Description
Irish pubs are a dime a dozen in this town; luckily, this West Village spot differentiates itself by going easy on the kitsch and concentrating on its kitchen. It still produces pub fare, but it's more elevated than most, with gourmet touches like Applewood-smoked bacon lardons in the mac and cheese and Kobe beef in the pigs in a blanket. A few more ambitious, unconventional entrees also are on the menu, including Prince Edward Island mussels cooked in a tomato-saffron broth with chorizo and a soba noodle salad topped with seared rare ahi tuna. The 10 beers on tap are fairly standard European imports, although you can find more adventurous Belgian and American craft beers on the bottle list. The crowd is mostly made up of professionals looking for a casual alternative to the nearby West Village and Meatpacking District nightlife scenes, relaxing amidst the handsome wood-paneled walls and on the cute, flower-lined sidewalk patio.—Keith Wagstaff
