrought iron tables with similar chairs.  The patio was about a third full that evening - a Sunday night - not a big night in Holland.  They've only had Sunday beer sales available in the town for about four years.

We were given menus and Kelly, our server for the evening, came over to take our drink order.  I ordered a Smithwick's and Cindy got a Bass.  (I later found out that they had Magic Hat 9 on tap, as well.  I was kicking myself because Cindy would have liked that better than she likes Bass.)  

While we were looking through the menu, I began to kind of notice that the clouds to the west were churning up rather quickly.  I got out my smartphone and punched up Weatherbug to see the local radar.  There was a rather large storm that was just off the western coast of Michigan not far from Holland.  When I showed it to Cindy, I said, "I think maybe we'd better move inside."  

She looked over at the seating under the awning, hoping there would be an open table under there.  But there wasn't.   When Kelly came out with our beers I showed her the radar image on my phone.  I said, "You know, this looks like it's coming in sooner than later and I would rather not have to interupt my meal to pick up and go.  Is there a possibility that we could move inside now?"

Kelly said, "Oh my gosh!  Well, yes!  Let's move you inside."  She left our beers and delivered two more to another table before she came back.  She picked up both of our beers, beer coasters and menus and put them back on her tray.  We protested that we could carry all that ourselves, but she wouldn't let us.  We asked if she would be taking care of us inside and she said that she could.  Kelly got a good tip that evening for being overly accommodating.

Most of the food on the menu at Curragh is your typical Irish pub fare - shepherd's pie, fish and chips, Irish stew, cottage pie.  They also had some steaks, seafood, burgers and sandwiches on the menu.  We had eaten a late lunch earlier in the day, but it was after 8 p.m. when we were seated inside the Curragh.   Cindy was on a seafood kick and I was looking for a good hearty dinner.  

The shepherd's pie and the corned beef with cabbage were suddenly at the top of my list, but my eyes wandered down the menu and saw something called "Galway Bay Seafood Fleadh".  (Fleadh is Gaelic for "festival".)  It featured a north Atlantic pollack filet, stuffed with shrimp, crab meat and marscapone (a very rich Italian-style cheese), then baked in an oven.  It was served with a lime hollandaise sauce, griddle fried potato-crab cakes and vegetables.  Ooooooohhhh!  That sounded great!   But I wasn't in the mood for seafood that evening.  (As I write this, my stomach is doing jumping jacks.  If we get back there at some point, I'm getting that.)

I also was looking at the Sea Salt and Herb-rubbed beef tenderloin filet - an 8 oz. seasoned filet, grilled then drizzled with a sweet lemon ancho chile butter that would give it a little sweet and smoky bite.  Mmmmm.... Decisions, decisions.  

I was trying to get Cindy to get the Galway Bay Seafood Fleadh (mainly so I could have a couple bites), but one of the specials that evening was a salad that featured sea scallops, greens and chopped veggies.  Cindy thought that would be good to get.  She also ordered a cup of the Guinness cheese soup - a mixture of sausage, potatoes and onion with a cheddar cheese/Guinness beer base - for us to share.

When Kelly asked me what I wanted, I was still torn.  I thought the North Atlantic stuffed pollack would be great, but it also sounded pretty rich.  Shepherd's pie is also pretty rich and I wasn't THAT hungry. When I heard myself say, "Corned beef and cabbage", I still didn't know if that was what I really wanted.   

When Kelly brought out the "cup" of Cindy's Guinness cheese soup, I remarked, "Geez, Cindy!  I'm glad you didn't order the bowl!"  

Kelly said, "Oh, we just have one size for the soup.  It's sort of in between a bowl and a cup." 

And you want to talk about rich!  Hoo boy, that soup was almost a meal in itself.  It featured large chunks of potatoes (I couldn't really tell if there was sausage in there or not) in a very rich cheese base.  It was good, but I didn't want to eat much more than about three spoonfuls of the stuff.  I was afraid it would spoil my dinner.

As we pushed what was left of the soup away from us, we noticed that more people were coming in from the outside.  A couple of ladies who were seated near us came by our table and one of them said, "You guys were smart coming in when you did!"  

Cindy asked, "Is it starting to rain?"

The lady said, "Well, not yet, but the wind's come up and it's gotten cooler.  It looks like it's only a matter of moments before it will start to rain."  

Not long after that, Kelly brought our food to the table.  The corned beef and cabbage featured only a few small cuts of corned beef with a couple scoops of mashed potatoes, both topped with a horseradish sauce.  A generous amount of cabbage came with it, but I concentrated primarily on the corned beef and potatoes.  The corned beef was very tender and flavorful, and I really enjoyed the creamy horseradish sauce on the top.  I should have asked for fresh ground horseradish, come to think of it.  But it was good enough as it was.  But quite honestly, I don't think there's not much you can do to corned beef and cabbage to make it any different from restaurant to restaurant.  

Cindy's salad was exactly what she wanted.  It was light and tasty with some greens, chopped carrots, peppers and sprinkled with herbs.  She offered me one of the scallops and they were plump and cooked perfectly - not overcooked to where they're rubbery, but not undercooked where they're kind of squishy in the middle.  

I know Cindy really liked the Curragh Irish Pub a lot. "We made the right choice," she said, meaning that we could have had dinner across the street at the New Holland Brewing Company.  We did say that the next time we come back to Holland that we'd have to try the brewpub, but we'd also have to come back to Curragh at some point, as well.  The food was good for an Irish pub, the service was impeccable, the decor and ambience of the place made it feel like you were in a true Irish pub back in the homeland.  We couldn't do anything but recommend Curragh as a must stop when you're in Holland.

Peggy Kinnane's - Arlington Heights, IL

To mix things up a bit, I've been staying at a new Hampton Inn in Mount Prospect on my recent trips into Chicago.  Although it's not quite as convenient as the Hampton Inn in Addison in terms of getting there from anyplace around the Chicagoland area, it is close to my largest dealer, Abt Electronics.  Plus, it's in the middle of the Randhurst Village Shopping Center and there's a number of newer and established places to eat in the immediate area.  Arlington Heights is just down the road and they have a handful of interesting places to eat.  I decided to try an Irish pub by the name of Peggy Kinnane's one evening.     

Peggy Kinnane's opened in 2001 and is owned by Irish ex-patriot Derek Hanley.  Hanley comes from a long line of pub owners. His grandfather, John Joe Kinnane, had been a noted goalie for an Irish football (soccer) team before he opened Setright's Pub in Cratloe, County Clare.  John Joe's son - and Derek's father - Jack Hanley, was a band leader who played in many pubs across Ireland before he opened his own place in Templemore, County Tipperary.  Jack Hanley married an Irish lass by the name of Peggy Kinnane, hence the name of Derek Hanley's establishment in Arlington Heights.  

Derek Hanley (pictured right) came to the United States in 1985, settling first in New York City, then he moved up to Boston after a couple of years where he met his wife.  Hanley and his wife moved to Los Angeles, then to Denver, then back to his home in Tipperary, before finally moving to Arlington Heights around the turn of the 21st century.

While Peggy Kinnane's is located in a revitalized area of downtown Arlington Heights (see map) the inside of the building is rather unique.  The stone walls are all imported stone from County Clare in Ireland.  The woodwork and the long curving bar were all constructed in Ireland and shipped to the United States.  And all of the knick-knacks - known as bric-a-back in Ireland - on display on the walls and shelves of Peggy Kinnane's are all authentic items from Ireland, many items that were passed down through the family that were once on display in both his grandfather's and father's pubs.  The only thing Americanized about Peggy Kinnane's is the modern brick facade on the side of the building that houses apartment/condos above the restaurant.

It was around 8 p.m. when I got into Peggy Kinnane's.  A young hostess greeted me and asked me where I wanted to sit.  She suggested the bar area, but it was a little busy in there and there wasn't much room at the bar.  I looked around the corner at a table with a bench seat against the wall, but realized that I'd be the only one seated alone in the area.  I wandered around with her before settling on a spot near the elongated end of the bar that had curved around into the dining area.  She dropped off a menu and my bartender server for the evening - who went by the name of "Smith" - came over to greet me.  I ordered up a Smithwick's and took a look through the menu.  

I had been on the road for a couple days up to that point and I wasn't overly certain what I wanted to eat that evening.  The menu at Peggy Kinnane's features a slew of appetizers, soups and salads, burgers and sandwiches, as well as Irish staples such as Shepherd's Pie, Irish Lamb Stew, fish and chips, and boxty - a thick potato pancake-like concoction that can be served with vegetables, grilled chicken, and/or seafood.  I've had boxty once a number of years ago at a place in Minneapolis and I remember it as being good.  

The menu is so extensive at Peggy Kinnane's I was having a tough time trying to figure out what to get.  I was hungry, but I really didn't know what I was hungry for.  I was thinking about getting one of their burgers - the "Ulster" featured Swiss cheese, bacon and sauteed mushrooms with their "Emerald Isle" sauce (basically 1000 Island dressing.  But I didn't know if I wanted to try a burger that evening.  The reuben looked inviting, as did their cold-served corned beef sandwich.  But, once again, I wasn't overly certain I just wanted a sandwich.  The Shepherd's Pie and the boxty with a sauteed chicken breast, mushrooms, tomatoes, and scallions in a white wine cream sauce both sounded good, but it also sounded too rich for my stomach that evening.  I was in a quandary and decided to hold off and have a couple beers before I ordered up my meal. 

After about a half hour of trying to figure out what I wanted, I  got Smith's attention and ordered up the Peggy Kinnane's meat loaf - a piece of meat loaf slathered in a Jameson whisky glaze sauce, grilled lightly and then topped with a mushroom gravy.  It also came with a side of mashed potatoes and fresh vegetables.  When he brought it to me, I knew there would be no way I'd be able to finish off the whole meal.  The meat loaf was a large slab over a half-inch thick topped with the mushroom gravy.  The vegetable medley featured an abundant amount of sliced carrots, broccoli and cauliflower.  The mashed potatoes were just a scoop off to the side.  

The meat loaf was all right - it had an OK flavor to it and I would have liked to have had more of the mushroom gravy on the top, but it was fine.  The potatoes were rather pedestrian as I only had a couple small bites of those.  However, the vegetable medley was very fresh and cooked perfectly.  They weren't mushy, nor had the taste been cooked out of them.  Whoever cooked the vegetables at Peggy Kinnane's knew exactly what they were doing.  

I left about a quarter of the meat loaf, nearly all of the potatoes and a smattering of sliced carrots on my plate.  Smith asked me if I wanted to have it wrapped up, but, no, there was no way I'd eat this as a leftover even if I were taking it home with me.  

After I finished up paying my bill, I took a walk around Peggy Kinnane's just to see the place.  There's a nice little backroom near the restrooms that featured a fireplace and a nice place to hang.  The dining area was rather spacious and they also had an outdoor seating area.  It had a great feeling to the place.  It definitely wasn't the type of place where someone put up a couple Irish flags and called the bar an authentic Irish pub.  

As I said earlier, the bar snaked around the north and west sides of Peggy Kinnane's.  The woodwork and stonework throughout the place were elegant and impressive.  I got the two pictures above off of Peggy Kinnane's web site because the pictures I tried to take inside the low-lit restaurant didn't turn out very well from my phone camera.  

I thought my food was pretty good at Peggy Kinnane's, but like corned beef and cabbage it's tough to add pizazz to meat loaf.  I did think the food was rather high in price - $15.95 for a meat loaf platter. (Burgers were a minimum of 10 bucks and other menu items seemed to be rather high priced, as well.)  But Smith provided good service for me and I really had little to no complaints about the place.  Peggy Kinnane's is a unique experience and one that I'm glad I found in Arlington Heights. 

J K O'Donnell's - Fort Wayne, IN

During a trip to Fort Wayne to do a presentation for the staff at Sweetwater, one of the largest dealers of products for professional and amateur musicians in the nation, my colleague Simon set up a get-together for some of the sales staff at an Irish bar called J K O'Donnell's.  He'd taken some of the staff there before and they were sequestered in a partyroom where they had a fixed menu of appetizers and entrees.  Oh, and unlimited beer.  Simon got it set up for another night of food and beer when we were there just before Christmas last December.

Downtown Fort Wayne is not unlike many mid-sized Midwestern communities that has suffered from an economic downturn over the past 10 to 20 years.  With an urban flight of both people and businesses, store fronts have closed up, people are living away from the center of cities, and downtown areas have become ghost towns after 5 p.m.  A number of business people saw the need for a revitalization of the downtown area and one of those men was Scott Glaze, the owner of a company that made medical grade wiring in Fort Wayne.  Glaze traveled often for his job, both across the United States and to foreign countries.  He was struck at how some similar sized cities had a downtown area with shops and restaurants that he didn't find in Fort Wayne.  He wanted to begin a renaissance of the downtown area, but knew he couldn't do it alone.  

Glaze got a group of what he called "crazy entrepreneurs" on board for his vision of a downtown revitalization in Fort Wayne.  He knew it wouldn't happen overnight, but he had to help get the ball rolling in regard to bringing the downtown back to a vibrant destination.  Along with his wife, Melissa, Glaze wasn't certain if he wanted to open a retail shop or a restaurant for their part of the revitalization project.  They just knew they wanted to do something. 

It was during one of his trips to Castlebar, Ireland to a facility that worked with his company, Glaze found himself in a quaint Irish bar that he fell deeply in love with.   The Irish pub gave him the inspiration to open an authentic Irish pub in Fort Wayne.  Along with partners Dennis and Jeremy Rohrs, and managing partner Kim Jacobs, the Glaze's opened J K O'Donnell's in August of 2007.  Two years later, they expanded into a building beside the business and made that an overflow/party room with extra restrooms.   

The main dining room consists of a quaint three-sided bar with a highback bar area that goes from ceiling to floor centered in the middle of the room.  Regular tables and high tables like you'd find in an Irish pub were throughout the room.  You have to walk through the dining area to get to the party room in the back corner of the restaurant.  

Simon had invited about 25 of the top Focal Pro loudspeaker salesmen to the little soiree that snowy evening.  Like before, he settled on a number of appetizers and a fixed menu for dinner.  As many of the Sweetwater people made it into the room, the appetizers were brought in and a waiter went around taking drink orders.  

The beer list at J K O'Donnell's is pretty extensive with a mix of domestic and imported beers.  They had a number of very good Midwestern microbreweries to choose from including the Three Floyds brewery out of Munster, IN.  (Click here to read about my visit to the Three Floyds brewpub.)   For my first beer of the evening, I went with a Three Floyds Alpha King pale ale, a very forward and hoppy pale ale that I like to drink from time to time.  

The appetizers were set on a table and they consisted of chicken wings, an artichoke dip served with toasted bread slices, homemade potato chips (that were way over-cooked) and Simon's favorite - fried pickles.  Here's a picture of Simon taking a bite into the fried pickles at J K O'Donnell's.  Quite actually, the fried pickles were the highlight of the appetizer spread with the artichoke dip a close second.  The fried pickles weren't dill spears like you normally will see with that type of appetizer, but rather dill chips covered in a beer batter that was very tasty.   

I had finished my Three Floyds Alpha King and decided that while I was in an Irish pub, I'd better get an Irish beer.  I ordered up a Smithwick's the second time around.  But when the waiter brought it to me I found it to be very flat.  So much so that I didn't even finish it.  I got the waiter's attention and told him that I wanted something else.  I ordered up a Bell's Two Hearted pale ale and stuck with that the rest of the evening.  

The fixed menu we had that evening had a number of items off of J K O'Donnell's regular menu including fish and chips, Irish stew, an authentic corned beef and slaw sandwich, as well as a corned beef and cabbage entree, and bangers and mash.  Actually, Simon had talked up the Shepherd's Pie before we got there and I was disappointed to not see it on the fixed menu.  Even though both the corned beef and cabbage and the corned beef and slaw sandwich sounded good, I ended up ordering the Irish stew which was the closest thing to Shepherd's Pie without the mashed potatoes on top.  (A late arriving Sweetwater person actually ordered the Shepherd's Pie.  Had I known I could have done that, I would have.)

Our meals began to show up and a couple people at the table I was seated at got the fish and chips (below left).  The fish looked a little dark and both people said that it was a little overcooked.  Like the homemade potato chips, the fish was darned near burnt from the fryer on the outside.  It was like the oil in the fryer was too hot and they should have taken the fish out a minute earlier.  The fish was a little rubbery, it was reported to me by those who had it, probably from the overcooking.  

My Irish stew was actually pretty good.  It was thick and hearty with a very robust taste.  It had large chunks of all-natural beef along with a potpourri of vegetables in a dense gravy/broth.  A side house salad came with the Irish stew that went well with the meal.  A guy at a table next to me got the corned beef and cabbage.  And while it did look very good, I was overly happy with my Irish stew.  It was a good "stick-to-your-ribs" meal on a cold winter evening in Fort Wayne.  

Many of the Sweetwater gang began to filter out before 9 a.m. as they had a 7 a.m. sales meeting the next morning.  I settled up the bill with the waiter and it was actually pretty reasonable for the amount of food and drinks that we had.  I'd have to say J K O'Donnell's did a fine job in capturing the essence of an authentic Irish pub with the food, the extensive beer list and the decor throughout the place.  The wait staff was quick and efficient, and it was a pleasant evening all around.  Simon does these little parties from time to time when he comes out to Fort Wayne to deal with Sweetwater.  Now that I've been indoctrinated into the Sweetwater culture I'm sure I'll be back to J K O'Donnell's at some point quaffing a few beers and hopefully getting the Shepherd's Pie.   

McBob's Pub and Grill - Milwaukee

One of my dealers in Milwaukee, Ultra Fidelis, moved out to Wauwatosa on North Avenue a little over a year ago. North Avenue is sort of a mish-mash of funky stores, little restaurants and blue-collar bars. One of the guys at Ultra Fidelis was telling me that there was this great little neighborhood bar on North Avenue a couple miles away from their store - McBob's Pub and Grill - that had one of the best corned beef sandwiches in Milwaukee. "Maybe even the world," he exclaimed. "It's a great sandwich." One evening with nothing to do in Milwaukee, I decided to seek out McBob's and give their sandwich a try.

McBob's is one of those old time neighborhood taps that permeate the Beer City. It has more of an Irish theme to the place, one a number of Irish pubs in Milwaukee. (For a city that is heavy in German heritage, they have an awful lot of Irish-style pubs in Milwaukee.) Of course, St. Patrick's Day is huge at McBob's with corned beef and cabbage, Guinness and bag pipes all mixed in.

McBob's is the nickname for the McRoberts family who started McBob's a number of years ago. However, for the 20 or so years, the place was run by Bob Rubner (pictured right, courtesy of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel), and his wife, Christine McRoberts (the daughter of the previous owner). In 1995, Brian Hunter came to work for Rubner and McRoberts and later became a partner in the place.

This is where the back story about McBob's turns a little strange.

In 1988, Bob Rubner was living in Vienna, Austria and he happened to come back to a family gathering at McBob's. There, he "re-met" his first cousin, Christine McRoberts, who was seven years younger than Rubner. According to McRoberts, it was love at first sight and two years later they were married in California - a state where it is legal for first cousins to marry. They came back to work at McBob's, eventually taking it over.

Rubner was instrumental in turning the place into a nearly authentic Irish/Scottish pub. He began to cook and came up with their famous corned beef sandwich. He also came up with a number of soups and the McBob's Chili which, I understand, is some of the best in the city of Milwaukee. Rubner also started making Irish breakfasts at McBob's. His "McRobert's Plaid" entree is pretty unique for breakfast - it's 3 eggs topped with peppers and onions, then topped with Swiss and American cheese in sort of a plaid pattern.

Rubner had a great sense of humor and told many stories about a mischievous fictional character "Seamus". Nearly every day, Rubner would come up with a new story regarding the exploits of Seamus. And he was a treasure trove of jokes that he would share with his customers.

Unfortunately, Bob Rubner was also an alcoholic which led to many physical issues. In March of this year, just before his beloved St. Patrick's Day, Rubner couldn't take it any longer and committed suicide. He was 58 years old. McRoberts and Hunter continue to run McBob's, but it's apparent that Bob Rubner is missed by all.

I found a parking space just across the street on busy North Ave. (see map) Like the neighborhood surrounding McBob's, the clientele is a diversified group of ethnic and socio-culture individuals. Young families, older families, young guys and girls with piercings and tattoos, yuppie couples enjoying a beer - McBob's was a literal melting pot of people from all walks of life. I immediately liked the place.

Like most Irish-style pubs I've been to, McBob's has a plethora of signage - both lighted and unlighted - and other paraphernalia on the walls. The lighting is subdued, but still good enough to allow me to read a copy of the Journal-Sentinel in the dining area. The bar took up the east wall of McBob's and it was evident that a number of the regulars were holding those places that evening.

Taking a table along the back wall of the place, a waiter came over to drop off a menu and to take my drink order. I ordered up a Smithwick's and looked over the menu. McBob's is also somewhat famous for their homemade tacos - made with beef or chicken in a 10" soft flour shell, then topped with cheese, onion, sour cream, lettuce, tomato and your choice of three different temperatures of salsa. It sounded tempting, as did the hot roast beef sandwich - comfort food on a chilly and rainy Milwaukee evening.

But I decided to get what I went there for - the corned beef sandwich. Actually, McBob's reuben sandwich isn't much different as they add Swiss cheese and sauerkraut to the corned beef. I had my choice of either marble rye or light rye bread. I took the marble rye. And since it was a Wednesday night, I could get a "deluxe" corned beef sandwich. That meant that I could get a side of french fries with a pickle spear, and a cup of soup. (They have their "deluxe" sandwiches on Monday, Wednesday and Friday's at McBob's.) The featured soup that evening, in addition to their chili, was a creamy chicken and rice - one of the soups that Bob Rubner came up with years ago. While I decided against getting fries, I did order up a cup of the soup.

The soup came out first and it was very good. It had large chunks of chicken and the creamy broth was very tasty. It was a nice start up to the meal.

Not long after I finished my soup, my waiter came out with my sandwich and fries. A generous amount of horseradish mustard was on top of the corned beef which was slow roasted, overly moist and literally falling apart on my sandwich.

The marble rye bread was a little dried out and it didn't take long for the juices from the corned beef to get sopped up in the bread. Because of that, the sandwich suddenly became a mess of soggy bread that was falling apart, large chunks of corned beef that dropped into the basket on top of the chips, and horseradish mustard oozing onto my fingers. I looked for my waiter to get a fork, but he sort of forgot about me. I did my best to not look like a medieval barbarian as I picked up chunk after chunk of corned beef by my fingers and put it in my mouth. By the time I was finished, the waiter finally came around. He asked if I needed anything else and I said, "Yeah! Napkins!"

But the corned beef was simply out of this world. I like a good corned beef sandwich from time to time and this was one of the best I had, exploding bread notwithstanding. The beef was succulent and flavorful. What ever they do to their corned beef at McBob's, I wish I could do with corned beef at home.

With a couple beers, tax and tip, my meal came to just over $22 bucks at McBob's that evening. The corned beef was as good as advertised, the soup was delicious, and while the service (I thought) was a little sub par, it was fully understandable as the waiter was a busy guy with a lot of people coming into McBob's to get food. As a place to hang out and have a beer with friends, McBob's would be a great place to do so. But the food is what makes the place unique. And even though he is no longer with us, the spirit of Bob Rubner lives on at McBob's.

McGurk's Public House - O'Fallon, MO

When I used to work for my old company out in St. Peters, MO up to 2002, one of the places my ex-boss liked to take us to for a casual lunch or dinner was McGurk's Public House in downtown O'Fallon, MO (see map). Whether it was for a good sandwich or a nice meal, McGurk's Public House was sort of the defacto place to go since it was relatively close to my ex-boss' house in O'Fallon.

 

McGurk's Public House is closely related to John D. McGurk's Irish Pub and Garden in Soulard, one of the most authentic Irish pub's I've ever visited in the United States. Patrick Holloran, the son of McGurk's founder Jim Holloran, teamed up with Matthew McGuire, who was the principal owner of the former King Louie's restaurant on Chouteau Ave. in St. Louis, to open McGurk's about 11 years ago out in O'Fallon. The building that houses McGurk's Public House on S. Main in O'Fallon has been a watering hole for years and years. Holloran and McGuire fixed up the old building and put in an outdoor seating area out back, similar to the garden area at McGurk's Irish Pub.

 

It was a lovely Friday afternoon when I stopped into McGurk's Public House for a quick bite before heading back home. The outdoor seating area was packed with people enjoying the early spring sunshine and there was going to be a short wait if I wanted to sit out there. I decided not to wait and took a seat at the ornate bar at the very front of the restaurant. I looked over a menu knowing that I was probably going to get the reuben sandwich - always one of my favorites at McGurk's Public House - but wanted to remind myself of what else they had to offer.

 

My trip to McGurk's brought back a lot of fun memories of my time working for the company out of St. Peters. I'll never forget the night that we were having dinner there before Christmas and I had forgotten the Christmas present back in the Quad Cities that the company employees had all chipped in on to get for my ex-boss. My wife dutifully drove all the way back to the Quad Cities - four hours each way - to retrieve the present, an etched-stone decorative rock that was made special for the entrance to his home in O'Fallon.

 

Everyone knew that she had gone back for it, except my boss, and they were all doing their best to keep him out of the loop when he kept asking where my wife was, considering she brought me to the office earlier in the day and had come in to say "Hi" to everyone. She finally showed up at McGurk's Public House to a chorus of cheers and wild clapping from my former colleagues, everyone overly appreciative of the effort she did in being on the road over 8 hours that day to retrieve the present that I forgot to pack in the trunk. Even though we didn't give the present to my boss until two days later, my wife was "Queen for a Day" that night with everyone. We had a great time and a LOT of drinks at McGurk's Public House that evening.

 

And even though it had been a number of years since I was last in McGurk's Public House, I do remember the food being pretty good. I remember a very good rib-eye served at McGurk's, topped with their homemade steak butter. They also had a wonderful grilled Iowa pork chop that was served with a side of smoked bacon and gruyere cheese au gratin potato dish that was just out of sight. And from looking at the menu, I remember that they had a very good wedge salad that was unbelievably great for the price - $3.95 - that was a nice sized wedge served with Maytag Blue Cheese. I thought to myself that I needed to come back to McGurk's for dinner at some point.

 

But I was there for lunch and wasn't looking for a huge meal. While the McGurk Burger is pretty good - especially with Swiss cheese and bacon added - and the Dubliner sandwich (roasted pork with white cheddar cheese and Guinness braised onions) is also very good, I went with what I remembered to be one of the best reuben sandwiches I've had at a restaurant. I got a side of McGurk's onion rings to go along with it. I enjoyed a Smithwick's (or two) along with my lunch.

 

A waitress brought my sandwich out and I was ready to eat. The corned beef was cut thick and the Swiss cheese and sauerkraut was slathered on top. I like to order an extra side of 1000 Island dressing to dip my sandwich into. Honey mustard dressing was also served on the side to dip the onion rings into.

 

As I remembered, McGurk's Public House reuben sandwich was just outstanding. It was almost too much food as I couldn't finish the last couple bites of the sandwich and left a good portion of the onion rings on the plate. The corned beef was tender and flavorful, and the homemade swirled rye bread was just wonderful. It truly is one of the most outstanding reuben sandwiches I've ever had.

 

It had been too long since I'd been back to McGurk's Public House in O'Fallon. I don't get out that way all that much any longer, but I may have to make a special trip for dinner at some point. If you're out in St. Charles County and want a good meal at a good Irish bar, it's tough to beat McGurk's Public House.

The Claddagh Irish Pub - Middleton, WI

Claddagh (pronounced "CLAW-duh) Irish Pubs are a chain of upscale authentic Irish pubs with 15 locations throughout the Midwest.  About four years ago, I had a brief entry on Road Tips about the original Claddagh in downtown Indianapolis (see that entry here).  I've had beers at a couple three Claddagh's during my travels and had always meant to eat at one, but had never gotten around to do so even though I've certainly had the opportunity to do so.  It was a cold evening in Madison and I didn't feel like venturing far from the hotel that evening.  The Claddagh Irish Pub was a short journey from my hotel and I figured some good ol' Irish comfort food would be in order that evening. 

One of the big reasons the Claddagh pubs appear to be authentic Irish pubs is that they were started by an Irishman and an American who lived in Ireland for a time.  Kevin Blair was an Cleveland-area native who worked for a number of years for the Taco Bell corporation when it was owned by Pepsi.  He was hired in the mid-90's to go to work at the Supermacs fast food chain in Ireland.  During Blair's stay in Ireland, he loved the feel of the Irish pubs and the many friends that he met while frequenting those pubs.  The Irish have a term - craic (pronounced "crack") that describes a place that is fun, lively and friendly.  Blair decided that the United States needed authentic Irish pubs with "craic".

Blair talked Supermacs chairman Patrick McDonagh to help him start a chain of upscale Irish pubs in the Midwestern United States.  In 2001, the first Claddagh Irish Pub opened in Indianapolis.  Both Blair and McDonagh were looking at aggressive growth during the first few years growing the chain to nearly 20 locations.  However, like most partnerships, this one went sour with McDonagh withholding funds to keep the company from expanding while trying to force Blair to sell his shares.  McDonagh had already invested over $20 million dollars into the Claddagh chain and wasn't willing to invest more money for expansion.  Lawsuits and court dates ensued and the chain eventually declared Chapter 11 bankruptcy.   McDonagh's CDG Acquisitions group came in and bought the assets for $10 million dollars in 2008, about an estimated third of the value of the Claddagh chain.

By the way, the Claddagh Irish Pubs get their name from a small fishing village - Claddagh - that was legendary for the friendliness of the people who lived there.  Many writers lived in Claddagh over the years (Claddagh is now part of Galway, Ireland - home to Pat McDonagh) and they wrote about the hospitality they received from the townspeople during their stay. 

Each Claddagh Irish Pub has a dining area, a bar and a handful of small rooms that feature overstuffed chairs giving the place sort of a cozy feel, allowing patrons to sit down with friends in a comfortable setting and enjoy a Guinness or a Jameson whiskey.   The dark wood walls and broad-beamed ceilings give Claddagh pubs an authentic Irish pub look.

I rolled into the parking lot of the Greenway Station shopping center in Middleton where the Claddagh is located (see map) around 7:30 p.m.  The Claddagh is located next to Cheeseburger in Paradise, the Jimmy Buffett-owned chain of upscale burger joints (click here to see my entry on Cheeseburger in Paradise) and the parking lot in front of the businesses were full of cars.  I was able to find a spot and I went in to get a seat at the bar.

The first thing I noticed behind the bar at the Claddagh was where there should have been bottles of different types of liquor, there were nothing but bottles of Jameson whiskey.  Yes, I was definitely in an Irish pub!  The bartender came over and asked if I wanted a menu.  I got a Smithwick's as I perused through the selection they had at the Claddagh and glanced up at a football game and a hockey match they had on the flat panel televisions behind the bar. 

Claddagh Irish Pubs have a wide selection of authentic Irish food including Shepherd's Pie, fish and chips, corned beef and cabbage, and Irish beef stew.  They also have some American-based foods with an Irish twist such as the Guinness barbecued ribs made with a Guinness bar barbecue sauce, the Jameson burger that's topped with a Jameson sauce, along with the normal staples - steaks, chicken and a couple of pasta dishes.  

I needed a "stick-to-my-ribs" dinner as it was cold and I was having trouble warming up.  I thought about the Chicken Kildare - a garlic encrusted chicken breast filled with spinach, mushrooms and Irish rasher (a type of Irish bacon).  The bangers and champ sounded good, too - Irish sausages served over Irish champ (baked potatoes) and topped with an onion gravy.  But what I ended up getting was the old fashioned meat loaf, topped with a sweet glaze and then served with mashed potatoes and gravy and a side of vegetables.   For a starter - and to help warm me up - I got a cup of the Guinness onion soup, basically a French onion soup that is made with a Guinness beer stock. 

I was seated next to a guy from Indianapolis who was in Madison on business and we got to talking.  He was a really nice guy, in his mid-to-late 30's, I'm guessing.  He said, "We've got three Claddagh's in the Indy area.  When I go on the road to Columbus, Cleveland or Cincinnati I always go to the Claddagh's there.  It's like a home away from home."  He said this was his first trip to Madison and he was surprised to find a Claddagh near his hotel.  Some people like that familiarity with their restaurants, I would rather explore.  Although, I have to admit that it's getting tiresome to find new and exciting places in some locations. 

The Guinness onion soup was very good - a large crouton was on top along with an ample amount of Swiss cheese.  Large onion chunks were in the broth that had a hint of a taste of Guinness to it.  Actually, a bowl of the soup alone would have been a good meal.

The bartender brought out my plate to me and I sort of looked at it funny.  It certainly didn't look like meat loaf to me - and it wasn't.  It was the Irish beef stew.  It looked very good, but it wasn't what I ordered.  I got the bartender's attention and pointed out that I think I got the wrong meal.  He said, "You had the beef stew, right?"  I said, no, I had the meat loaf.  "Ah!  Yes, the meat loaf!"  He said he'd get me the right meal straight away.  That's the problem with people who don't write down your order - they space out from the time they take your order and then enter it into the system.  But he did give me a free beer for waiting.

And the wait was worth it.  I was served two large slices of meat loaf that had a nice smoky glaze on top the slices.  There was a little bit of a heavy beef gravy on the slices of meat loaf, but the mashed potatoes were swimming in the gravy - just as I like it.  The vegetables were a medley of broccoli, cauliflower and carrott slices.  

Everything was very good - the meat loaf was flavorful and hearty, the mashed potatoes were real and the rich, thick gravy was a great compliment to the meat and potatoes.  The vegetables were also cooked perfectly with a little bit of a crunch with each bite.  The meal was exactly what I was looking for - generous portions of good ol' comfort food on a cold late fall evening.

The guy from Indy next to me had the Shepherd's pie.  "I've tried the meat loaf before," he said.  "I like it, but I think these guys make about the best Shepherd's pie I've ever had in the States." 

After I finished what I could of the meal, I sat at the bar savoring my meal, watching the football game and enjoying one more Smithwick's.  The guy from Indy had polished off his Shepherd's pie and had ordered the bread pudding for dessert.  On the menu, the bread pudding comes under the heading of "split to share" desserts.  And it was huge, easily covering an 8" dessert plate.  And this guy was going to eat the whole thing!  And he did!  I said, "Jesus, buddy!  You need to watch it!  I was your size one time and when I started traveling on the road that's when I started to gain weight.  When you have a company credit card and you're in a city far from home, it's not hard to over-indulge." 

He said, "Oh, I know it.  I've gained 15 pounds over the past couple of years.  This (pointing at the bread pudding) doesn't help, but it's so darned good that I have to indulge myself every once in a while." 

I'm glad I finally got to try the food at one after stopping in for just the beer on my previous visits.  The meat loaf was very good, the portions were generous, the Smithwick's was great (any place that has Smithwick's on tap is OK by me) and the service - other than screwing up my order - was adequate.  There are Claddagh Irish Pubs in four of the cities that I travel to and now that I know that the food is very good, I'll go back at some point when I just need the feel of some comfort food in my tummy. 

D'Arcy's Pint - Springfield, IL

I had a meeting with a potential dealer in Springfield, IL recently and afterward I decided to grab a bite to eat at a place I'd heard about for quite sometime, but had never been to before - D'Arcy's Pint on the west side of the Capitol City of Illinois.  (See map)  D'Arcy's is a large Irish bar/restaurant that is famous for one of the culinary treats in Springfield - the horseshoe sandwich.  More on the horseshoe later. 

D'Arcy's Pint began in 1998 when co-owners Glenn Merriman and Hallie Pierceall opened in a shopping center on MacArthur Blvd. - the main North-South road through Springfield.  It quickly became one of the best places in the area to get good food and a cold beer in a fun and inviting environment.  It became so popular that just seven years after they opened they moved to a larger location in a building that features two bars and two dining areas along with an outdoor beer garden. 

D'Arcy's Pint features a full menu, but they claim to have the best horseshoe sandwich in Springfield.  The horseshoe sandwich is indigenous to Springfield as the history of the food dates back to the late 1920's.  Legend has it that a Springfield man, Steve Tomko, came up with the idea of the horseshoe.  But historians around Springfield refute his claims and say that a chef by the name of Joe Schweska came up with the idea - or actually, he got the basic idea from his wife.

Schweska was the chef at the old Leland Hotel in downtown Springfield.  He was talking to his wife about coming up with something new to put on the lunch menu at his restaurant in the hotel.  She suggested doing something that used a Welsh Rarebit sauce on top.  Schweska cut a piece of ham into the shape of a horseshoe, placed it on a couple pieces of bread, then topped it with potatoes and the cheese, mustard, Worcestershire sauce that is the basis for a Welsh Rarebit sauce.  (Picture courtesy of Roadfood.com)

Schweska eventually moved away and Tomko began to take credit for creating the horseshoe sandwich.  But older people remember Tomko as a dishwasher in the kitchen where Schweska was the cook.  Nonetheless, wherever Tomko went to work at a restaurant in Springfield, he served a horseshoe sandwich.  They were so popular that a number of restaurants around Springfield came up with their own horseshoe sandwich.   D'Arcy's Pint is no exception.  

But I didn't think I'd care much for a horseshoe sandwich.  It is sort of like a "slinger" in St. Louis and a "Magic Mountain" in the Quad Cities - a bunch of stuff thrown together on a plate and served with a cheese sauce.  Some places use a white cheese sauce on their horseshoe sandwiches, others will use a cheddar cheese sauce.  It just didn't appeal to me at all.  No, I wanted something much different than a horseshoe sandwich that day.

It was about 1:30 when I got into D'Arcy's Pint that afternoon and I was surprised to find the place packed with people.  As I said, there are two dining areas in the place and both the west and east dining areas were full.  There was a handful of people waiting to get a table.  The hostess told me there was a spot at the bar in the east dining room if I wanted to eat there.  I had no problem with that and I took the last chair available at the very ornate bar. 

 

The menu at D'Arcy's Pint features a number of appetizers, soups and salads for starters.  The bulk of the menu is typical bar food that you'd find at an Irish-themed restaurant - pot roast sandwich, cheese steak sandwich, fish and chips, and reubens.  They also featured a number of burgers and grilled chicken sandwiches.  D'Arcy's Pint also served pizzas and after 4 p.m. they had a dinner menu that featured Irish fare such as Shepherd's Pie, corned beef and cabbage, and a traditional Irish "boxty" - a potato pancake that is stuffed with things like corned beef and cabbage and grilled in a pan.  They also have steaks, seafood and chicken items on the dinner menu, as well. 

I was torn between the reuben and the Irish-American B.L.T. Darcy's had on the menu.  When my bartender asked me if I was ready to order, I told her that I was torn between the reuben and the B.L.T.  The guy next to me - obviously a regular - turned and said, "Oh, buddy.  Get the reuben.  It's the best around." 

An unsolicited recommendation is always welcome.  I went with the reuben.  The bartender asked me if I wanted to upgrade from chips to french fries for $1.50.  Sure, what the hell.  I also ordered up a Smithwick's to go along with the lunch.

When my sandwich showed up, I was pleasantly surprised to see a lightly grilled, swirled marble rye reuben on my plate.  The french fries were nothing special and probably not worth the $1.50 up charge.  The sandwich was good sized and full of tender corned beef.  As I usually do, I asked for a side of 1000 Island dressing to go along with the sandwich.  Some reubens don't have enough 1000 Island dressing on them and I like to dip the reuben into more dressing.  I was surprised to find that I was charged - I believe - 50 cents for a 1 oz. container of 1000 Island dressing.  I found it somewhat amusing and perplexing at the same time that they charged me for the small amount of dressing they gave me.

 But that minor experience didn't take away from the taste of the sandwich.  The guy sitting next to me didn't steer me wrong - the reuben at D'Arcy's Pint was as good as he said it was.  The corned beef was lean and flavorful, there was a generous amount of sauerkraut and cheese on top, the bread was just fabulous - I'm hoping that it was homemade or - at the very least - made by a local baker for D'Arcy's Pint.  The bread was thick and held together even with all the moist fixings inside.

Before I left, I had to use the restroom.  I took a look inside the west side dining room and saw that it was equally as large as the one on the east side.  However, the bar was much smaller with a short three-sided bar with high backed chairs.  I found out later that this particular bar was originally in one of Springfield's original ice cream soda shoppes - the Sugar Bowl - that was in business from 1927 to 1959.  I found it rather interesting and sort of neat that they were using an old time ice cream shoppes counter as a bar.  

My reuben sandwich, the beer and a tip for the bartender came to just a bit over $15 bucks.  Sort of expensive for lunch, but it was a large sandwich with a lot of meat.  I'm still sort of amused that they charged me for extra dressing, and the fries weren't worth the $1.50 up charge.  But, overall, it was not that big of a deal.  I don't know if I'll land that dealer in Springfield, but at least I know of a good restaurant/bar to grab a quick sandwich while I'm in town.  D'Arcy's Pint did not disappoint. 

Irish Rose Saloon - Rockford, IL

There's an American TV store in Rockford that I needed to train for both Focal loudspeakers and Cambridge Audio electronics earlier this summer.  I got into town around 8:30 p.m. and looked for a place to get a bite to eat.  I found this little place - Irish Rose Saloon - near the downtown area of Rockford.  (see map)  I decided to stop in and give it a shot. 

Even though I've lived about 90 minutes from Rockford since 1991, I think I've been to the city - maybe - four times.  I've called on a couple of independent dealers there with no success.  I've passed Rockford countless times on my way to Milwaukee and points north in Wisconsin, but there's really been no reason to stop.  So finding the Irish Rose Saloon was sort of a pleasant surprise. 

Mike Leifheit, a gregarious 60-something man, is the owner of the Irish Rose.  This is a picture of Leifheit with his daughters Kat and Kara.  The restaurant features a nice little outside dining area, an old time bar and a wonderfully furnished dining area complete with linen table cloths, artwork on the walls, and sort of an antique feel to the place.  

I got into the Irish Rose around 8:30.  There were a number of people out in the beer garden with Mike Leifheit holding court talking to a number of friends who were enjoying a nice evening.  A few people were seated at tables in the dining room.  There was no one seated at the bar.  The Irish Rose doesn't have any televisions in the place, so I couldn't pass the time watching television while waiting for my dinner.  

I asked the hostess if it was too late for dinner and she said, "Well, it may be.  Let me check with the chef." 

She went back into the kitchen, then came out a minute later and said, "Yeah, you just missed the cut off.  If you want, you can eat off the late night menu."  She gave me a menu to look over and while there were only a few things on the menu, a couple things caught my eye.

I sat at the bar and ordered up a Smithwick's beer while I looked through the menu.  The late night menu begins at 8:30 p.m. - it was 8:35 according to my cell phone - and it consists of a 1/2 hamburger, grilled goat cheese salad, linguine with fire roasted marinara, sirloin steak and woodfired, grilled pork chops.  And the prices were relatively cheap, but the catch was that you had to have at least one cocktail or beer.  If you didn't have alcohol, it was an extra $2.00 on the price of the entree.  I thought that was a rather unique way to sell alcohol with food, especially later in the evening.   

I didn't have to figure out that I wanted the woodfired, grilled pork chops.  The bartender asked me if I wanted soup, salad or home fries with the order.  I ordered a salad with their homemade vinaigrette dressing.  In the meantime, I asked the bartender for one of their regular menus for me to take a look at while waiting for my food to come out. 

It turns out the late night menu is sort of an extension of the Irish Rose Saloon's "Adult Happy Meals", nightly specials where the price of the food is deflated by a couple bucks if the person buys one beer or cocktail with the meal.  But they also had something called their "Fresh Board" which featured fresh seafood, steaks, pork and lamb.  One thing they had on their "Fresh Board" menu that evening was a sushi-grade tuna steak, cooked rare and sliced.  Oh, man!  If I'd just gotten there about 15 minutes earlier!  

The salad with the homemade vinaigrette was very good and it wasn't long after that when the bartender brought out my pork medallions.  It turned out one of the Monday night specials was pork medallions with a side of baked red potato slices, topped with herbs.  They brought me out the pork medallions and threw in the potatoes as an extra.  I didn't bitch.  I would have ordered the pork medallions over the pork chop anyway.  

And it was very good.  The pork was light, lean and moist.  They were very tasty.  The potatoes, a couple bites of which is all I had, were very good, too.  The herbs were a good complement to the red potatoes.   That's about the only way I like to eat potatoes these days.  When I have them, that is.

Understandably, the bar tab (Two Smithwick's pints at $5.50 each) was bigger than the food tab ($7.95).  But the food was very good.  Surprisingly good.  I was very happy I stumbled upon the Irish Rose Saloon.  If I ever make it back someday, I'm coming in earlier to make sure that I don't miss out on the opportunity to choose from a full menu.  If their late night menu is that good, I can only imagine how good the regular menu would be. 

Six Pence Pub - Savannah, GA

We got into Savannah on a sultry Sunday afternoon around 1:30 p.m.  After getting our bags and our rental car, we got to our hotel - the Hilton DeSoto - about 2:15.  We went to check in and our room wasn't ready at that time.  The girl at the desk said it wouldn't be long and they could store our luggage if we wanted to come back in about an hour.

Cindy was getting kind of hungry and we asked if there was any place around to get something to eat.  The girl at the front desk said, "We have a restaurant here." 

 

I said, "Yeah, but we're probably going to be eating there while we're here.  Any place close where we can get a sandwich and a beer?"

She immediately said, "Oh, yes.  Just right over there (pointing over her shoulder to the northwest) is a great little English pub."   We went back out the front door and almost caddy-cornered from the hotel was a little pub called the Six Pence Pub (see map).   The place offered outdoor seating, but the tables were full.  We went inside and waited for the hostess to come and seat us. 

We were seated at a small table just off the bar area.  The place was about half full and they had the Indianapolis 500 on the television at the bar.  A few people were watching the race, but mostly they were in conversation with one another over a cold beer. 

The Six Pence Pub in Savannah is one of a family of three Six Pence Pubs in the Southeast.  There is one in the Charlotte area at Fort Mill, SC, and one in Blowing Rock, NC.  The menu is typical of what you'd find in an authentic English pub.  They had the usual "Bangers and Mash", Fish and Chips, and Shepherd's Pie.  They also had a series of burgers, sandwiches, soups and salads to choose from.  

And just as nearby Chippewa Square was featured prominently in the movie Forrest Gump, It turns out the Six Pence Pub was featured in a major scene from the 1995 Julia Roberts, Dennis Quaid  movie Something to Talk About.  The front window of the Six Pence Pub was where Julia Roberts' character saw her husband, played by Quaid, with another woman and a confrontation took place on the street across from the Six Pence Pub.  I don't know if I've ever seen that movie, or if I did, I don't remember it. 

I wasn't overly hungry after having a big breakfast at the Milwaukee airport, but Cindy has to have three square meals a day or she can't function.  When our waitress showed up to ask us what we wanted, I just ordered a Smithwick's.  Cindy asked, "What kind of pale ale's do you have?"

I said to the waitress, "You probably have Bass, don't you?"

She said, "We do, yes."

Cindy said, "Bass is a little too heavy for me."

The waitress said, "We have a local beer out of Atlanta called Sweetwater 420.  That's a good pale ale." 

Cindy said she'd take that.

The decor in the Six Pence Pub features a lot of dark wood paneling along with an antique tin ceiling.  There are faux antique ceiling fans and lights hanging from the tin.  The main dining room was long and narrow, making for a cozy environment. 

As I said, I wasn't overly hungry so I went with the Tuna Salad salad - generous portions of tuna salad over a bed of lettuce.  You got your choice of dressing and I went with a basic vinegar and oil dressing combo.  Cindy also had tuna salad, only this was a sandwich.  She also got a cup of Six Pence Pub's Manhattan clam chowder. 

Cindy told me, "Take a drink of this beer."  I took a drink and deemed it to be "not too bad."  Actually, it was pretty good. 

I said, "What was the name of that beer?"

Cindy said, "I don't remember, but we need to find out."

When I finished my Smithwick's before our lunch came, I asked the waitress, "What is the beer my wife is having?"

She said, "Sweetwater 420.  It's a microbrew out of Atlanta." 

I said, "I want one of those."  It was very good.  It reminded me more of a good west coast pale ale, like a Sierra Nevada, and it was very good for a warm summer-like afternoon.

Our food came out and I have to say the portion of tuna salad and lettuce leaves were perfect.  It wasn't a lot of food, but enough to put something in my stomach.  We didn't have much of an idea where or even when we would eat that evening, so getting something in the gut before dinner was probably pretty smart. 

Cindy's tuna sandwich and Manhattan clam chowder was pronounced as "good".  She said, "This was all I needed."  Once Cindy gets to fading and needs food, she can be impossible to be around.  This kept her happy and good-to-go for the time being. 

The Six Pence Pub was a cool place.  I thought of my neighbor, George, because he's big on old English and Irish pubs.  I kept thinking that he would have loved this place.  I knew we probably wouldn't be spending much time in bars during our trip to Savannah - there was going to be too much to do and see.  But given the close proximity to our hotel, I knew we'd be back for a cold beer.  The funny thing was, we never did.  We found there were a number of good English and Irish pubs in and around the Savannah area for us to visit.  But for our first meal in Savannah, we certainly weren't disappointed with the Six Pence Pub.

Slim McGinn's West - Brookfield, WI

Working for a day with one of our national distributors during a recent visit to Milwaukee, I invited the branch manager out to lunch.  He said, "Where do you want to go?"  I told him some place local, no national chain and who had a good sandwich.  He said, "Come with me," and he promptly drove me to Slim McGinn's West (see map).

Slim McGinn's West is the third location for the original Slim McGinn's that was established in the Walker's Point area of Milwaukee, south of downtown (see map).  But most of the locals call the place just plain ol' "Slim's".  The second Slim McGinn's, known as "McGinn's" is located on West Bluemound near the Miller Park area (see map).

And, yes, there really is a Slim McGinn.  R.J. "Slim" McGinn (right) worked at a number of restaurants and bars in the Milwaukee before opening up his own bar/restaurant in 1995.  The original "Slim's" is housed in a building that has been a bar of one type or another for over 100 years.

Earlier this year, Slim McGinn's opened up the Slim's West location in what was the old Meadow Inn in Brookfield.  It carries on the tradition of the Slim McGinn's in the area with good food, great beer and lots of televisions to watch sports.

We got into Slim McGinn's West around 2 p.m. and there was just a handful of people in the place.  We sat at a table near the bar and carried on a conversation about the audio business.  Our waitress showed up with a couple menus and we were so engrossed in conversation that we didn't get around to ordering for another 20 minutes or so.  I could kind of tell that she was getting a little annoyed when she came back on her fourth time and we hadn't even looked at the menus yet.  I finally said that we needed to order something or we may get tossed out of the place. 

Slim's menu is something a little more broad than most Irish bar fare.  In addition to sandwiches and burgers, they also offer steaks, meatloaf, Shepherd's Pie and ribs.  They also have some eclectic add-ons to their burgers and chicken sandwiches such as an Irish whiskey peppercorn sauce and a spinach and artichoke Florentine topping.

The waitress came back and we said we were ready to order.  My guest asked if they had the Reuben salad that day.  The waitress said, "Yes, we do!"

He asked me, "Do you like Reubens?"

I replied, "I was probably going to get the Reuben."

He said, "You'll love the Reuben salad they make here.  It's unbelievably delicious!

So, I ordered the Reuben and I got one choice for a side and I took the Reuben salad.  I was intrigued by what a Reuben salad could be. 

My guest ordered the Irish beef sandwich - shredded beef along with carrots, potatoes and onion, then topped with a Guinness gravy over an open faced Kaiser roll.  And he got the Reuben salad as his side, as well.

The Reuben salad they make is cole slaw with bits of corned beef and swiss cheese mixed in with a side of Slim's homemade Thousand Island dressing.  When it came to the table with the sandwiches, I sort of looked at it, then gave it a try.  It was great.  Like my guest said, it was unbelievably delicious.

And my sandwich was very good, as well.  It featured large pieces of corned beef that were very tender and juicy.  It was a good sized sandwich, so the Reuben salad was a perfect compliment to the meal.

My guest's sandwich looked absolutely fabulous.  It had large chunks of shredded beef with pieces of potatoes, carrots and onions in a great looking gravy topping.  I think I should have gotten that.  And now that I know they have something like that I'll get it on my next visit.

I've probably driven by the original Slim's dozens of times during my visits to Milwaukee, but I'm going to make a point to go there sometime in the future.  But the one out in Brookfield was very good and had a lot of character to the place, even though it had only been open for about four months.   I'm glad I was turned on to Slim's and it won't be my last visit.

Muldoon's - Wheaton, IL

Special thanx to Road Tips reader Tim Schmidt who once again turned me on to a great little restaurant that serves good burgers in the Chicago area - Muldoon's in suburban Wheaton (see map).  Muldoon's is part of a corporate triumvirate of Irish bars in the Chicago area along with the famous Tommy Nevins Pub in Evanston (with a location in Naperville), and The Kerry Piper in Willowbrook. 

Muldoon's has been in business since 2002 and is a popular lunch and dinner spot in downtown Wheaton.  Parking can be a little tricky around there, especially during the daytime.  I was able to find parking on the street just down the way from the pub.  The place is situated on a corner with great visibility.  It's tough to miss when you're driving by.

It was a beautiful Friday when I got into Muldoon's around 1:30.  I got a seat at the bar and a very personable curly red-haired bartender by the name of Andy handed me a menu.  Sometimes overly friendly bartenders or waiters come off as fakes, but I could immediately tell Andy would be the kind of guy you'd like to have a beer with.  I ordered a Smithwick's while I looked at the menu.

Although other things on the menu looked pretty damn tempting, including the Belle Isle Reuben sandwich, I ordered up a Holy Swiss burger - an 8 oz. Black Angus patty topped with sauteed mushrooms, grilled onions and swiss cheese on marble rye bread.  I think that was what Tim told me to get, so I went that route.  A side of french fries accompanied the burger. 

The interior of Muldoon's has dark wood paneling throughout.  It's actually not a small place.  But with a main dining area and seating in the bar, it still has a nice cozy feel to the place. 

After about 15 minutes, Andy brought out my burger.  It was very similar to the Hackney burger I've had many times before with the burger served on slices of marble rye bread.  (That reminds me, I need to do an in-depth review of Hackney's sometime in the near future.)  And the Muldoon's Holy Swiss burger was every bit as good as Hackney's.  The beef was moist, tender and flavorful.  The mushrooms were fresh, and even though I normally don't like to get grilled onions (because they don't like me) these weren't strong and didn't upset my stomach. 

With a couple of Smithwick's and tip, the bill came to a little over $21 bucks.  I probably over-tipped Andy a little bit, but he was just great.  I really wish I could have stayed and drank beer all afternoon with him waiting on me, but I had to go on down the road. 

So, thanks, Tim!  Muldoon's is a great find and one that I recommend in the western suburbs of Chicago.  I'll definitely be back sometime soon.

The Claddagh Irish Pub - Indianapolis

During a recent trip Cindy and I took to Indianapolis with our friends, Scott and Marcia Schroeder, and Dave and Pat Heusmann, we had one last late night beer at The Claddagh Irish Pub in downtown Indianapolis (see map).  I've been to The Claddagh (pronounced CLAW-duh) a couple times before, but this was the first for the others.

The Claddagh Irish Pub started in Indianapolis in 2000 by Kevin McDonagh, an Irishman who owns the Supermacs fast food chain in Ireland; and Kevin Blair, an American who was McDonagh's operations manager for Supermacs.  Blair went to Ireland in the mid-90's to work for McDonagh at Supermacs and he was intrigued by the quaint Irish pubs that he went to and unwind with his wife and small children. 

Even though he knew there were a number of authentic Irish pubs in America, Blair wanted a pub that "reeked" of Irish heritage and culture.  The Irish have a term called "craic" (pronounced crack) that is used to describe a place that is fun, lively and friendly.  Blair wanted to bring that "craic" to America, and with McDonagh's help he was able to open The Claddagh Irish Pub in Indianapolis (right). 

The Claddagh was named after the legendary Irish fishing village of Claddagh which is now surrounded by present day Galway, Ireland.  The Irish Claddagh attracted many visitors to the area - many of whom were writers - who wrote about the charm of the town and the friendliness of the Claddagh people.

The Claddagh Irish Pub soon began to expand into other larger Midwestern cities and there are now 17 different locations (with three more slated to open) in 7 states.  Blair and O'Donagh made each Claddagh unique in layout and design, and put them in locations that would be easily accessible to most people.  And each Claddagh is decorated with authentic Irish fixtures and furnitures sent over from Ireland. 

The menu at The Claddagh consists of authentic Irish cuisine with a number of American favorites with an Irish bent added to them.  I had the melted Irish meatloaf sandwich one time at The Claddagh and it was outstanding.

But the place is more of a true Irish public house with a large variety of Irish beers on tap and in bottles.  Even though it was late and we were tired, we had to go in for the one last beer of the evening.  We sat at a short table with short stools right near the fire place.  It was great having a late night Smithwick's with my wife and good friends in a great place like the original Claddagh.

I travel to many of the cities in which other Claddagh's are located.  I'll have to check a couple three of them out to make sure they have the great ambiance and "craic" of the original in Indianapolis.

O'Dowd's Little Dublin - Kansas City

During our recent trip to Kansas City, the weather was almost unbearably hot.  Walking around the Plaza area one very hot afternoon, we came across a little Irish pub called O'Dowd's Little Dublin.  Cindy suggested that we go in and get a beer.  Well, anytime that she suggests to go get a beer, I can't say no. 

O'Dowd's is at the corner of Pennsylvania and Nichols Road in the Plaza (see map).  Even though the exterior remains true to the Spanish architecture found in the Plaza area, the dark walnut panels on the outside of O'Dowd's immediately gives it a warm, inviting appeal.

O'Dowd's has been in business since 1996.  The interior woodwork, cabinets and many of the signs on their walls came from Ireland.  It really has an "old country" feel to the place.

Cindy and I both grabbed a beer and headed for one of the window seats looking out into the Plaza.  O'Dowd's has a rooftop beer garden that is one of the more popular places to be most of the time.  But with temperatures hovering around 100 degrees, there was no way we were going to go upstairs and outside the air conditioning to have a beer that would turn warm inside 3 minutes. 

We checked out their menu (it was around 4:30 and we weren't going to eat there) and it's typical Irish bar food.  But it looked damn good.  They have a long list of appetizers and sandwiches, and they also have a number of good Irish entrees including Shepherd's Pie, Irish Stew and corned beef and cabbage. 

Their beer selection was wide and varied, but typical of most Irish bars in America.  But they did have a large number of Irish Whiskey and Scotch Whisky to choose from.  I thought it would be a great place to come back to for a nightcap. 

Our visit was a little tense, however, as a couple seated near us was having a family argument, and it ended with the guy storming out of the bar.  As we watched him stomp across the street, the guy had his cell phone to his ear. I remarked to Cindy, "I think he's getting a hold of his divorce lawyer."  We felt bad for the lady.  She just sat there looking out of the window with tears in her eyes.  I almost thought about buying her a drink.  But, it was probably best to not get involved.

All in all - other than the marital blow-up we witnessed - O'Dowd's is a neat little place to get a beer and a nice meal.  They've opened a second location in far north Kansas City at the new Zona Rosa mall, but I'm sure it doesn't have the warm, comfortable feeling as the original O'Dowd's in the Plaza.         

The Dubliner Pub - Omaha

Here's a fun place to grab a cold beer - The Dubliner Pub in downtown Omaha's Old Market area.  Just as the name suggests, The Dubliner is a classic Irish-American bar in the basement of a building that was built in the 1890's (see map).  The basement was the coal storage area for the businesses upstairs. 

The Dubliner opened in 1980 and was initially known as Horbach's.  The name was changed in the mid-80's to The Dubliner and it became somewhat famous back in the "old country" as a home away from home for Irish ex-pats and people of Irish ancestry.   

The Dubliner Pub is not too big, but it's not too small where you feel cramped.  They have bands and musicians in the back of the place from time to time, so it can't be too small. 

The Dubliner has over 100 different beers from all over the world to choose from.  There are around 20 different beers on tap.  But I'm kind of disappointed there isn't the kind of eclectic beers either on tap or available in bottles that I've seen in similar beer bars elsewhere.

The Dubliner has two clubs that you can join - both involve drinking the beer.  "The World Mug Club" is where you gain your own drinking mug that is hung in the bar with your name on it if you drink every beer from around the world. (Not in one sitting, of course.)  They give you a little score card and they check off each beer you drink on your visits.  They've been doing this for years and I have a sneaking suspicion that Old Chicago and other bars ripped off this idea for their world beer tour promotions. 

Or, if you would like to garner one of their shirts like the one above and to the right, you can take their "Fear No Beer Tour".  By drinking each of the 20 tap beers in the place (once again, not in one sitting), you get yourself the neat Dubliner Pub long sleeve t-shirt.

The Dubliner has basic pub fare - wings, nachos, burgers, chicken sandwiches, brought down by the people at The Brass Grille upstairs.  They even offer The Brass Grille's oysters on the half shell, but I thought they were too small and marginal, at best, the last time I had 'em.

I like The Dubliner - the staff is friendly, the place has a good feel to it, and the beer tastes great after a hard day.  When you go to the Old Market, you have to stop in for at least one at The Dubliner. 

Conor O'Neill's - Ann Arbor

We were in Ann Arbor last fall for the Iowa/Michigan football game and sort of stumbled into Conor O'Neill's on Main Street.  It's typical of most American Irish bars, a lot of dark woods through out the place.  They have soccer shirts and homages to Irish poets adorning the walls.  We were in there on a Friday night before the game and it was a little too packed. 

Beers are what you'd expect from an Irish bar - Murphy's, Guinness, Harp, Bass, Smithwick's, Newcastle, Boddingtons, etc.  The guys behind the bar were pretty helpful in discussing the differences between some of the lesser known beers they had.   But I grabbed a Smithwick's from the get-go and stayed with that the rest of the night.

They do serve food there and we did eat there.  It was typical bar food, nothing outstanding.  They have about four or five entrees for dinner, but most of it is of the sandwich mode.  I had the Corned Beef Reuben and that wasn't too bad. 

I understand they have Irish bands that will come in and play from time to time.  But I'm sure it's more enjoyable to be in there when it isn't as crowded as it was that night. 

Brocach Irish Pub - Madison

We just got back from Madison spending the weekend up there with our friends Scott and Marcia Schroeder, Dave and Pat Heusmann, and Tom Kakert for the Iowa/Wisconsin football game.  Madison is always a great time and a wonderful city. 

Before we left, Dave's barber told him that we had to go to this place called the Brocach on the state capitol square in downtown Madison.  He said it was a great bar.  Well, any bar that serves a lot of eclectic beers is on my agenda!

The Brocach is on the south side of the square, directly across from the Wisconsin State Capitol building.  Brocach, in Gaelic, loosely means a "Fox Den" or, more appropriately for Wisconsin, a "Badger's Den".  The crowd was mixed for a Friday night with a lot more college aged kids in the place than middle aged people like us. 

They have two bars in the Brocach - the main bar downstairs, and when it gets busy, they open up the upper bar.  We opted to go upstairs and go to the smaller of the two bars.  They had all the traditional beers on tap - Harp, Guinness, Bass.  One thing I liked is that they had Smithwick's on tap, a nice Irish brew that I first had last year in Ann Arbor.  Smithwick's (pronounced "Smitticks") has a good flavor to it and a nice little bite. 

The girls all opted for "foo-foo" drinks while the guys bellied up and went for the beer.  They had New Glarus Brewing Company's Spotted Cow on tap and Dave went with one of those.  Just like me, Dave didn't care for it.  In fact, I know that New Glarus is reknown for their beers, but I have never cared for the taste of most Belgian style beers.  It was all he could do to choke it down. 

They have food at Brocach, it appears to be a little more upscale than regular bar type food.  And they have a nice selection of Scotch's, as well.  The crowd is a little older through the day and early in the evening, and on the weekends it tends to skew more toward a younger crowd.  But if you're in Madison and have some time on your hands and want to get a beer downtown, I'd say this is the place.