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| - Does the matchmaking get better or worse, the more Guinness you drink? Lis Doon Varna, named after the Irish town famous for its annual matchmaking festival, celebrates its long awaited Grand Opening tomorrow, THURDSAY, September 18th
A funny thing happened on the way home from the beating the Arizona Cardinals gave the Miami Dolphins last Sunday. A new certified Guinness Irish Pub, called Lis Doon Varna, named after the town in Ireland with a popular matchmaking festival, finally opened. It took five years to build, from conception, Mike Garcia, the GM said. It was supposed to be open by the Super Bowl.
The reason it took so long to build is the furniture is all from Ireland. There's great attention to detail in the construction. Down to the floor tiles and the window to the mock children's sleeping quarters, upstairs. They designed the exterior to look like a town, with the thatched roof and storefronts.
They're proud to be serving their 20 oz Imperial Pints at the perfect temperature and the perfect specifications by Guinness. It takes 102 seconds to pour the perfect pint.
It just so happens, I was with Steve, the ultimate Guinness critic. There isn't an Irish Pub that goes by without Steve's truck getting sucked into the parking lot. Most recently, the James Joyce in Santa Barbara and Rosie McCaffrey's in Phoenix to hear Chrystal Baker and The Waters, who we love. I can talk music. Steve can talk Guinness. You'll have to ask him about the Guinness at those places. I'm trying to get him to Yelp.
I do know Sunday, Steve was a happy man. He said, sounding like a pretentious wine critic, "The Guinness is spectacular! Extra cold. Not one tint of bitterness. Smooth."
Why wouldn't it be? Mike said they built the whole Pub around the tap system, which is made of solid brass, "the largest in the nation."
They had a soft opening, which is why you've already seen reviews. We had wings. They were meaty and not over or undercooked. And tasty. The celery was crisp and cold. The ranch and wings sauce were both really good. They're paying attention to the food. We saw a huge thing called a boxty go by to another table. They raved about it and the macaroni and cheese. Turns out the boxty is "similar to a crepe or tortilla or potato pancake, cooked on a griddle, stuffed with fillngs and rolled." It looked big enough to feed a family of five.
What I learned was that Lis Doon Varna is named after the town Lisdoonvarna that holds an annual matchmaking festival. Being a matchmaker, I had no idea Guinness was gonna bring me to anything related to my profession! They had a matchmakers' booth, where the elders in the town would sit with someone and make a match.
I loved the interior. Take a walk around when you go. There's many rooms, lots of hard wood, the best booths I've seen, a stage with a 200 year old organ and of course, lots of Guinness and Irish Whiskey.
Mike said their highest selling beer is Guinness. Unlike others who claim they are Irish Pubs whose best seller is Bud Light.
The Grand Opening of Lis Doon Varna is tomorrow, THURSDAY, September 18th, 2008. If you LOVE a PERFECTLY POURED GUINESS, a decent selection of Irish Whiskey, live Irish music, huge proportions of tasty food in an ambiance reminiscent of old Ireland, then go join the fun. Just bring the number for a taxi.
They have a schedule of events and information on the story of how Lis Doon Varna got its name on their Website. I just looked it up. They have toasting contests during the day and if you win, you get to say them later that evening up on the stage.
So, you're telling me folks drinkin' Guinness are supposed to be able to speak coherently after hours of drinking, waiting for their turn at the mike? I thought Guinness was supposed to be a strong lubricant. It's THURSDAY. Are they tellin' us folks are taking the day off?
I'm writing this from a convention in Austin, TX, when I should be down having my own toddy in the bar. I won't see you there, but I'll be thinkin of ya.
I wonder. The more Guinness they pour, do the matches they make get better or just more plentiful?
PS We did notice one negative. The server was super friendly, but they left the dirty plates and napkins in front of us on the table instead of picking them up when we were done. After wings, you can get one heck of a messy stack of napkins.
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