| rev:text
| - I've been into trying beers as of late, but as much as I want to support places like this, I wasn't happy enough with the food.
Shakespeare's Grille & Pub is an English-styled bar just over the Henderson border of Eastern Ave. They're a sports bar - specifically a Steelers bar, if you're into that kind of thing - and were airing NFL games on the big projector and several smaller TVs on the penultimate Sunday of the playoffs. And if you're into craft beers, they have a handful available both on draft and on tap. Perhaps try a particular popular third-party beer-centric app and you could see that they regularly update their menu online in a timely manner.
I had a late "lunch" here with Michael K. He suggested that the Guinness draft ($5) was a good option here. so I started with one pint. It's about the same as I faintly recalled from the other time I'd had this (funny enough, also on an afternoon with Michael). The beer isn't too bitter, but the creamy. even silky texture is what would convince me to try it again.
I opted for something different for pint #2, an Oskar Blues Brewery draft called Hotbox Coffee Porter ($7). It's about as dark as the Guinness, but the ubiquitous coffee flavor of porters is in full effect with this craft beer. It's about as good as I've had in a "basic" porter.
Happy hour specials are available daily from 3 to 6 pm and from midnight to 2 am. We happened to visit during happy hour, so we ordered a plethora of $5 food options:
- Potato Skins: not very crispy or seasoned, perhaps relying on the bacon for flavor a bit too much
- Sausage rolls: underwhelming, with the "bangers" tasting like simple (allbeit satisfying) bratwurst and the pastry shell ending up more greasy than flaky. However, the horseradish mustard aioli was addictive and found its way into other dishes.
- Chips, Salsa & Whiz: simple, crunchy, prefab tortilla chips with a mild chipotle salsa and some liquid cheese product. Tasty, but the culinary effort is minimal.
Also, I had to check out the Poutine Fries ($8.99), which were perhaps a more competent take on the dish than some other local efforts. I still missed having crispiness on the steak fries, but the gravy and cheddar were plentiful, and the breaded/fried cheese curds were satisfying. I do wish that the cheese curbs were sized and dispersed more evenly, but I could see myself ordering this again barring a better local alternative (interestingly, Michael has already provided such a recommendation).
The game volume wasn't so loud that I couldn't have a conversation. The lighting was lackluster at most seats aside from the cozy booth which we'd located not far from the bar. Other patrons only got loud once or twice during the course of the football action.
I just don't see myself coming back to Shakespeare's for the food, and the beer variety is better than some places but not up to snuff with the real craft beer hotspots around town. It's a very solid neighborhood watering hole but not a destination.
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