So the hubby and I were pleased to see that a new eating establishment had taken over the vacant space formerly occupied by Chili’s in the Sparks Galleria when we drove past out to Mom’s place yesterday… McHenry’s Pub and Grille quickly brought thoughts of a pint and some good shepherd’s pie to mind. We decided to make a lunch stop during our visit.
We ended up with a few errands to run today in the Galleria, so decided to make the stop while we were out. When we walked in, we were somewhat disappointed to see something that was about as far from the dark, cozy atmosphere of an Irish pub as Denny’s is from a high-end steakhouse. The only concession to anything remotely Irish were signs promoting Irish stout and whiskey. The rest of it was as bright and sterile as the typical mass-market eatery that had previously inhabited this space.
As expected, at 3 pm on a Sunday afternoon, the place was far from packed, and we were seated immediately. The hubby ordered up a pint straight away, while I chose to have a look at the menu, in search of specialty drinks.
Alas, there were no specialty drinks to be found – there was, however, a comprehensive list of the “building blocks” offered at the bar. We also perused the menu for our dining choices – we found what was mostly typical bar and grille fare; hamburgers, sandwiches, and appetizers, with a few Irish-traditional items thrown in. Sadly, the shepherd’s pie was only available during dinner hours, although we did have the options of bangers and mash or “Irish tacos”, with a corned beef and cabbage filling.
After what seemed a rather long time for the empty state of the establishment, a server came back with my husband’s beer, and I ordered an apple martini. We’d also had plenty of time to make our menu selections, so placed our orders – mine for the calamari appetizer, while hubby chose the fish and chips. Sides offered for the fish were kettle-cooked chips, shoestring fries, or cucumber salad (?) – this left us puzzled, as I don’t think any of them would normally be offered in an Irish pub with fish…
After another rather long wait, and what appeared to be a major discussion at the bar, my appletini finally arrived, far greener than I’m used to having. I must say that, although the apple flavor was minimal, I could definitely taste the branded vodka I had requested. The price for the drink turned out to be reasonable, as well.
When the food arrived, I found that the calamari was quite good, although not the best I’ve had – instead of the typical rings, the plate was made up of strips of thick calamari steak in a tasty panko breading. I would have liked to have had a bit more bite in the cocktail sauce.
Hubby’s fish appeared to be rather nice, in a batter coating. Unfortunately, the Americanized malt vinegar provided didn’t have a shaker top, so he ended up with his fish swimming in a lake of the stuff. He had chosen the shoestring fries, although they were not even close to the traditional chips that one would expect.
For the money, I would have expected a slightly larger portion of calamari, and we’ve also had better fish and chips for less at other establishments, with speedier service, to boot. The verdict here?
Unless you’re looking for a place to have a few drinks with some friends without spending a bundle:
Skip it!
