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Dining Out

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Mary Furr, For the Independent

Just off Main Street on Walnut Avenue is Gallagher’s Pub and Grill,

just the place to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day.

Main Street doesn’t usually wake up until around 11 a.m., but on St.

Pat’s Gallagher’s will open for a full Irish breakfast at 8 a.m. and go

on celebrating until 1 a.m. the next day.

A home-style breakfast ($7.95 every day until 2 p.m.) offers a big

portion of everything: Irish bacon, thicker than American; bangers, those

fat port sausages just bursting with flavor; sauteed mushrooms; grilled

tomato slices; baked beans; two eggs, any style; Irish white pudding and

toast.

Ciaran Gallagher, co-owner with his brother Eugene, cooks up a great

white pudding -- a mix of bread crumbs and spices rolled like a sausage,

sliced and pan fried, a delicious selection new to me.

The brothers, born in Derry City in Northern Ireland, were practically

raised in their parents’ pub and seemed to absorb the spirit of a

friendly “drop-in” cafe. They’ve created an Irish pub in Huntington Beach

with a polished redwood bar, a dartboard nearby, plenty of tables and

chairs, the walls covered with posters and photos of well known pubs.

There’s a small sidewalk addition at the entrance and raised stand at the

back for a dance band.

Honest and True Irish Stew ($8.95) is as authentic as it gets -- big

chunks of tender lamb, carrots, celery and onions with red skin potatoes

in a great savory gravy. The carrots are ridged and sliced length wise to

absorb the tasty gravy.

According to their mother, Ciaran always loved to cook and is

especially creative with his sauces. Preparation is when ordered but the

wait passes quickly when sharing a prawn cocktail ($7.95). It’s a large,

stemmed dish with five beautiful fat prawns and sliced lemons hanging

over the edge and filled with tiny bay shrimp and celery in one of

Ciaran’s mildly zesty sauces -- not to be missed.

The pub serves 20 drafts and they can even draw a Guinness to form a

perfect shamrock in the creamy foam. As in Ireland the pub is a

neighborhood gathering place for fun and refreshment.

Another less “Irish” dish, one with a gourmet touch, is stuffed

chicken breast ($11.95) with seasoned mashed potatoes and fresh

vegetables. Tender, firm white meat is rolled around a mix of

garlic-flavored creamed spinach, cheese, mushrooms and fresh herbs. The

dish is not fussy but well balanced, and again the gravy ties the whole

dish together for a satisfying lunch or dinner.

Shepherd’s Pie ($9.95), an Irish staple, is often ordered according to

Mrs. Gallagher. It was created originally to use up leftovers from Sunday

dinner and is a tasty mix of seasoned ground lamb, green peas, carrots

and onions topped with mounds of mashed potatoes. Oven baked, the

potatoes have a brown crusty top to which Gallagher’s adds melted cheese.

It is a great, generous dish that warms the heart as well as the stomach.

There is no better way to know a people than through their kitchens.

So, for St. Paddy’s Day drop in to Gallagher’s Pub and Grill where the

greeting is a hearty “cald mile failte” -- a “hundred thousand welcomes.”

* MARY FURR is the Independent restaurant critic. If you have comments

or suggestions, call (562) 493-5062 or e-mail o7 hbindy@latimes.com.f7

FYIGallagher’s Pub and Grill

WHERE: 300 Pacific Coast Highway (Entrance on Walnut Avenue)

HOURS: noon to 2 a.m. daily, food served until 1 a.m.; on St.

Patrick’s Day, 8 a.m. to 1 a.m.

PHONE: (714) 536-2422

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