PUB 1842 Opens: Optimism Is a Fool’s… something.

Oh yes my dears, a pub has opened, and with it comes it’s selection of lazy burgers, cutesy little “reimagined” things, a primarily Sam Adams and Blue Moon “craft” list and OH WAIT that’s not this place at all.  No, I’m thinking about half the other pub-concepts out there that think they can just strip the hokey Irish Disneyland nonsense from your generic Irish Pub stamped into every walking mall, and you can call it a Gastro-Pub to justify the $30 nachos.  That would be inaccurate.  This place is more… Take Public House (the real one, with the Cicerone), shake the front end of Comme Ca liberally over it, and inject some pretty impressive talent into the menu.

YET MORE... DRINKS

The more I heard about this place, the more my stony wall of cynicism was chipped away.  “A burger with peanut butter on it?”, I asked myself, “Pish-Posh!  That kitschy jive won’t bend my ear!”  I forgot to mention I talk to myself like an old Land Baron.  But of the few mini-versions of things I tried, I was so surprised that I dropped my monocle.  I won’t speak much to the food because even the curmudgeonly of critics know these practice bites just aren’t an indicator of future quality.  So what I’ll say is that this light balance of spice, salt, and sweet does what a city full of onion-jams and garlic aolis WISHES they could do.

Now, cocktails.  I’m pretty clued into the cocktail scene, at least enough that I know a name like “Carlo Splendorini” is one that puts out either great cocktails or a so-so acrobat troupe.  For example, the Nacho Libre is a mix of Epsolon Blanco, ruby port, lime, agave, and ginger beer.  The corporate head of mixology is definitely putting a stamp on what will be a definitely cocktail-heavy experience.

Like I said, this is just a preview, so I’ll save the tastebud-tickling alliteration for when I (or likely, Mr. Curtas) gives a thorough shake-down of the joint.  I’ll leave you with this: their raw bar had a lobster tail the size of a shrimp (a step up from “not at all”, at least), but a crab leg the size of a can of frigging Red Bull.  Seriously, I felt I should start cutting slices and passing them around.  I could have made a pretty serious crab salad foot-long po’ boy.  This crab leg was like a carnival novelty jumbo cigar.  It was a really big crab leg is what I’m getting at here, sorry for being so obtuse.

Oh yeah and here’s me giving the thumbs up because Micheal Mina sprayed a bunch of journalists with Prosecco at an event I attended, and it was hilarious.  Same day Robuchon rustled my jimmies, that was a funny day.

Your pal,

Mitchell Wilburn

4 thoughts on “PUB 1842 Opens: Optimism Is a Fool’s… something.

  1. Mitch, you crack me up. Seriously. Oh and the food commentary is entertaining too.

  2. Am I reading the 2nd page of the cocktail menu correctly? A PBR is 18 bucks?

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