Bistro Gambrinus

Rather than a Bistro, Gambrinus is more properly a sports bar with food. The selection of Eastern European beers alone, must qualify it as a bar, and sports events dominate the televisions that are always on, while the sports fans dominate the sound levels. This is no place for a quiet, let alone romantic dinner. Don't let any of this deter you from trying it. Yes, it has a sports bar atmosphere, but this is not to say the food is secondary or an afterthought. Consider it a small hurdle one must cross for some very good Eastern European dining.

Chimay is my beer of choice, even though it's an ale. It has no bitter aftertaste and it has a slight sweetness to it that I thoroughly enjoy. Even though Belgium is a Western European country, it was a pleasure to find it on the menu. We also tried Golden Pheasant on this particular evening and that was a good choice also. Anyone who likes a wide selection of beers, lagers and ales will be very happy to see what's on offer. The complimentary smoked cheese had a nice taste and went well with the Chimay. Next time I'll ask what it's called and find out the country of origin. Oh yes, I expect to make many return visits in the future.

Having grown up with the son of a Russian neighbor, my partner in crime is very fond of Russian food, so the Pelmeni immediately caught his eye. It's a lovely small meat filled dumpling that is commonly cooked in a flavorful broth and topped with sour cream. This one looks as though it may also have a butter with dill sauce on it. It was delicious, but I don't recall tasting the butter and dill. I'll have to give it another try. The Pelmeni is hand made for the restaurant but not by the restaurant. That's okay, they have plenty of other items to busy themselves with. It may be necessary for me to add to this review to describe and photograph some of them.

Hungarian Goulash was my second choice as the Pineapple Shrimp took considerably longer to prepare and we didn't have enough patience to sit through all the hoopla surrounding the game that was on television that night. This preparation was better than any I had tried in Hungary, quite an accomplishment. It was bursting with the flavor of a sweet paprika. The fried potatoes with dill were good when dipped in the sauce, but stood up on their own as well. I welcomed the fresh salad that came with them and look forward to trying an entree salad another time.

http://www.beerandgrill.com/
1813 Fulton St
San Francisco CA 94117
415.221.7777

O'Neill's Irish Pub in Dublin

No matter what angle you use to look at this place, it reads Irish Pub all the way. Inside or outside, stained or merely cut glass windows, dark wooden interior, loud talking, crowds; this is Irish pub central and what better place to find a predictable pub lunch than O'Neill's with its rabbit warren of rooms and attentive staff. The lines looked long but I was cold and needed to sit for awhile so I tried it.

As in most pubs, the lunch is made in massive quantities and set out on steam tables. They do a decent job of keeping the food warm, but do not add to the ambiance, nor do they bode well for extraordinary nor inventive cuisine. This is bare bones hot food at best, but it is plentiful and affordable. No gastro pub pretense, this is the real deal, pub grub.

As you stand in line, you pass the blackboard with the daily specials listed, and then within a few minutes, if things go well, you have placed your order and are walking by the bar where you may choose to add "a pint" to your selection. You are also trying to find an empty table, a difficult feat at lunchtime.

My selection of roast pork was accompanied by a potato gratin, I use the term loosely because I detected no cheese, nor anything else to liven up the bland potato, not even salt. The peas and corn were overcooked as expected, and the gravy was from a tin no doubt. On a cold and wet day, this could pass as a decent lunch if you added two or more of those "pints" to it. After this pedestrian lunch and my return home, I noticed that the pub is also a restaurant and the linked menu indicates that I walked into the wrong door if I was looking for good food. It's worth trying again.

http://www.oneillsbar.com/

Suffolk Street
Dublin 2
(01) 679-3656
Fax: (01) 679-0689

Monday - Thursday 10.30am to 11.30pm
Friday & Saturday10.30am to 12.30am
Sunday 12.30pm to 11.00pm

The Oval Bar, Dublin

Lovely to look at, but this pub exemplifies the old adage that you can't believe everything you read. I'm a big fan of Knopf City Map Guides. They easily fit into your pocket and offer information on museums, churches, other attractions, dining and shopping. Best of all they provide fold out maps for each section of a city with locations of everything written about. Occasionally I'll find a typo but usually they're invaluable to me. Not even close this time and definitely no cigar.

They claim that Oval Bar has the best Irish stew in town. I don't believe it. It was a filling stew, it was lamb (potatoes, carrots and onions too) but if it was the best, sitting in a tasteless broth, I'm dumbfounded. I should have known something was off as I sat down in an empty room. If this is the best, where were the locals or the other tourists for that matter? The brown bread saved the day for me. It was the first I had eaten on the trip and my favorite part of the Irish culinary tradition. Perhaps a whiskey at the beautiful bar (straight, not oval) would have helped this dining experience.

http://www.ovalpub.com/

78 Middle Abbey Street

Dublin 1
P: 01 8721264
E: info@ovalpub.com

Cafe En Seine, Dublin

The name of this establishment, spoken out loud, makes me giggle, but this restaurant/watering hole was a fun find in downtown Dublin on Dawson Street. It's overdone, French elegance was quite foreign to the standard pub fare, as it should be, but sitting in one or another of its rooms was comfortable and quite satisfying. It's one of those places that inspires one to linger. As in most establishments serving cafeteria style food, the vegetables were overcooked thanks to the steam tables and the roasts were served mostly well done too, but the price was right for such an expensive city and I would go there again, especially for cocktails and during the evenings for the bar scene.

Being transfixed by the interior, I completely forgot to take a photo of the exterior that has sidewalk dining.

We selected entrees of beef ribs, which were merely boneless slices of roast beef by anyone's definition, and sausage in onion gravy. Chips and mashed potatoes were available, but we both selected potato croquettes for our starch. Tasteless, overcooked vegetables were also provided to round out the meal. This was a lot of food for 10-11 euros.

40 Dawson Street

Dublin 2 Ireland
Tel: +353 (0) 1 6774369

Leo Burdocks, Dublin's Best Chippery

Thanks to the Knopf Map Guide to Dublin, we made the acquaintance of Leo Burdock, at least we were acquainted with his two chipperies in Dublin. It's easy to see why this is a popular place, frequented by celebrities (whose names appear on a list posted on the wall) and locals alike. The fish is cooked to perfection, the large portions are reasonably priced, and they serve them with good quality malt vinegar. The operation itself is efficient with a limited menu, and lightening speed. The North Liffey location had a few counters and stools, but this is primarily a take out place with patrons coming and going in droves.

Mon-Sat noon-midnight; Sun 4pm-midnight
2 Werburgh Street, Dublin, 8
Phone: +353 (0)1 454 0306

Bull and Castle Gastro Pub

We were on our way to Leo Burdock's to try what is tauted to be the best fish and chips in Dublin, but discovered it was just for takeout. Luckily we had passed the Bull and Castle on the same block, so we doubled back and discovered "gastro pub" dining. The restaurant is located across the street from Christ Church Cathedral, so it's easy to find.

Dark and moody describes the pub as well as the Guinness that flowed freely, but the flavors were brighter. The smoked salmon plate (8.2 euros) was "brilliant" as the British would say and well worth the price even with a flagging dollar. It was served with traditional "brown bread" and a small salad.

Speaking of salads, the one in the photograph above was called a Cesar (5.5 euros), but bore no resemblance to what we know as a Cesar salad, except for the croutons. It was dressed with a ranch style dressing and included carrots and ham (bacon on the menu). The fish and chips were over battered, over fried, and over priced (14.25 euros) providing a disappointing entree, although they still tasted good after a long day of discovering Dublin.

On the other hand, the Beef & Guinness Pie was the clear winner, even at 12.5 euros. covered in a phyllo crust the beef stew beneath was rich and satisfying with none of the characteristic bitterness of Guinness. The chive mashed potatoes were delicious mixed with the abundant gravy of the pie.

The Bailey's Panna Cotta was a nice Irish twist on an old Italian favorite and I'd order it again, even though the taste of Bailey's Irish Cream did not predominate as I hoped it would. Criticism aside, I would go to this restaurant again as it had a nice broad range of offerings that were traditionally Irish.

www.bullandcastle.ie

5 - 7 Lord Edward Street

Christchurch Dublin 2

Tel: +353 (0)1 475 1122

Fax: +353 (0)1 478 0663

e-mail: info@bullandcastle.ie