Revolutionary Heart

very late three kings day present

With the holidays, comes the annual company holiday party, and with the annual holiday party comes one of the few nights a year where the wife and I can get in a decent ‘pub crawl.’ Of course we pay for the ‘pub crawl’ the next day with the usual symptoms (for those of you who are worried that I may be an alcoholic -- just remember that still getting a hangover is a sure sign that I am not yet an alcoholic), but I am willing to make the sacrifice for you, my loyal readers (all eight-point-six-one of you).

So with no further ado or gilding of the lily, here is not one, BUT TWO local bar reviews for you to consider before you go on your next pub crawl! Don’t thank me, you’re worth it.

First up we have a venerable San Antonio bar; Durty Nelly’s. Nelly’s is an old standard in the San Antonio bar scene and the only ‘irish pub’ on the riverwalk. This usually means a large crowd of turistas and depending on what you are looking for, this could be a good or bad thing. For my posse and me, it was a bad thing.

I knew we were in trouble when we had to wait outside for three people to leave, before we could go in the pub. As we walked in, my concerns were confirmed, no where to sit and wall to wall weta touristas. No matter, I was jonse’n for a Guinness (why is it that company parties always serve such crappy beer) , and no one was going to get in my way. I fought my way through the crowd, squeezed between the hollister and ambercrombie model-wannabes who were busy trying to impress their dates, and bellied up to the bar.

As soon as I saw how haggard the barkeep was I knew that the pull was going to be shabby. Sure enough, the draw was quick (good in the old-west -- crappy if you are pull’n pints), unsettled, and flat.

It was bad enough to make me leave without ordering another one.
So it is with heavy hand that I write -- er..type my review; I will have to give the honored establishment a 2.5. Sorry, DN but if you are going to claim to be an irish pub then you need to pour your Guinness right -- screw up the cosmopolitans, sour apple martinis and all those other froo-froo-establishment-guy drinks, but don’t mess with a working-mans Guinness.

Alas, the evening did not start out well, crappy Bud products at the company party and a bad pint at DN’s, but since I am not a quitter -- I decided to press on.

My intrepid party and I trudged on, through the crowded hustle and bustle that is the riverwalk in SA-Town during Christmas time. Our next stop was the riverwalk’s only Scottish Pub -- Mad Dogs.

Thank you Lord for the Scotts (Mike Myers, Patrick Stewart, Sean Connery, Braveheart, and the kilt -- need I say more...), because they saved my evening.

The bar was crowded, there was a five dollar cover charge, but the barkeep pulled a good pint and the company was warm and engaging. Overall the Guinness came out with a nice thick head, which held till the last swallow. Unfortunately, Mad Dogs, although it did well, still did not reach the same level as Fado’s in A - Town. It , however, with much gratitude (for saving my evening) that I give Mad Dogs a respectable 3.5 out 5 pints.

give me (good) guinness or give me death

My review this week is from a recent trip to a San Antonio landmark. The ‘leaning house’ restaurant known as Liberty Bar. The look and feel of the restaurant is awesome. Dim lighting and the smell of fresh baked sourdough bread greet you as you move to your table. The seating is intimate and the leaning walls give it a surrealistic almost fun house atmosphere. A fun house with a touch of class. The food tastes great and the portions are the perfect size to split with a date. (My bride and I had the pork-chops and sautéed cabbage - I know sautéed cabbage sounds gross, but it was really good.) I say all of this, because I do not want to take away from what the Liberty Bar does best, good food at a reasonable price in a ‘funky’ and unique atmosphere.

Unfortunately, pulling pints of Guinness is NOT what they do best. Although the bartender attempted to take the full 119.5 seconds for the pour, it was to no avail. The head of both Guinni (yes I had two, you can’t always judge by the first pint) was weak and watery. I’m not sure if their gas mixture was off or if the beer was old (there may not be very many Guinness drinkers walking in to Liberty Bar these days), but either way I’m going to have to give their pints a three out of five. Good color, but the texture and the head were way off.

Sorry Liberty Bar, good food, great place, but you need to work on the ‘pints.’ M_Dizzle says if your in SA Town (pronounced SAY-town), go to Liberty Bar for dinner, but stick with the wine menu.

keep guinness good

My first review is not a San Antonio pub but is very worthy of being in the top ten. The name of the pub is Fado’ (which means long ago or once upon a time in Irish Gaelic). Here is a link to their website:

http://www.fadoirishpub.com/home.php?city=austin

The moment you walk in you feel like you are in a different place. Time slows down. The sound of sport ('football' aka soccer and 'celtic football' aka beat the guy with the ball) being broadcasted from the flat screen tvs around the bar fills your ears with that unmistakeable Irish accent. The smell of Fado is noticably different as well. Instead of the sour smell of old smoke and older beer left in the cornors of the bar, you are greated by the aroma of traditional Irish pub food. As you move to your table the unmistakable smell of hot ‘bangers and mash’ immediately rushes over you. It was a great experience.

The drink of choice is of course Guinness. The pour was excellent, the barmen took the full 119.5 seconds and used the official “tulip” shaped pint glass. The colors were dark and rich and the head was the perfect height and froth. All in all a great place to have a pint.

Rating: 4.5 out of 5 pints

m_dizzle says "check it out"

Brilliant!

Find out who pulls the best pint!

An ongoing feature of revolutionary heart will be my personal quest to find the best pint of Guinness in San Antonio and, any other city I happen to be in. It is a hard job but I am up for the task. Be on the look out for my reviews, beginning with some of the local San Antonio pubs.

For those who are unfamiliar with the frothy good stuff, here are some things to know about the perfect pint. A good pint should have a dark caramel, almost black color topped with an inch thick frothy white foam head. Many say that you can tell a good Guinness by drawing a smiley face with your finger in the foam and then drinking the pint. The smiley face should stay intact until you finish your drink.

For more info on how to pull the perfect pint check out the Guinness.com website.