rev:text
| - A nice hearty Irish pub in the heart of Little Italy. This new place is where The Cornerstone used to be, and in many ways, takes up its predecessors mantle with ease.
You'll find a fairly typical line of draughts there, all in the $7 range, which is a bit more than I would like cost-wise but nothing crazy. The menu is also typical, with lots of the regular pub snacks that make locals like these so easy. I should note that the "Specials" board this Friday boasted a fine list of stews - and even with cold weather coming, I still doffed my cap to them for putting stews out there as the siren to lure customers. I mean, stew is good and all, I just don't know how many people are walking down College Street on a Friday night thinking, "man, could I ever get my stew on right now." [note: it also gives the place pretty good UK credibility]
Which is just to say - it's that kind of place. A real, proper UK corner pub that you would happily call your local. The food was great, the beer taps clean and the service fantastic.
Frankly, this place would have easily been a 5-Star for me based mostly on geography (not always the best measure - see Toby's) if it weren't for the niggling cost of beer. I don't mean to be such a stooge, but the thing about locals is that it should be a place you can go and grab an easy pint when the whistle blows. And by whistle blowing, I mean my Entourage calendar dinging to let me know I'm done. Regardless - a general unwritten rule should really be that if you're a pub, you should have a $5 pint. It doesn't matter what the beer is [note: Sun Draught Lager forever!] but there should be a cheap option that allows people to come in and watch the game without breaking the bank.
Laura and I ate for $50 all in. That was two fantastic dinners [the meatloaf was particularly amazing] and three pints, including a pint of magner's cider, which is tough to come by, and the regular tip. So if I'm droning on about cost, I think that bill indicates that you should take it with a grain of salt.
This is a good place and I look forward to frequenting it in the months and years to come. Now just serve me a cheap pint and I'll be a total convert!!
|