Take an uninspiring strip mall location, a non-descript Irish name that promises a staunch commitment to the generic, and a menu that lives up to that promise with each Gorgonzola Chicken Salad and Sweet Onion Mushroom Burger and what have you got? A case study in the value of intangibles, is what, here measured in the genuinely good-natured service delivered by a youthful staff who seem to have missed the memo circulating among their cohort calling for a default mien of ironic detachment and/or barely suppressed rage.
Add in consistent quality out of the kitchen and a bar equally welcoming to jabbering regulars, a soccer team over post-game pitchers, or you with your Daily Camera, and you end up with a testament to the power of commitment over concept. If there is a lesson here, it is the same one that has been jack-hammered into our crania by every Hollywood rom-com since before Harry met Sally. The girl next door (in this case a freckle-faced redhead) will always love you more than the beautiful, rich drama queen from Uptown.
