Patrick Kennedy's Irish Pub is the newest Dallas offering from Dublin native Alan Kearny, who also owns The Playwright, The Crafty Irishman and Cannon's Corner.
His latest has a lively atmosphere and meticulously curated decor that nearly transports you out of downtown and into some obscure little pub in Dublin. This new space is not far from the grassy knoll and Book Depository. In a strange coincidence, JFK's great-grandfather was from Ireland and was named Patrick Kennedy.
Sigh.
On a rainy day, anyone within a 5-mile radius of Patrick Kennedy's will feel the pull of their cozy booths.
Aaren Prody
The patio is quaint with downtown views, and when the weather cools down, the menu is perfectly full of Irish comfort foods such as Scotch eggs, bangers and mash, and shepherd's pie. This will be the ideal place to find yourself.
Let's start with the drinks.
How long have people been mixing Guinness and Champagne without us knowing about it? The Black Velvet is a beer cocktail made with two opposing spirits. We have to admit, at first thought it sounded like a bold combo, but we were feeling adventurous that night and grabbed one.
The name says it all: Black Velvet.
It's devilishly smooth, starting with the hoppy bitterness of the stout and ending slightly sweet with the Champagne. The chilled Champagne is poured fresh but doesn't have as much carbonation as you expect. It was almost criminal to order something different for our second round.
Still in disbelief with our choice of beverage, we grabbed the Galway Bay mussels and the mango habanero wings to start.
They don't tell you this, but the spoons with which they serve the mussels are used to get every last drop of that broth.
Aaren Prody
The half-pound of Galway Bay mussels are cooked in a creamy craft beer broth and served with toasted garlic crostinis.
Whether there are two or 10 of you, it's worth ordering the drunken mussels, which is the same dish, but with a full pound of mussels because you can't get enough of these. The meat inside is so tender, and we sipped the beer broth in which they were cooked with the spoons — after wiping the shells clean.
Aside from the Black Velvet, the highlight of dinner was the Howth beer-battered fish and chips.
At $20, it could be a dice roll whether or not there's value in a price tag like that, but when this sucker was set down there was little room for doubt.
Let's start from the top. Do you see how big this thing is? (Photo at top.) Wow. The fish is hand-battered and cooked-to-order. Outside it's crispy and light, but once you dig in the fish is moist and flaky. You know those people who run the knife over their food to show the crispiness? That's what they've got going on here, but you don't need a knife to prove that.
Beneath it is a bed of proper chips. These can either be really good or like eating cardboard, and we're happy to report that they were soft and perfectly salted. You didn't even need ketchup with them.
The slab of fish comes with lemon wedges, coleslaw and tartar sauce, and malt vinegar is on the table. When you combine them all, together with the fish, you figure out just how good this tray of food can get.
Should Patrick Kennedy's be your next weekend plan? No. Their fish and chips are BOGO-free on Mondays and whiskey is half-price on Wednesdays. So definitely weekday plans.
Patrick Kennedy's Irish Pub, 1201 Main St. Monday – Friday, 11 a.m. – 10 p.m.; Saturday – Sunday, 10 a.m. – 2 p.m.
