thrillist

It's cool when friends' lives are celebrated the way they lived them, like Dave Grohl immortalizing Kurt Cobain in song, or the family of Chris Farley immortalizing him in all-you-can-eat wake. Honoring a much-loved bartender with...a bar: P. Brennan's Irish Pub & Restaurant.

Opening this week, P. Brennan's is named for the late "Lil Pat" Brennan, a reportedly awesome bartender/guy who worked with the owners at a Cali pub years back; the space's a sprawling 8,000sqft Celtic mecca with a 65-seat mezzanine overlooking an oak bar and massive slanted columns hand-painted with Irish lucky charms, which're like the regular ones, except they don't have the purple horseshoes, and steadfastly refuse to use birth control. Suds're covered by 18 bottles including Murphy's Stout and Magner's, plus 16 drafts, from Widmer's Drifter Pale Ale, to all the Irish standbys (Guinness, Kilkenny, Smithwick's), to the rare McSorley's Black Lager, brewed by NYC's famous 100 year-old ale house which serves only "light" or "dark" lager -- drink the second, and you'll get to shoot lightning out of your hands, but have to hang out with that creepy Emperor all the time. Food's "elevated above pub grub", with apps like steamed mussels with Tasso ham and spring onions, and entrees like a green apple slaw'd skate schnitzel, mustard & sage-sprinkled pan roasted pork medallions, and glazed root veggies/Boniato puree-topped short rib platter, interestingly braised with Dr. Pepper, which didn't go to fringe alternative cola school for seven years to be called "Mr. Pepper", thank you very much.

For the traditional gorger, they do have a menu section devoted to Irish favorites like a hearty Wexford Lamb Stew, Shepherd's Pie, and the pungent corned beef & cabbage -- eat too much, and your roommate might see to it that you end up living in a van down by the river.

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