Ahh… July in DC. We FDPs are suffering along with the rest of you. We’re hot, we’re sweaty, and frankly, we’re not in the best of moods lately. What better destination to choose for our July meal than a new Irish-Jewish pub (yes, you read that correctly) in the Atlas District? The Star and Shamrock bills itself as a merging of two cultures with a long history of being both “celebrated and tortured”—serving Guinness pints alongside He’brew ales and huge (seriously—huge!) NY-style deli sandwiches, accompanied by latkes, matzoh balls, and other Jewish/Irish-inspired delights.
So, on a hot and steamy July evening, the FDPs staggered into the Star and Shamrock for some comfort food and drink. And boy, did we find it. The restaurant is welcoming—spacious yet cozy in its feel, with a long bar and dark wood paneling throughout. The beer selection is a mix of Irish and Jewish favorites, and they have several tasty choices on tap. Luckily, we picked out beers quickly which gave us time to peruse the extensive menu. Don’t come here planning to add up Weight Watchers points—this is certainly not a diet-friendly destination. The appetizers offer an assortment of fried delights. We chose a basket of curly fries (which we devoured in seconds-flat), the Ruben Egg Rolls (ruben sandwich fillings wrapped in light, crispy phyllo and served with a Russian dressing dipping sauce), Pan-Fried Matzoh Balls (pretty much just like they sound!), and Kosher Kronies, tiny franks wrapped in dough, and, you guessed it—fried. All were delicious, with the tasty Kronies winning especially high marks. After our fried appetizer feast, we decided to pick out only two sandwiches to share. It was difficult to narrow it down, but we went with two that stood out. First, the Latke Madness, a tower of three latkes sandwiching corned beef, sauerkraut, swiss cheese, and Russian dressing between its layers. The thing *is* madness—huge, decadent, and almost impossible to eat without cutlery getting involved. We also chose the more tame “Turkey #2,” roasted turkey, muenster, bacon, and mayo on sourdough bread. This one actually fits in your mouth and was quite tasty. The turkey is house-roasted and you can tell—it is tender and full of flavor, and the bread was nicely toasted and able to keep the sandwich from succumbing to mushiness.
After diving in enthusiastically to this feast, we came up for air after a few moments and leaned back from the table. I do believe a few “Oy, Vey’s” may have escaped our fully-satiated lips. But then, before we knew it, our friendly server had talked us into ordering the only dessert on the menu—the chocolate bread pudding. How sneaky of her to catch us when we were too full to protest! But it is a good thing we didn’t—what a delicious treat that bread pudding turned out to be. We somehow summoned up a second stomach and managed to devour it and all of its rich, chocolatey goodness. While The Star and Shamrock is not yet doing brunch, we unanimously decided that this incredible bread pudding (and really, the entire menu), would be the perfect hangover cure. We hope they will consider helping us all out and opening for brunch soon! In the meantime, we now have a new favorite place to drown our sorrows and hide from the hot, muggy DC summer misery. True, you have to balance this place out with an extra-long gym workout, but trust us—it’s worth it. 2.75 Oinks! Sláinte and L'Chaim!
So, on a hot and steamy July evening, the FDPs staggered into the Star and Shamrock for some comfort food and drink. And boy, did we find it. The restaurant is welcoming—spacious yet cozy in its feel, with a long bar and dark wood paneling throughout. The beer selection is a mix of Irish and Jewish favorites, and they have several tasty choices on tap. Luckily, we picked out beers quickly which gave us time to peruse the extensive menu. Don’t come here planning to add up Weight Watchers points—this is certainly not a diet-friendly destination. The appetizers offer an assortment of fried delights. We chose a basket of curly fries (which we devoured in seconds-flat), the Ruben Egg Rolls (ruben sandwich fillings wrapped in light, crispy phyllo and served with a Russian dressing dipping sauce), Pan-Fried Matzoh Balls (pretty much just like they sound!), and Kosher Kronies, tiny franks wrapped in dough, and, you guessed it—fried. All were delicious, with the tasty Kronies winning especially high marks. After our fried appetizer feast, we decided to pick out only two sandwiches to share. It was difficult to narrow it down, but we went with two that stood out. First, the Latke Madness, a tower of three latkes sandwiching corned beef, sauerkraut, swiss cheese, and Russian dressing between its layers. The thing *is* madness—huge, decadent, and almost impossible to eat without cutlery getting involved. We also chose the more tame “Turkey #2,” roasted turkey, muenster, bacon, and mayo on sourdough bread. This one actually fits in your mouth and was quite tasty. The turkey is house-roasted and you can tell—it is tender and full of flavor, and the bread was nicely toasted and able to keep the sandwich from succumbing to mushiness.
After diving in enthusiastically to this feast, we came up for air after a few moments and leaned back from the table. I do believe a few “Oy, Vey’s” may have escaped our fully-satiated lips. But then, before we knew it, our friendly server had talked us into ordering the only dessert on the menu—the chocolate bread pudding. How sneaky of her to catch us when we were too full to protest! But it is a good thing we didn’t—what a delicious treat that bread pudding turned out to be. We somehow summoned up a second stomach and managed to devour it and all of its rich, chocolatey goodness. While The Star and Shamrock is not yet doing brunch, we unanimously decided that this incredible bread pudding (and really, the entire menu), would be the perfect hangover cure. We hope they will consider helping us all out and opening for brunch soon! In the meantime, we now have a new favorite place to drown our sorrows and hide from the hot, muggy DC summer misery. True, you have to balance this place out with an extra-long gym workout, but trust us—it’s worth it. 2.75 Oinks! Sláinte and L'Chaim!
