In the Iron Chef "Irish" battle, we have the traditional Baxter Avenue contenders of Flannigan's Pub across the street from Molly Malone's. For 2010, Molly has taken the battle out of the Highlands and into St. Matthews by opening up a new storefront in St. Matthew's Station, quite literally right across the street from Brendan's Irish Pub.
At the moment, Jameson's Irish Whiskey banners are flying, a ginormous tent has been erected in the St. Matthews Station Parking lot, and Molly's is promising to open early and start the Guiness flowing by lunchtime. Across the street, Brendans is...er...actually, they don't even have any specials posted on the chalkboard near the restaurant's door. Maybe they're planning something stealthy. Maybe they're taking it for granted the combination of loyal local customers and overflow from both Molly Malones and BBC will still result in record sales for a Wednesday night without any need for advertising.
Brendans and Molly Malone's are offering traditional Irish dishes such as Bangers and Mash $7.99/$11.95 (bland, fat sausages with a side of mashed potatoes), Scotch Eggs for $7.50 at both (a delicious heart attack on a plate wherein a hard boiled egg is coated in sausage, rolled in bread crumbs, and deep fried - traditionally served with either mashed potatoes or potato pancakes), Shepherd's Pie $9.99/$11.95 (a painfully bland bag of mixed vegetables topped with unseasoned beef which is in turn smothered with mashed potatoes), and Fish and Chips for $9.99/$10.95. To be clear, that's potatoes with sausage, potatoes with sausage and eggs, potatoes with hamburger, or potatoes with fish. Traditional Irish food is the reason everyone took me out for curry when I was in Ireland.
I'm going to hazard a guess that while the food is slightly cheaper at Brendan's, it'll be slightly better than Molly Malone's, but that's okay since Molly's will have a better party. If you live in St. Matthews, I urge you to bring a few friends and walk the holy drinking trinity from Brendans to BBC to Molly Malone's. If your liver survives the experience, let us know which one you thought threw the best St. Patty's Day Party.
For those of you who're proud of your Irish heritage but don't indulge in the traditional holiday passtime of testing the physical limits of your liver, Louisville's AA Chapters are joining forces to sponsor a Sober St. Patrick's Day Scavenger Hunt.
About ChrisRachael Oseland
You're welcome to stalk my 22 First Dates and other random shenanigans on my personal blog. <BR> www.oseland.com
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