May 17, 2009 • 8:24 am
Reverend John Graf, Jr., Food
Chain Guest Blogger
http://blogs.mycentraljersey.com/foodchain/2009/05/17/mannions-pub-restaurant-more-than-just-meat-and-potatoes/
Mannion’s Pub & Restaurant of
Somerville will be celebrating its 10th year anniversary on
May 19th and has certainly proved to the Central Jersey
dining community that they’re more than just a meat and
potatoes bar and grill.
After visiting Mannion’s last
evening (Saturday, May 16) on my “second leg” of the 9-day
dining tour I will be journeying through, I came to the
conclusion that this long-standing traditional Irish Pub &
Restaurant (recently voted as one of the top Irish Pub’s in
the world by a national Irish Magazine) is the real
deal. Their standard fare of Sheppard’s Pie, Corned Beef &
Cabbage, Irish Stew and Olde Irish Fish & Chips are well and
good, however, Mannion’s is ready to challenge even some of
the more elite restaurants in town with their special menu
items.
I have known Mannion’s owner
(Patrick Mannion) for just about his full 10 year stint in
Somerville and admire him as one of the leading business
leaders who gives back to the community. This special guy
(recently named Somerset County’s 2009 “Irishman of the
Year”) does more than just serve up burgers and brews!
Mannion’s has been engaged in the Taste of Somerset,
Culinary Invitational, and so many other charity events that
reach out to them. In fact, even last night, Pat was
putting on a special fundraiser for a former Bernards High
School classmate who passed away recently. The place was
packed with Class of 1982 guys and gals that laughed the
evening away in tribute to their friend. It was a joy to
watch Pat give so much of himself!
Now for the tasty part of the
evening. Once again, I could have stuck to the prix fixe
menu planned for “Somerville Restaurant Week” patrons
($19.09 special tab in honor of Somerville Borough’s 100th
Anniversary), however, the Mannion’s specials of the evening
drew me right away. Thank God I took the detour!
I started the evening with a
few pino grigios at the bar with Mannion’s 10-year veteran
bar captain, Dennis Fulton. I was waiting for my two
guests, who unfortunately for them, had their car break down
on Route 22 in North Plainfield and never arrived. That was
good news for me in the end, as it left more food for me. I
hate to share!
The meal started with a
heaping order of one of the best Long Island baby neck clams
I have had in a long while. Well, since the previous night
at Verve Restaurant. Yes folks, Mannion’s can give their
French-American bistro friends a run for their money in this
appetizer category. In fact, their order was double the
size (20 tasty clams that I quickly sucked them
right down). The only difference between Verve & Mannion’s
was the broth. Each chef has a little different style —
but, both are excellent.
Mannion’s Executive Chef
Nelson Murillo then treated me to one of the best new fish
dishes I have ever experienced. The entree was a Baked
Hawaiian Hebi fish, cooked in a scampi sauce that was out of
this world. The topping wasn’t over powering with garlic
and allowed for a real enjoyment of the fish (that was a
tender white fish that reminded me of a good swordfish).
Once again, there was a double order that allowed for me to
take home a doggie bag.
Just when I was ready to call
it quits, my delightful waitress, a firecracker young
lady with the biggest smile that can charm you all night
long (Tatiana Zebeljan, who came to Mannion’s 3 years ago
via Serbia), was bringing over another special of the
evening for me to sample. The Steak Worchestershire was a
grilled sirloin topped with barbeque sauce, worchestershire
and mozzarella chesse. The different tastes had my mouth
watering — It’s a must try menu item.
Hold on a minute now. I
couldn’t leave without trying some dessert now could I?
Tatiana convinced me, with no trouble at all, to try two
“sweet tooth” highlights on the menu. I was pleasantly
surprised at the quality of the carrot cake (very moist and
filled with real carrot pieces that had a cream cheese icing
that was not the usual overly sweet and gritty paste). If
that wasn’t good enough, I was brought an order of a fried
bananna cheesecake with carmel sauce that put me over the
top. Both desserts were taste tested and then packed to
go. By midnight, I was home and breaking into the carrot
cake remains for a grand finale before bed! Sweet dreams
for sure!
I’ll be returning to
Mannion’s on Friday, June 5th for a special 10th Anniversary
celebration, which will feature The Willie Lynch Trio for
entertainment. Mr. Mannion says there will be plenty of
surprises during the evening and it will serve as a reunion
for more than just his Bernards High gang. If you’ve ever
experienced Mannion’s, then come on out and toast the place
for giving Somerville yet another grand dining
establishment. If you haven’t been to this fun-filled Irish
Pub & Restaurant, they come on down. You don’t have to be
Irish to join in the festivities!
Mannion’s
is located at 150 West Main Street in Somerville with
reservations available by calling (908) 203-0700. Visit
their website at
www.mannionsirishpub.com
and find out more.
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