O’Donnell’s perfect for a pint, or family comfort food
Published 6:18 pm Wednesday, August 21, 2013
What are the things you expect at an Irish pub?
A waitress quick with a pint of Guinness? Sentimental Irish folk music? Subdued lighting? Funny Irish sayings all over the wall? Rich and hearty “stick to your ribs” comfort food?
You will find all that and so much more at Shawn O’Donnell’s American Grill and Irish Pub.
My husband, David, and I went on a Friday night looking a place to have a few beers and some good food and for some cheering up. We needed to get out of the house and have a little fun.
We were seated quickly despite how busy they were and the waiter came right away and took our beer orders, a Guinness for me and a Harp for David.
For an appetizer, we ordered the ploughman’s platter ($9.99). David chose the Irish Stranger’s Shepherds Pie ($12.99) and I the Braised pork shanks ($13.99).
About half a pint in, we received our Ploughman’s platter: a small loaf of Irish soda bread, two types of cured meats, sweet baby pickles, sliced onions, apple slices, chutney and Gouda.
The real star of the platter was the soda bread. The loaf, the size of grapefruit and filled with currants, was tender and moist.
For those who don’t know, Irish soda bread is unleavened and made with baking soda and cooked like quick bread. It’s like a cross between a biscuit and a muffin in texture.
Honestly, I would happily eat the whole loaf for lunch if I could. It really is the best I have ever had. We enjoyed the whole platter as we polished off our pints.
By the time our dinners came along we were feeling a bit more cheery.
My braised pork shanks ($13.99) were served with champ potatoes. Champ means that the potatoes are mashed with butter, cream and green onions. For mashed potatoes, they were quite decadent.
My three shanks were very good, if not as tender as the description would lead me to believe. They were coated in a sweet spiced rum glaze, which reminded me of barbecued chicken with less spice. The whole thing was topped off with “drunken” onions.
David’s Irish Stranger’s shepherd’s pie ($12.99) was definitely a delight, something you would eat on a cold winter night or just when you needed good hearty comfort food, as we did on this night.
The filling — ground lamb, carrots, potatoes, peas, corn and parsnips — was topped with mashed potatoes and then the whole thing was put under the broiler to toast the top slightly.
David enjoyed his pie immensely. In fact ,he didn’t even talk until he put away most of his meal. I had to fight his fork when I tried to steal a bite. I intend to order the shepherd’s pie next time I visit.
Even though we were stuffed to the gills with Irish comfort food, soda bread and beers, I had to order dessert. We asked our waiter for a dessert menu and when she brought them, she told us we had to order the bread pudding. She said it made her happy every time she had it.
We went with her advice and ordered the Irish bread pudding ($5.99). It’s made with raisins, custard and thick chunks of country bread and served warm, topped with buttered rum sauce and then finished off with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
Of course, our waitress was right. I did get that happy food feeling and so did my husband.
Shawn O’Donnell’s is such a great place to enjoy a pint and have great comfort food.
They’re open for breakfast, lunch, dinner and happy hour. Any time is a good time to stop by and share good food and a pint or two with a friend.
Shawn O’Donnell’s
122 128th St. SE, Everett; 425-338-5700; www.shawnodonnells.com.
Specialty: Pub fare.
Hours: 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. Sunday and Monday; 7 a.m. to midnight, Tuesday through Thursday; 7 a.m. to 1 a.m. Friday and Saturday.
Vegetarian options: Few.
