Tuesday, May 15, 2007
Faux Irish
I went to the ball game early today, because I noticed there's a new Irish Pub on the North Shore! McFadden's! Authentically festooned with shamrocks, Celtic knots, and Guinness posters on the wall!
Unfortunately, the disappointment sets in the moment you open the menu. Not ONE Irish dish listed (Rueben sandwiches and Shepherd's pie doesn't count, you can get that just about anywhere). Just the same old boring bar food that you can find at TGIFriday's or Applebees.
On tap, with the exception of Guinness, everything is domestic. I suspect the owner is an English twit named Gervase Brooks-Hamster.
Foodwise, I got the Rueben. It came on a plate heaped with frenchfries, probably to detract from the fact that the Rueben was the size of two silver dollars. Smallest sandwich I've ever been served at a restaurant. Heck, I've had grilled cheese at the Murphy's lunch counter that were bigger than that Rueben. $14.50 for that and a beer. Know what a huge fish sandwich, fries, and a beer runs you at PNC Park?? $13.00. Pretty damn sad when you cannot compete with stadium food. I liked this place better when it was called Houlihans. Trust me, unless you're looking for a place to get plastered, put this dog of a restaurant to sleep. Unfortunatly, due to its location between PNC Park and Heinz Field, this turd will thrive on the GET DRUNK GO STILLERS GO BUCS! crowd.
If you want chain Irish, you're far better off walking a couple of blocks to Finnigan's Wake, or hitting Molly Brannigan's in Mt Lebanon, or Claddagh's on the South Side.
Better yet, why not drop in at the Pour House or the Harp and Fiddle?
Unfortunately, the disappointment sets in the moment you open the menu. Not ONE Irish dish listed (Rueben sandwiches and Shepherd's pie doesn't count, you can get that just about anywhere). Just the same old boring bar food that you can find at TGIFriday's or Applebees.
On tap, with the exception of Guinness, everything is domestic. I suspect the owner is an English twit named Gervase Brooks-Hamster.
Foodwise, I got the Rueben. It came on a plate heaped with frenchfries, probably to detract from the fact that the Rueben was the size of two silver dollars. Smallest sandwich I've ever been served at a restaurant. Heck, I've had grilled cheese at the Murphy's lunch counter that were bigger than that Rueben. $14.50 for that and a beer. Know what a huge fish sandwich, fries, and a beer runs you at PNC Park?? $13.00. Pretty damn sad when you cannot compete with stadium food. I liked this place better when it was called Houlihans. Trust me, unless you're looking for a place to get plastered, put this dog of a restaurant to sleep. Unfortunatly, due to its location between PNC Park and Heinz Field, this turd will thrive on the GET DRUNK GO STILLERS GO BUCS! crowd.
If you want chain Irish, you're far better off walking a couple of blocks to Finnigan's Wake, or hitting Molly Brannigan's in Mt Lebanon, or Claddagh's on the South Side.
Better yet, why not drop in at the Pour House or the Harp and Fiddle?
Labels: bars, food, Irish, pittsburgh, restaurants, reviews
