Dining Out: Yer Man’s Irish Pub in Kew Gardens place to go for true ol’ sod cuisine

By Carol Brock

YER MAN'S IRISH PUB
119-11 Metropolitan Ave., Kew Gardens
846-9826, 441-3939

Fax: 441-4278

It's green on the outside. It's green on the inside. And it is Irish.

Seven years ago, James O'Reilly from Kilarney (Now that's Irish!) opened Yer Man's Irish Pub in a row of Tudor stores – it added a slight touch of ol' sod to Metropolitan Avenue off Lefferts.

Step right in and you're standing in an awesome bar room. Yer Man seats 130. The restaurant seats a mere 30 – the hundred are around the huge circular bar with a string of foot-high shamrock cut-outs above and tables beside it.

It's at the bar where you'll see a lot of Yer Man's mean burgers – half-pounders – with a mountain of fries being consumed. The choices are numerous including Yer Man's pizza burger, chili burger, curried burger and veggie burger.

A bandstand with singer on Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays is at the rear of the bar room. The pub's restaurant, tucked away in a corner, resembles an Irish cottage with wood floor, walls and ceiling. The curtains – cottage not lace – are charming. My dining companion was definitely taken by them. The artwork on the walls is all beer art.

Although the cottage is small, the American Irish menu (with a touch of Mexican) is extensive. Consider the specials: shepherd's pie, chicken pot pie, fish and chips, bangers and mash with Irish beans and beef curry.

The appetizers were highlighted by buffalo calamari, which was tempting but Irish nachos was our choice. And we guessed it. There were fries instead of tortilla chips. And there were curry fries – fries pure and simple plus a bowl of dark curry sauce with a delightful bite to it for dipping. Prawns are on the menu too.

Soup for two next. Yer Man's potato, which she loved – “like Mother's,” she said. Maybe so.

Don the chef hails from Philadelphia but Grandma came from Ireland. There was cream mushroom soup with “treasures” on the bottom (that's the way we enticed our son when he was a little one). The baked French onion soup and lobster bisque sounded definitely spoonable.

By the way, if you hear the tolling of bells it's not indicating the hour, but calling the waitress to the kitchen.

We had potato appetizers and a potato soup, but I chose Shepherd's pie, here a creamy, coarsely ground beef mixture spiked with peas and topped by a high swirl of mash. (After all, potatoes made Ireland or Ireland made potatoes.) Four shamrocks. Her curried beef looked special with rice (tan, large grained) topped with thin slivered onions centered in a brown curry sauce with peas and carrots and beef. Four shamrocks, here.

Dessert was apple pie, maybe one shamrock, with ice cream or fresh whipped cream. And there was cheese cake.

Entrees include salmon (very Irish) every which way – baked, grilled, poached and Francaise, steak and chicken dishes, fish and seafood. On Saturday and Sunday brunch is served, including a breakfast with Irish sausage and Irish bacon, pork chop, liver steak, black and white pudding, and Irish beans, eggs Benedict, steak and eggs, Shepherd's pie. Or American-style with eggs, bacon, ham and sausage or corned beef hash.

Lunch is London broil with onions and gravy, Salisbury steak, Philly cheese steak, penne ala vodka and Cajun chicken, all for $6.95 with soup or salad and choice of potato.

Come St, Patrick's Day there'll be corned beef and cabbage with potato, corned beef sandwich with potato, fish and chips, and shepherd's pie.

And of course, there'll be the wearing of the green.

THE BOTTOM LINE

Circular bar room for 100. Wee cottage dining room for 30. American/Irish cuisine with a touch of Mexican. Friendly service. Band and singer Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. Corned beef and cabbage, and live music St. Patrick's Day.

CHEF'S CHOICE

Irish Nachos…$4.95

Three Cheese Quesidilla…$4.95

Curry Fries…$4.25

Salmon: Baked, Poached, Grilled or

Francaise…$13.95

12 oz./16 oz. New York Shell Steak

(Cajun style available)…$12.95/$16.95

Shepherd's Pie…S8.95

Chicken Pot Pie…$8.95

Apple Pie/Apple Pie ala

Mode…$2.95/$3.95