RESTAURANT REVIEW:

Since St. Patrick’s Day is Monday, I did a little scouting for a friend who is Irish and loves to celebrate his heritage. I went to Killarney’s Pub & Grill on Main Street.

The pub has an inside and an outside. The inside is adorned with large plasma televisions, a long bar, and tables and chairs. The outside has five patio-style tables. There are no heaters, though, so it might get a bit chilly at night.

The menu features a Galway Bay prawn cocktail and an Emerald Isles steak sandwich. It’s probably difficult to carry a menu with all Irish food, since there isn’t much cuisine indigenous to the European island.

The pub has the requisite corned beef and cabbage and there are two Irish sausage dishes. There is also the more Irish-American dish of corned beef on rye.

I had the meat on a Reuben sandwich and was surprised by its blandness. It was dry and spiceless. The Thousand Island dressing and sauerkraut were sparse, contributing to my disappointment.

My friend had the nightly special of fish and chips and was more satisfied than I. The restaurant runs a $5 entrée special each night, including shepherd’s pie and a chicken club wrap.

The special would be the only way I would order the fish and chips, which is usually $6.99. For one piece of medium-sized fish, the special at nearly $2 less seems more reasonable. Nonetheless, the piece of cod is lightly battered and has a nice texture. The fries are standard cut.

My other two friends opted for salad. There are seven on the menu, including shrimp avocado, chef’s, seared ahi and barbecue chicken salads.

Field greens, shredded carrots, onions, tomato slices, cucumbers and croutons are on the barbecue chicken salad. The chicken is quite good, with a touch of seasoning, and very tender. The pepperjack cheese gives it a nice, unexpected kick.

On the other hand, the ahi I tasted was a bit overcooked, but not bad enough to send back.

It had the same field greens as did the chicken salad, plus corn niblets, and came with either Asian or raspberry vinaigrette. My friend liked the Asian for the ahi and the raspberry for the rest of the salad.

Service on the patio is a bit relaxed; don’t expect to be fawned over if you sit there. This is more of a bar than a restaurant and the emphasis is on alcohol. The establishment serves many types of draft beer and with the televisions tuned to sports, it adds to the watering-hole feel.

Sitting outside provides an escape from that atmosphere, but with Sharkeez restaurant as your neighbor, the noise might also increase.

Killarney’s seems like a good place to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day if your mission is to drink. But if you plan on eating, I would choose another restaurant.

Address: 209 Main St., Huntington Beach

Phone: (714) 536-7887

Cuisine: Irish

Specialty dish: Corned beef and cabbage

Alcohol served: Full bar

Dress: Casual

Family friendly: No

Credit cards accepted: Visa, MasterCard, American Express, Discover

Rating: **

JOHN REGER reviews local restaurants for the Independent.