A New Restaurant in an Old Place

  I stopped by the new Hibernia Irish Pub on the one week anniversary of its "soft" opening. Hopefully, I managed to get there ahead of one of our readers who prides herself on trying out all the new restaurants in the area! Hibernia is located in the old Pickle Barrel/Blackthorn location. The place still smells like new paint and lacks the cozy ambiance of the old Blackthorn since the walls in dining area are lined with seven big screen TVs. I was in early since I had stopped in on an impulse while on a mission to pick up Chinese food so I was the only person in the dining area. Both waitresses offered to change a TV to a channel of my choice. The bar area looks to have been reconfigured, but that may have happened during the unlamented incarnation as Pub 402.

My wait person and new best friend, Erin, was quick to point out that the new owners were well aware that no one misses the Brennan's/Pub 402 days and want to get back to the hay day of the old Blackthorn including the Irish music. Erin also pointed out that the goal was to have affordable food and drink and resist the temptation to gouge because "it's Easton." So what's the food like? The idea of the soft opening is to have a "starter" menu until next week while the kitchen staff shakes down the new equipment. Erin, who my mother would have said was vaccinated with a phonograph needle, was quick to tell me that the executive chef had another restaurant (a foodie plus according to my visits to the food channel), made all his sauces from scratch, and preferred natural unprocessed ingredients. I also learned that the owners come from Cork (as do my Irish ancestors), that Erin also has Irish roots, that the top price on the regular menu is going to be $13.95 for the steak tips, that there's going to be a kids menu, and that the bar has 31 beers on tap. Erin also noted the full menu will have Irish specialties like Shepherd's Pie along with a Cajun Blackened Chicken and a Curried Chicken. I noted that the sausage on the pizza was also Irish.

I was planning to eat healthy with an egg roll and shrimp with pea pods, but I splurged once I decided on the Hibernia. I started with a Magic Hat #9 with Apricot which Erin assured me was a fabulous choice. The 31 beer choices don't seem quite as inspired as at the old Blackthorne but some old friends are back like Hoegarten. A pint of draft is only $5 with Guinness at $6. There are a number of specialty black and tans. Bottled beer is in the $2.50 to $3.50 range. Frankly, the Magic Hat seemed a little skunky-not sure if that was the apricot. A later blueberry beer was fine, but lacked the garnish of blueberries usually to be had at the Stoneforge. I ordered the Rhode Island calamari. I'm a big fan of the calamari at Maguires and was interested to see how this version measured up. The batter on the squid was delicious. For the first time in my experience the banana pepper was also battered and fried. One reason to test a restaurant with calamari is because it's easy to screw up. Sadly the rings were either freezer burned or overcooked because they were often dry and chewy. As you'll see in a moment I'm willing to chalk that up to an overheated fryolator. The dipping sauce, on the other hand, was superior. A rich, delicious tomato sauce with just the right balance of tomato tartness and sweetness, it was obviously made from the freshest ingredients. At $6.95 the portion was appetizer sized unlike the calamari at Maguire's which can easily make a meal. For my main course I chose the Grilled Pesto Chicken at $8.95. It came with the choice of fries or onion rings. I chose the onion rings. Not sure if the starter menu is the lunch menu, but the portion was lunch sized with just a half a dozen onion rings. The rings came with a different batter than the calamari, a good sign, but they were overdone-a clear indicator that the fryolator was running hot on the calamari also. The grilled chicken came in a regular sized roll and was excellent. The pesto was obviously freshly made and the chicken was topped with a grilled tomato slice under a pile of gooey and delicious cheese. I think the restaurant will make good on its promise of fine family fare at a fair price with great entertainment. According to Erin, Tuesday night is trivia night, Wednesday's Amy Basse performs and then there is more Irish music on the weekends. Where else in Easton can you get three bottled beers, a sandwich, and an evening's entertainment for around $20. Welcome home, a worthy successor to the Blackthorne.