Video: Dallas celebrates St. Patrick's Day with Greenville Avenue parade
Photos: St. Patrick's Day parade
By KIM HARWELL / Special Contributor
When March 17 rolls around, we're all a little bit Irish — not that you would know it from the carousing knuckleheads swilling green beer and sporting "Erin Go Braghless" T-shirts. This year, leave the lucky shamrock underwear at home and embrace your inner Emerald Islander with a more authentic experience. With a wee bit o' luck (and our primer on five area Irish pubs) you can find a properly poured pint and a hearty bowl of Guinness stew even if you don't know your shillelagh from a hole in the ground.
St. Patrick's Day falls on Monday this year. But the annual Greenville Avenue St. Patrick's Day Parade will be Saturday, and the West End's new St. Patrick's Day Block Party is Sunday, so there is sure to be lots of Irish merrymaking at these pubs and elsewhere throughout the weekend.
DUBLINER
Small and cozy, this Lower Greenville stalwart is the oldest watering
hole in the growing empire of Feargal McKinney and Peter Kenny, two
Dublin natives whose other elbow-bending enterprises include the Old
Monk, the Idle Rich Pub and the newly opened BlackFriar Pub. It's also
the most barlike of the area's Irish pubs – that means expect it to be
smoky and crowded, with a decided emphasis on drinking rather than
eating.
Get your Irish up: In addition to almost 50 brands of bottled
beer, there are a dozen on tap, ready for either solo quaffing or
draught pairings such as the traditional Black and Tan (half Bass Ale,
half Guinness) or the Priest's Collar (Ace Pear Cider with a float of
Guinness).
Most interesting Irish menu item: Technically the
baked potato, though the Welsh rarebit is close, geographically speaking.
Least traditional menu item: Jalapeño-flavored Zapps potato
chips.
To-do list: Entertainment options are limited to playing darts,
feeding money to the jukebox and people-watching on the patio. And
drinking, of course.
St. Pat's plans: Not all of the thousands of post-Greenville
Avenue parade revelers will end up at the Dubliner, but it might seem
that way. The bar will be participating in Saturday's annual Lower
Greenville block party, with a tent erected in the parking lot and live
music inside. On Monday, the live tunes return, along with step dancers
and an expanded menu of traditional Irish cuisine.
Details: 2818 Greenville Ave. 214-818-0911.
www.dallasdubliner.com.
THE IRISH ROVER PUB AND RESTAURANT
Of all the area pubs, this Frisco strip-center denizen is the most
utilitarian. The big, open rooms tend to look a bit threadbare,
particularly when they're not filled with revelers, and the ersatz
bric-a-brac tacked to the walls lends an air more reminiscent of a
corporate chain than Ye Olde Irish Public House. Still, it has its fans,
who come for the far-ranging menu and friendly sports-bar vibe.
Get your Irish up: There are nearly two dozen imports on tap such
as Guinness, Smithwick's and Euro-brews Belhaven and Old Speckled Hen.
Domestic drafts range from Coors Light to Pyramid Hefe Weizen, and
there's also a good selection in bottles.
Most interesting Irish menu item: Rover's Colcannon (greens,
leeks, onions, cabbage, cheese and bacon mixed with mashed potatoes).
Least traditional menu item: Call it a toss-up between the
chicken-fried steak and the fajita hoagie.
To-do list: Get your game on in the back room, where you'll find
pool tables, darts and video diversions. There are also more than 15
TVs, including seven big-screen plasma sets, and a satellite feed
offering spectator sports a'plenty.
St. Pat's plans: Would you believe nothing? It'll be business as
usual at the Rover, though expect to find some green-tinted brewski on
the
premises.
Details: 8250 Gaylord Parkway, Frisco. 214-618-6222.
www.irishroverpub.com.
LOCHRANN'S IRISH PUB AND EATERY
The newest red-headed laddie on the block boasts a family-friendly
atmosphere and a plum location in spiffy Frisco Square. Despite its
recent debut, Lochrann's sports some serious Old World appeal, including
a smartly turned-out space and food that is much more than a pint-chasing
afterthought. Locals have already made it a favorite haunt; expect a wait
for a table during weekend prime time.
Get your Irish up: The bustling bar offers an all-import tap of
10 Euro-centric beers, though domestic fans will find a full slate in
bottles.
Most interesting Irish menu item: Boxty (potato pancakes) stuffed
with a choice of chicken and bacon, three cheeses or roasted vegetables.
Least traditional menu item: Penne à la Vodka (pasta in a creamy
tomato and bacon sauce).
To-do list: No jukebox here: Enjoy live entertainment Thursday
through Saturday nights. Sunday is family day, with Irish dancers and
open-mike music sessions.
St. Pat's plans: A 100-person
tent will be open Friday through
Monday, and there will be live music nonstop inside and out. Expect a
raucous party after dark, but the daytime celebration will have more of
a family-festival feel, with face painters, bagpipers and other
kid-friendly attractions.
Details: 6195 Main St., Frisco. 214-423-2600. www.lochranns.com.
TIPPERARY INN
One of Dallas' oldest and most popular Irish pubs, the Tipp has been a
Lakewood institution since 1994. Avoid the shabby back room, dubbed
McCarthy's Bar, and pass your time in one of the main area's cozy snugs:
semiprivate wooden booths outfitted with handsome glass-paneled
dividers. An uncommon nicety: Sunday brunch, with choices such as a
fried egg and rasher (bacon) sandwich and the traditional Irish
breakfast (two over-easy eggs with rashers, grilled tomatoes, potato
pancakes, beans and black and white puddings).
Get your Irish up: This place puts the "Tipp" in tippler, with 28
mostly imported beers on tap.
Most interesting Irish menu item: Bangers and Mash (Irish sausage
with mashed potatoes).
Least traditional menu item: Texas Toothpicks (battered strips of
onion and jalapeño).
To-do list: Nighttime entertainment includes karaoke on Mondays,
trivia on Tuesdays, Texas hold 'em on Wednesdays and live music
Thursdays through Sundays.
St. Pat's plans: Festivities kick off in earnest for the
post-parade party around noon on Saturday, with Irish music from 1 to 5
p.m., bagpipers and a performance by Beatles cover band Hard Night's Day
that evening. On St. Pat's Day, doors will open at 8 a.m. for breakfast,
live music is scheduled from noon to midnight and step dancers will
perform during happy hour.
Details: 5815 Live Oak St. 214-821-6500. www.tippinn.com.
TRINITY HALL
Named after Dublin's Trinity College, this popular Mockingbird Station
destination isn't lacking in authenticity. Nearly all of the
furnishings, including the 32-foot mahogany bar, were shipped over from
the motherland. Also, like all restaurants and bars in Ireland these
days, Trinity Hall is smoke-free, making it one of the few area pubs
where lighting up is verboten.
Get your Irish up: Take your time navigating through the list of
more than 120 different beers (including nearly two dozen stouts and
porters), as well as 22 Irish whiskeys.
Most interesting Irish menu item: Galway Bay Casserole (think
shepherd's pie made with seafood instead of beef or lamb).
Least traditional menu item: San Patricio Enchilada Especial.
To-do list: Tuesday nights feature educational tastings of beer,
wine or spirits, and live Irish music fills the air every Thursday
through Sunday. Soccer and rugby matches, including pay-per-view games,
are shown on the pub's TVs, so be prepared to rub elbows with the Dallas
chapter of the Liverpool FC Fan Club.
St. Pat's plans: It's a weekend full o' fun, beginning Friday night
with live music. Saturday morning starts early with breakfast and
television feeds of Six Nations rugby at 7:30 a.m. ($20 cover). Normal
operations begin Saturday and Monday at 10 a.m., with live entertainment
and a limited food menu all day. An Irish brunch on Sunday commences
with an 11:30 a.m. mass and includes storytellers and traditional
dancers from noon to 6 p.m. ($25, $8 for children).
Details: 5321 E. Mockingbird Lane (in Mockingbird Station).
214-887-3600. www.trinityhall.tv.
Published on GuideLive.com: 03.12.08
