D e s e r t E x p o s u r e
December
2008
Cheers!
Brigid's Cross serves up an authentic taste of the Emerald Isle in a delightful pub atmosphere.
"Sit right down, anywhere you like. We'll be right with ya!"
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This is the enthusiastic, bright-smiled welcome at Brigid's Cross, Las Cruces' new, self-described "authentic Irish pub" on Picacho Hills Drive. After long delays waiting for their Irish furnishings and elegant dark wood bar to arrive in the States, the eatery's owners, Patrick and Jovonna Hanlon, threw open the doors to their dream in September.
Folks, it was worth the wait.
With more than a half-dozen brews on tap at all times — Ye Olde Guinness among them, of course! — and a lunch-to-dinner menu that goes from light to hearty, with classic fare from Chicago bars to the Emerald Isle, Brigid's is a place to meet up with friends, take the family, or hunker down by yourself to catch a game on the big screen.
Posters of the Irish band, U2, and of old-fashioned Guinness ads bring in the Irish feel, setting Brigid's apart from the likes of "pubs" with "Tuesday" or "Friday" in their names. Its dark wood paneling and bar-central layout may put you in mind of television's "Cheers," that Boston pub "where everybody knows your name."
From the cheerful, friendly waitstaff to the smiling, hunky bartenders who pour "the perfect pint" with, yes, a wee bit o' style — if you don't feel charmed and welcome to sit and stay awhile, well, you're just not trying.
Dinner at Brigid's is a relaxed, free-form affair with folks meeting up for beers and appetizers, deciding to stay for dinner, joining other tables or moving to the bar, then hanging out with more golden-amber pints into the night.
A midday visit finds Brigid's to be a quick and easy place to come for lunch, too. Even at high noon, our trio is able to find a table in the open, airy big room, right in front of the big screen TV. There's also patio dining, a quieter, darker side room away from the TV, and a back room for parties. Seating is chairs or stools, at low dining or high, cafe-style tables.
I start out with a pint o' the Bass ale, my companion and his niece choosing a Guinness and a soft drink respectively. We look over the menu. Entrees like the pork tenderloin ($13), lamb shank ($12) and steak au poivre ($18) are offered only after 5 p.m. But there are still plenty of options for lunch, including all the appetizers, sandwiches and interesting hardcore "Irish Fare" selections — like bangers and mash ($10) and shepherd's pie ($10) that are also offered at dinner.
Appetizers range from $5-$10, and include a bowl of Guinness onion soup, Molly's Mussells steamed in ale, garlic shrimp, Southwick's ale barbeque wings and some more unusual items like Scottish eggs and Duck Mince Pie. Raw oysters come with chile vinegar and fresh lemons for $9/half dozen, $16/dozen. We play it conservatively and start with the chips and dip ($5), which show up golden crispy, with chile vinegar, house tartar sauce and pub mustard. Delightful dipping, and just perfect for sharing before lunch.
The young one at our table orders the fish and chips ($5) from the child's menu — the classic dish, just smaller. Her uncle goes for the Ballybunion Burger, a 10-ounce burger made from local, grass-fed organic beef, grilled to order. I decide to go with the uniquely Irish Ploughman's Lunch ($9), the daily special billed on the menu as "whatever morsel of food can be found in the kitchen."
We finish up our appetizer and our meals are out within minutes.
The niece's fish and chips are crispy and hot, not at all oily. My friend pronounces his burger perfectly cooked, tasty and juicy. He is more than satisfied with his additions of Irish sharp cheddar and sauteed mushrooms (50 cents each).
My Ploughman's Special is a workingman's feast with two generous triangles of fresh liver pate — among the best I've had — six little wedges of sharp cheddar, two rolled slices of properly salty prosciutto, a lump of fresh mozzarella cheese, a handful of apple slices and a dollop of zesty orange chutney. I devour it all, putting the various items on bites torn from the dense, grainy softball-sized roll, a delectable vehicle for any combination of the tasty bits.
Our waitress announces the single dessert of the day: cheesecake with peach marmalade. We decide we can manage a piece between the three of us. We are surprised to find it baked in a pastry crust rather than graham crackers, the filling not New York-style dense nor Italian-style ricotta-light. It falls somewhere between the two, we decide. The cheese itself is none-too-sweet, but has a pleasant serious taste that is amply sweetened by adding just a pinch of the marmalade to each bite.
We certainly were not rushing things but are done in under an hour — a good place for a working person to lunch! We give a last glance at the football — do they ever show rugby, I wonder? — bid each other farewell and to Brigid's Cross offer Slainte!
That's Gaelic for "Cheers!"
— Donna Clayton Lawder
Brigid's Cross Irish Pub, 1338 Picacho Hills Dr. Tues.-Thurs. 11 a.m.-10 p.m., Fri. and Sat. 11 a.m.-11 p.m., Sunday 11 a.m.-10 p.m., kitchen closes 9 p.m. every night. 647-1455. www.brigidscrossirishpub.com, www.lascrucespub.com