The Pub
A while back I learned of a new British pub in Tampa simply called The Pub. Since Sir Griffin is a big fan of pub fare I knew I just had to give it a try. So I called one of the few people I know that also is a connoisseur of genuine pub food, Professor Basil Q Bacon, and we decided to give it a try for lunch.
The Pub is located out on the Bay Street section of the International Plaza near the Earl of Sandwich and Champps. (I still have no idea why they spell Champps with two p’s) With all the Union Jacks that adorn the outside it is decidedly difficult to miss.
We were immediately overwhelmed by the beautiful décor of this new establishment. Suits of armor, more Union Jacks and lots of British stuff adorned the inside, which was a tad dark due to the wood they used. But it was beautiful nonetheless. The waiting area, which we did not have to use, was lovely as well.
We decided to sit near the bar as the windows and doors were all open on this delightfully mild day. The bar was nice and soccer was playing on each and every TV. Since Sir Griffin is no fan of soccer and neither is Prof Bacon it was virtually ignored during the visit. Somehow they had also done a marvelous job of hiring some great beauties to work as servers. Every girl that worked there was quite attractive and Sir Griffin was instantly pleased. Of course there were male servers as well, but I cannot account for their beauty or lack thereof.
I have to add that this lunch did take place a few weeks ago and I cannot seem to recall our server’s name, but I am pretty sure it began with an S so with that in mind we will refer to her for the rest of this story only as Rhiannon. Rhiannon was very pleasant and friendly and quickly took our drink order. I chose on iced tea, but Prof Bacon was a little more adventurous and wanted to partake in a beer. Now there are essentially two ways to go with beer at The Pub:
1. Get one from the bar
2. Go upstairs and pour your own at the Wall of Beer
Prof Bacon was intrigued and wanted to go with the Wall of Beer, which Rhiannon said was an excellent choice. Allow me to explain how the Wall of Beer works. After providing Rhiannon with a credit card you are given a swipe card to use at the wall. You go upstairs and you will see 20 different beers to choose from. You pay by the ounce and are given a 40 ounce maximum so you can sample a few before making a decision, but not a lot. They have two sized glasses to choose from; a 10 ounce and a 20. The beers are grouped into sections of four and after rinsing your glass you swipe your card to allow the beer to be poured. There is a screen where you can see your name, the beer you have chosen and how many ounces you have poured. This is just pure genius.
Basil chose a brew known as the Hobgoblin which was described as a powerful, full-bodied, copper red well balanced brew strong in roasted malt, moderate bitterness, and slight fruity characteristics. If I was the type to enjoy a beer I would have gone with either Flying Dog Raging Bitch or Stone Arrogant Bastard just based on the names alone. I cannot recall Basil’s exact description of the Hobgoblin, but I am pretty sure it was something along the lines of “that is one tasty beer”.
As we returned to our table it was time to order. Basil went with the traditional Bangers & Mash - Char-grilled British sausages, chive whipped potatoes, ale onion gravy, peas and carrots served with balsamic tossed greens. I myself went with the Welsh Dip Pub Pretzel - Sliced prime rib, green peppers, onions, melted mozzarella and provolone cheeses served with au jus and a fried pickle. It was served with my choice of chips (French fries) crisps (potato chips) or the vegetable of the day (vegetable). I, naturally, chose the chips.
I have had pretzel rolls before and they can often be hit or miss, but I have to say that this one was a major hit. It was soft, perfectly salted and extremely flavorful. The sandwich as a whole was excellent. The flavor of the prime rib was outstanding. Combined with the other ingredients it created a dance party of the senses. The aroma, the taste and even the feel of the steam from the sandwich was almost more than I could handle. The fried pickle was outstanding as were the chips.
Basil also raved about the Bangers & Mash. He did say that the peas were freakishly shriveled, but still quite good. Okay so maybe there is a little presentation problem there, but the fact that it was still a delightful meal should certainly make up for that.
After we finished Rhiannon asked if we wanted dessert, but despite the fact that they had some interesting options we declined. We settled the bill with Rhiannon took a few final minutes to soak in the atmosphere and went on our way. Based on that lunch I would highly recommend The Pub as a place to dine, although we were told by Rhiannon that the place gets packed at night. So if you are going for dinner please plan on arriving early and don’t blame me if you have to wait if you do not arrive early. You’ve been warned with peace & love.
Peace & Love, Peace & Love
 |
| The Pub |
We were immediately overwhelmed by the beautiful décor of this new establishment. Suits of armor, more Union Jacks and lots of British stuff adorned the inside, which was a tad dark due to the wood they used. But it was beautiful nonetheless. The waiting area, which we did not have to use, was lovely as well.
We decided to sit near the bar as the windows and doors were all open on this delightfully mild day. The bar was nice and soccer was playing on each and every TV. Since Sir Griffin is no fan of soccer and neither is Prof Bacon it was virtually ignored during the visit. Somehow they had also done a marvelous job of hiring some great beauties to work as servers. Every girl that worked there was quite attractive and Sir Griffin was instantly pleased. Of course there were male servers as well, but I cannot account for their beauty or lack thereof.
I have to add that this lunch did take place a few weeks ago and I cannot seem to recall our server’s name, but I am pretty sure it began with an S so with that in mind we will refer to her for the rest of this story only as Rhiannon. Rhiannon was very pleasant and friendly and quickly took our drink order. I chose on iced tea, but Prof Bacon was a little more adventurous and wanted to partake in a beer. Now there are essentially two ways to go with beer at The Pub:
1. Get one from the bar
2. Go upstairs and pour your own at the Wall of Beer
 |
| Wall of Beer |
 |
| Rhiannon rinses the glass |
Basil chose a brew known as the Hobgoblin which was described as a powerful, full-bodied, copper red well balanced brew strong in roasted malt, moderate bitterness, and slight fruity characteristics. If I was the type to enjoy a beer I would have gone with either Flying Dog Raging Bitch or Stone Arrogant Bastard just based on the names alone. I cannot recall Basil’s exact description of the Hobgoblin, but I am pretty sure it was something along the lines of “that is one tasty beer”.
As we returned to our table it was time to order. Basil went with the traditional Bangers & Mash - Char-grilled British sausages, chive whipped potatoes, ale onion gravy, peas and carrots served with balsamic tossed greens. I myself went with the Welsh Dip Pub Pretzel - Sliced prime rib, green peppers, onions, melted mozzarella and provolone cheeses served with au jus and a fried pickle. It was served with my choice of chips (French fries) crisps (potato chips) or the vegetable of the day (vegetable). I, naturally, chose the chips.
I have had pretzel rolls before and they can often be hit or miss, but I have to say that this one was a major hit. It was soft, perfectly salted and extremely flavorful. The sandwich as a whole was excellent. The flavor of the prime rib was outstanding. Combined with the other ingredients it created a dance party of the senses. The aroma, the taste and even the feel of the steam from the sandwich was almost more than I could handle. The fried pickle was outstanding as were the chips.
Basil also raved about the Bangers & Mash. He did say that the peas were freakishly shriveled, but still quite good. Okay so maybe there is a little presentation problem there, but the fact that it was still a delightful meal should certainly make up for that.
After we finished Rhiannon asked if we wanted dessert, but despite the fact that they had some interesting options we declined. We settled the bill with Rhiannon took a few final minutes to soak in the atmosphere and went on our way. Based on that lunch I would highly recommend The Pub as a place to dine, although we were told by Rhiannon that the place gets packed at night. So if you are going for dinner please plan on arriving early and don’t blame me if you have to wait if you do not arrive early. You’ve been warned with peace & love.
Peace & Love, Peace & Love
Comments
Post a Comment