Silver Sprung

While generally supporting the effort to create authentic Irish pubs around the globe, I'm a little put off by attempts to create illusions of authenticity in new shopping malls. Unfortunately , McGinty's Public House in downtown Silver Spring, MD is such an example. On the positive side, the establishment pours a decent pint of stout. Since friends who ought to know have suggested for some time that we should give the new pub a go, we arrived with high expectations--perhaps too high.

The best pubs make you feel welcome from the time you walk in the door, and feeling like you're family by the time the evening is over. Afraid McGinty's is found wanting in the hospitality category. We entered from the sidewalk entrance early enough on Saturday night that the place was busy but not overcrowded. The entrance brings you into the pub room on the lower level where you may or may not be greeted by a host or someone from the wait staff. After a brief time, a hostess appeared, took our measure and a quick look around the room, and suggested we should try upstairs, pointing--not leading-- to the staircase.

Expecting to find another host station upstairs, we were not disappointed, unless you consider that after about five minutes we interrupted a busser scurrying by to ask if there was anyone tending the station. A couple minutes more and someone appeared to find us a smallish table in the upstairs dining room.

The decor was somewhat reminiscent of pubs and restaurants we had visited in Ireland, but the beamed suspended ceiling and thatched roof simulation looked like a amateurish attempt to imitate an authentic reproduction.

To make a long story bearable, the drinks were adequate and the food less so. I'm a great fan of lamb and hoped for lamb stew on the evening, but none was to be found. So I tried the grilled lamb chops, which proved to be closer to mutton than lamb.

Suggest you give this one a pass. We won't be back.

An Irish Rose By Any Other Name ...

Another Wednesday night, another pub in another town! This time it's in northern Illinois. My workshop co-leader Meg and I flew into O'Hare this afternoon to put on a marketing workshop in Rockford on Thursday. Neither of us had eaten any lunch before departing Dulles, so we were looking for an early dinner along I-90 between Chicago and Rockford. Before leaving Bethesda, I had googled the Irish pubs in Rockford and had decided on trying the Irish Rose Saloon for a pint later in the evening. Thinking we'd like to get a bite sooner than later, we pulled off the Interstate shortly after departing the airport. However, all the eateries around the exit appeared to be the usual chain restaurants that the Midwest is lousy with these days. As we were looking for something a little funkier with a bit of charm all its own, we determined to push on.

The Irish Rose Saloon is a delightful pub in what appears to be the historic section of Rockford. The restaurant had a good dinnner crowd at six o'clock on a Wednesday night, and the fare was tasty and the presentation attractive. The menu offered variety, but showed more Midwest than Irish in its influence. The beer selection was fairly extensive with a good mix of domestic and import brands, but the Guinness proved a little disappointing--a little too chilled and lacking the creaminess characteristic of a perfect pint. However, the wait staff was friendly and attentive and the overall experience still quite enjoyable.

All in all, everything worked together resulting in a pleasant evening in a friendly pub. And that's all I really asked for!