Report Card: Keagan’s Irish Pub

Keagan’s Irish Pub — you must find your way here

http://www.keagans.com/

 

Overall GrubGrade A

 

The Breakdown:

 

Atmosphere: Grade A-: This place was fantastic. Keagan’s Irish Pub absolutely does not have an identity crisis. Upon entering, you definitely know you’re in an Irish style pub. One clue was the fact that the flat screen televisions all throughout the pub were tuned into soccer matches, and the World Cup hadn’t even started yet. Plus there were a ton of Irish themed pictures on the wall. Keagan’s reminded us a lot of the very imaginatively named “The Pub” here in Columbus. Because it claims to be a pub and is dressed like a pub, it’s a little hard for Keagan’s to really impress us with its ambiance, hence the “A-“ grade. But that’s okay, because it looked and sounded exactly like it should have. We might have been impressed with more upscale décor, but it would have been weird when considering the theme of the restaurant. The staff wore pseudo-Irish uniforms (they were a little more Scottish (kilts) than Irish, in our opinion). The restaurant was clean and a little crowded, and there was quite a bit of noise to deal with, but the hostess seated us in a little nook that gave us some privacy and made the noise level a little less obtrusive.

High marks: Pub properly decorated, clean

Low marks: A little noisy

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Service: Grade A: Our server, Alex, was awesome. And just so there’s no confusion, Alex was a she. She was attentive without being intrusive (that is an actual SKILL many servers lack), and very personable. Alex even offered us some suggestions and helped us pick out our dessert. Our only issue with the service was that it was a tad slow, with appetizers and entrees taking a little longer than expected to arrive, and a small inaccuracy with our bill that Alex quickly corrected. The service was about as close to an “A+” as you can get without actually getting there. Toss out the slow speed (minor) and bill discrepancy and Keagan’s would have totally nailed it.

High marks: Server made helpful suggestions and recommendations, attentive but not intrusive

Low marks:   A little slow with the food, minor inaccuracy with the bill

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Food/Spirits: Grade A: Katina ordered something called a Strawberry Limeade to drink (yes, it did have alcohol) and found it to be very smooth and delicious. If you order this drink and expect it to taste like strawberry limeade, then you will not be disappointed, and you’re probably smarter than you look. We are definitely fans of drinks that actually taste like their name suggests they should. I opted for a Guinness and a Smithwick’s, and most of the beer drinkers out there will have come across both those beers at some point in time. Morgan just had a ginger ale, and guess what it tasted like…ginger ale. We ordered Pretzel Sticks for an appetizer. The pretzel sticks were served with 3 sauces: beer cheese, Dijon, and parmesan garlic. All three sauces were excellent. And let’s face it, if you follow this blog, you know we’ve eaten a lot of pretzel sticks, so by now it’s really all about the sauces. In that regard, Keagan’s hits a home run. Usually when we’re served multiple sauces, we like one or two but there’s always one that basically sucks. Not the case here…all three sauces were scrumptious. Morgan ordered a turkey club (big shock) and we think she described it as “really good.” It was a little hard to understand her with her mouth stuffed full of bread and turkey. She might be part snake since she seems to be able to unhinge her jaw in order to stuff more food in it that should be humanly possible. Katina ordered crab legs for dinner. And who wouldn’t enter an Irish pub when you need to satisfy your crab leg fix, right? She got a huge portion, and the crab legs were surprisingly well prepared. I ordered the chicken wings, hoping that I could recreate the magic I experienced at Ri Ra in Charlotte. The wings were prepared perfectly (nice and crispy) and really saucy. They weren’t as mesmerizing as the ones from Ri Ra, but they were still excellent. The wings were just right on the level of spiciness, but they needed to be a little warmer temperature-wise. I got the impression my wings were done first and had to wait for the rest of the food to catch up. The wings were served with French fries, and those were also excellent. For dessert, Alex suggested the Fried Cookie Dough. The dessert was unique and delicious, and the recommendation much appreciated (we expressed our thanks with a big ol’ tip). By far, Keagan’s was the most enjoyable dining experience we had in Virginia Beach, and they had the best food by far.

High marks: Good turkey club, excellent crab legs, delicious drinks, great sauce for the appetizer, awesome French Fries, amazing dessert              

Low marks: Wings not warm enough

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Value: Grade A: To recap, an appetizer, 3 entrees, a dessert, and 2 grown up drinks each for Katina and myself and we spent less than $80 (remember, one of those entrees was a huge portion of crab legs). We left stuffed and we spent right about what we expected we would spend. What we didn’t expect was the superior quality of the food, which pushed a normally “B+” or “A-“ grade up a notch. Very well done, Keagan’s. If you’re hitting up Virginia Beach for vacation, do yourself a favor and get away from the ocean for a night, drive 15 to 20 minutes, and enjoy a feast at Keagan’s Irish Pub. Your tummy will thank you.

High marks: Great portion size, superior food/drink quality

Low marks: There’s not one in Columbus, Ohio

Report Card: Mitchell’s Steak House

 

Mitchell’s Steakhouse

http://www.mitchellssteakhouse.com

 

Overall GrubGrade A

 

The Breakdown:

 

Atmosphere: Grade A: Inside and outside, Mitchell’s Steakhouse exudes classiness. We’ve seen reviews that are critical of Mitchell’s because of the lack of table linens, but we don’t have a problem with it. Personally, I get embarrassed when I drop some sauce on the white linens – it makes me feel like more of a slob than I normally do. Mitchell’s Steakhouse was very clean and the tables might be just a touch too close to each other, but we didn’t have any issues overhearing anyone else’s conversations. We had a very light wait for our table despite having reservations, but unlike Capital Grille in Pittsburgh, Mitchell’s only had us waiting for a few moments (we grabbed a seat at the bar and they had our table ready before the bartender could take our drink order).   The interior décor was nice and upscale, but might be considered a tad boring since it looked pretty much like every other premium steakhouse at which we’ve dined.

High marks: Very clean and contemporary

Low marks: Slight wait for table, décor not very unique

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Service: Grade A+: Katina and I had selected Mitchell’s because we were celebrating our wedding anniversary and we felt like getting pampered. So, I was ready to really tear apart our service, but I didn’t get that chance. Our server, Julie, was worth her weight in gold. This was one of those rare occasions when a server obtains near perfection in our eyes, and probably the main reason we score this category so harshly. She was amazing, and to the management of Mitchell’s Steakhouse, whatever you’re paying her isn’t near enough. Julie was very personable and wished us a happy anniversary without harping on it all night. She had an uncanny ability to not be near us when she wasn’t needed yet appear the moment we needed something from her. She made us feel like we were her only table, but I know she had more tables than just ours. The meal was very appropriately paced, allowing Katina and I to have a conversation but not having us waiting for food or drinks to arrive. Our orders were spot on in accuracy, and we could find nothing negative to say about the service. Outstanding.

High marks: Felt pampered, service was accurate, it was all good

Low marks:   None

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Food/Spirits: Grade A-: Like most of our dining experiences, we started off with drinks and an appetizer. Unlike most of our dining experiences, this one started off with personal menus, which was a nice touch.

Our personalized menus

Katina ordered a Blueberry Mojito, which was well-balanced with just a hint of mint. The mojito had a nice strong blueberry flavor and virtually no alcohol bite. I ordered a Guinness because I like how the flavor of that beer complements most steaks and chops. We selected the Spicy Lobster for an appetizer. The Spicy Lobster consisted of lightly breaded bite sized chunks of lobster that were perfectly cooked. A spicy cream sauce accompanied the lobster. The cream sauce wasn’t really spicy despite the name, but did have a really nice flavor. For entrees, Katina selected the Twin Caribbean Lobster tails (big surprise) and I selected the lamb chops (even bigger surprise). Katina thought the lobster tails were nicely seasoned and they were served with regular melted butter. The tails were really good, but mixing a little heavy cream with the butter (a la Bonefish Grill) makes the butter thicker and causes it to stick to the lobster better. Yummy, but the lobster was still really tasty. The lamb chops came out as a fairly large portion (I find most lamb chop portion size to be on the small size).   Other than a couple of spots that had some gristle, the chops were perfectly cooked and absolutely delicious. Whereas Barrel 44 couldn’t get medium will right with their burgers, Mitchell’s Steakhouse nailed it. We has some green beans cooked with red pepper and bacon as our side, and they were simply some of the best green beans we’ve has to date. They were crispy and very flavorful, and made me not mind earing my vegetables (which is not an easy feat). After finishing off our entrées, we were ready to pack it in, but Julie was having none of that. We scored a complementary desert to share since it was our anniversary, and the cheesecake we selected was simply awesome. It has a nice, rich flavor without being overwhelming like some cheesecakes can be. We gathered up our stuff and headed out the door, but we were stopped on the way out and handed an envelope. Inside was a note wishing us a happy anniversary and a $25 gift card. Wow! We really felt like we were getting individual treatment. If you are going out to celebrate an occasion, we can think of no better place than Mitchell’s Steakhouse to spend your money.

High marks: Delicious drinks and appetizer, awesome green beans and dessert               

Low marks: A little gristle here and there

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Value: Grade B: We actually got a whole lot more for our money than we were expecting. Normally a bill the size of ours would fetch a grade of C, but the service and experience were so wonderful, we had to give Mitchell’s a B. Watch out though…you’re not getting off too cheap. But we can definitely say the at Mitchell’s Steakhouse, you get what you pay for (and then some).

High marks: Good portion size, great service, and a few perks

Low marks: A little expensive, but worth it

 

Report Card: Mitchell’s Fish Market

The dining area at Mitchell’s Fish Market

*note: a change in ownership has led to a change in the name of this restaurant

http://www.columbusfishmarket.com/

Overall GrubGrade B+

 

The Breakdown:

Atmosphere:  Grade A:  A change in ownership has not had a negative impact on the atmosphere at Mitchell’s Fish Market (formerly Columbus Fish Market).  Mitchell’s Fish Market has a nice, upscale seafood restaurant vibe going for it.  The décor is suitably nautical, and the tables and dining area were extremely clean.  Tables are well spaced, and the dining room was ultra-quiet.  You might even forget there are other diners among you – make sure you behave yourself.

High marks:  Clean, quiet, nice décor, good table spacing

Low marks:   Not really any different than any other upscale seafood restaurant

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Service:  Grade A-:  This was not our first visit to the Fish Market, but it is the first time we’ve been there since the change in ownership and name.  Historically, we have always received good service.  This occasion was no different.  Our server was Melissa, and she did a very nice job taking care of us.  Service was a little slow at the onset, but once our first drinks and appetizer arrived, the pace seemed to pick up a bit.  All dishes were delivered as ordered, and drinks were refilled in a timely fashion.  While there was nothing extraordinary about the service, Melissa certainly performed her duties admirably.  We’d love to have her as our server again.

High marks:  No mistakes, minimal wait once meal got started

Low marks:   Slow service initially

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Food/Spirits:  Grade B:  We started our seafood odyssey with some BBQ shrimp as an appetizer.  We could best describe it as ho-hum, but we weren’t really expecting a whole lot from it when we ordered it.  For beverages, Katina started with the Moscato White Sangria, which she really liked.  It was sweet and fruity, which you would expect from a drink using moscato as a base (gotta love those dessert wines).  She ordered a crushed Blackberry Margarita for her second drink, which she thought was good, but not excellent.  Katina didn’t really feel like it tasted like a margarita.  I was just happy I didn’t have to get a wheelbarrow to wheel her out of the restaurant.  I ordered an Orange Citrus Mojito, which I found unimpressive.  So, I finished the meal with a couple bottles of Guinness.  It’s nice to have a good, quality backup drink.  Mitchell’s Fish Market was having a special on lobster tails, which Katina jumped on, of course.  The special included a salad, the lobster tails, and a dessert for $29.99.  She started with a caesar salad, which was fairly ordinary.  The twin tails were pretty good, but paled in comparison to the ones you usually get with the twin lobster tail dinner at Bonefish Grill.  For her dessert, she received some strawberry shortcake — nothing out of the ordinary with the dessert.  I started with the clam chowder, which is a staple starter for me.  The clam chowder was pretty good, possibly some of the best I’ve ever had.  For my entrée, I ordered the Rockfish, which is a fish I’ve never tried before.  The rockfish was very good.  I found it flavorful, lite and flaky.  I was impressed, and I’ll be looking for rockfish at other seafood restaurants we visit.

High marks:   Rockfish was excellent, Moscato White Sangria very tasty

Low marks:   Average lobster tails, unexciting salad

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Value:  Grade B:  As we mentioned before, Mitchell’s Fish Market is not Long John Silver’s.  If you go, you’re going to drop a few dimes.  Dinner for two with appetizer, drinks and dessert is going to cost you north of $100.  The food is really good, but we’ve had better for less money.  It should be noted that the twin lobster tail three course meal was an exceptional value.  If it is still being offered, it’d be a good choice if you like lobster.  If you don’t like lobster, why haven’t you jumped off a cliff yet?   I don’t think I could hack a lobster-free existence.  Mitchell’s Fish Market may not be a place you visit frequently, but stopping by every now and then is highly recommended.

High marks:   Twin lobster tail dinner a great value

Low marks:   Can get similar or better quality seafood for a lower price at other establishments

Report Card: Ri Ra the Irish Pub

The magnificent bar at Ri Ra the Irish Pub

http://www.rira.com/charlotte/

Overall GrubGrade A-

 

The Breakdown:

Atmosphere:  Grade A:  Ri Ra the Irish Pub is no pretender.  The place looked so much like what I think an Irish pub should look like, I was a little taken aback that our server didn’t have the Irish brogue.  The place was pretty empty when we went, which was later on a Sunday evening – guess the good folks in Charlotte don’t believe in getting crazy on Sunday.  The place was really quiet.  Anyway, Ri Ra was very clean, and it was easy to forget we were still in the States.

High marks:  Clean with authentic looking decor

Low marks:   Expected more patrons

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Service:  Grade B+:  The service at Ri Ra the Irish Pub was good.  Our server, Justin, certainly took care of our needs.  Our drinks and food were delivered in timely fashion, and nothing was forgotten.  This is going to sound strange, but it was a little boring.  I  think since the restaurant was pretty much empty, our server could have spent an extra minute or two chatting us up.  It’s not a big complaint, but the service lacked that “wow” factor we’re looking for when we give out “A’s” in this category.

High marks:  Good service, virtually no wait for food and drinks

Low marks:   Service was a little boring

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Food/Spirits:  Grade A-:  We fully expected Ri Ra the Irish Pub to have really good drinks.  I mean, I don’t think you’re legally allowed to claim any Irish ties unless you’ve got the whole alcohol thing nice and tidy.  Ri Ra certainly has that going for them.  Katina ordered a Sour Dragon, a white shandy, and a pink lemonade.  If you’re counting, that’s 3 cocktails.  There can be only one explanation for this kind of excess – they were really good drinks.  I settled on something called a Happy Days, and of course had to order a Guinness (not to do so would be sacrilege), and a Victory Golden Monkey, which was also completely awesome.  My final drink, however, was a La Fin du Monde by Unibroue.  This beer from Quebec, Canada blew me away.  I know…why a Canadian beer in an Irish pub?  The answer is simple:  it was on special.  This was one of the best beers I’ve ever had.  If you’re counting, that’s 4 for me – now that’s why we always get hotels downtown so we can walk to these restaurants.  On to the food!  For our appetizer, we ordered the wild chicken wings.  This is where the experience gets weird, because these were probably the BEST WINGS WE’VE EVER HAD.  That’s right…in an Irish pub where they’re not even a featured item.  The wings were well prepared, and the wild sauce had the perfect amount of heat.  You could take your time and really savor the flavor instead of eating them really fast because the sauce is too hot.  For entrées, we both got hamburgers.  I’m starting to notice we order a lot of hamburgers, and I will make an effort to be more adventurous.  But we’re at a bar, for Pete’s sake.  And, I was able to get a burger made from lamb – score!  Both our burgers were tasty and well prepared, and the hand cut fries were perfectly cooked (that’s the only time I’ve received perfectly cooked hand cut fries – ever).  When it came time for dessert, we made a bit of history.  We ordered another serving of the wild wings.  We have never eaten the same thing twice in the same sitting – I mean, why would anyone do that.  I challenge you to get to Ri Ra the Irish pub and order some wings and see if you don’t have an immense craving for more once you’ve finished them.  What a surprise, and a very pleasant one at that.

High marks:  Great drink selection and drinks, unbelievably good chicken wings

Low marks:  None but it’s hard for a pub to compete with some more upscale restaurants

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Value:  Grade B+:  We dropped another Ben Franklin at Ri Ra, but we also drank 7 alcoholic beverages, so that’s about half of the bill.  Since we had burgers, it’s hard to gauge portion size, but quality was top notch.  You simply must stop by Ri Ra the Irish Pub.  If I get back there, I expect the place to be rockin’, even if it is Sunday.

High marks:   Outstanding drinks and food for a reasonable price

Low marks:  Hard to determine portion size

Report Card: Six Penn Kitchen

www.sixpennkitchen.com

Overall Grade B+

The Breakdown:

Atmosphere:  Grade A:  Six Penn Kitchen is another downtown Pittsburgh restaurant that is very contemporary both inside and out.  With its location near the theatre, it seems to be the hot spot for the theatre crowd.  That appeared to be the case when we arrived.  Six Penn Kitchen was full of diners decked out in their Sunday best for whatever show was playing.  But by the time we left, the place was near empty.  We scored a table upstairs after a 15 minute wait (originally estimated at 30 minutes).  The tables upstairs were a little close together for my taste, but fortunately the diners around us must have had tickets to the show, because we that the 2^nd floor pretty much to ourselves by the time our appetizer arrived.  Even when it was packed, Six Penn Kitchen was fairly quiet and had a nice easy-going, but somewhat sophisticated feel about it.  The décor was very contemporary, and the dining area and bathrooms were quite clean — overall, a very good first impression.

High marks:  Clean, contemporary, quiet

Low marks:   Tables were a little too close together

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Service:  Grade B:  Based on its appearance, we had really high expectations for Six Penn Kitchen with regards to service.  We were slightly disappointed.  Our service was not bad, just very underwhelming.  Our appetizer seemed to take an inordinate amount of time to arrive, and our server seemed only interested in providing service just good enough to get a tip.  Now to be fair, we were arriving and the end of what appeared to be a pretty substantial rush, but a good server should not let that frazzle them.  After the wait for the appetizer, the rest of the meal seemed to proceed at an acceptable pace.

High marks:  Most of food arrived promptly

Low marks:   Server did not seem very interested in serving

* I need to add that our server threw in a free dessert to compensate us for the abnormally long wait for our appetizer.  I had forgotten about that, but my wife has seen fit to gently remind me of it. 

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Food/Spirits:  Grade B+:  Our meal started with house made pretzels as an appetizer.  When you order pretzels or pretzel bites for an appetizer, you have an expectation of what your appetizer is going to look like.  These pretzels did not look like your traditional pretzels.  Maybe they were albino pretzels, because they were definitely lacking in pigment.  But, they certainly tasted like pretzels – very good pretzels.  The pretzels were soft and warm, and served with a honey mustard and 6-cheese lager sauce.  Both sauces were really tasty.  For drinks, I played it safe with a Guinness, but Katina tries both the white and red sangria (yes, I said both).  The red had a stronger taste than the white, but she enjoyed both (Katina is somewhat of a Sangria specialist).  Six Penn Kitchen’s menu focuses on and promotes a lot of local food growers and vendors.   We found that admirable and thought it worth mentioning.  For our entrées, Katina ordered the Buffalo Mac N Cheese and I ordered the Lamb Bolognese.  The Buffalo Mac N Cheese was rich with gorgonzola cheese, and the bits of chicken were basted in a sauce was reminiscent of buffalo cheese dip (you all know buffalo cheese dip – that delicious concoction that one of your crazy aunts always brings to the family get together – it looks horrible but tastes delicious).  Katina felt that the Buffalo Mac N Cheese had the perfect amount of heat.  The Lamb Bolognese was heavenly.  The tender, mild lamb perfectly complemented the feta cheese.  Throw in some nice, wide pappardelle and you have a bowl full of heaven.

High marks:  Buffalo Mac N Cheese and Lamb Bolognese were very tasty

Low marks:  Never judge a book by its cover – the pretzels tasted far better than they looked

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Value:  Grade B+:  Portion size was fairly generous.  This wasn’t the cheapest or the best meal we had in Pittsburgh, but the quality and amount of food for the price was reasonable.  If you’re in Pittsburgh to see a show, you will want to stop by Six Penn Kitchen and see why it’s a favorite among the theater crowd.

High marks:  Unique menu with some interesting choices – generous portions

Low marks:  Food could have been slightly less expensive