Eating Out
Best Of Palo Alto 2011 is here!
2011
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Veronica Weber
RESTAURANT REVIEW
Mostly pub grub St. Stephen’s Green is mostly Irish and all good for food, drink and watching sports by Dale F. Bentson
T
he first time I stepped into the St. Stephen’s Green pub in Mountain View, I did a double take. I thought I’d absentmindedly wandered into Fry’s Electronics by mistake. The walls were lined with oversized television sets airing a myriad of sporting events from across the globe. There were 10 high-definition screens, including one that was a mini-cinema-sized 106 inches. With sports coming at me from all directions, I was in my male element. St. Stephen’s Green’s borrows its name from a 300-year-old park in Dublin. The 22-acre common was laid out, fittingly, by the greatgrandson of Arthur Guinness. Both owner Erik Barry and general manager Des Whelan hail from County Wexford south of Dublin, which borders the Irish Sea. While the two share Irish roots, they met here, through a mutual friend. Barry, whose day job is in hightech, bought the pub, formerly Fibbar Magee’s, in 1999. He brought in Whelan eight years ago to manage the spot. Whelan gained his restaurant experience in Dublin, London and Frankfurt before deciding California was the place to be. “We’ve gone from a pure Irish pub, catering to Irish people and blue-collar workers, to more whitecollar office people. From Irish appeal to American appeal,” Whelan
said. “In the beginning, we catered to adults. Now we encourage families and even have a children’s menu.” Not to give the wrong impression. St. Stephen’s is solidly adultthemed. Besides the television sets, there are DJs on weekends, early and late happy hours, Peruvian nights, Irish nights and an online calendar full of events. The pub is on Facebook, has an ATM on the premises and boasts a late-night food menu. There’s a lot going on. Physically, everything is sturdy inside St. Stephen’s Green, from the tables and chairs to the hearty fare turned out by the kitchen. Lest anyone forget where they are, there is a digital countdown to St. Patrick’s Day that starts March 18 and subtracts every day, hour and minute until the next shamrock celebration. The menu is straightforward: nothing frilly, nothing fussy, but almost everything is nourishing and well prepared. The waitstaff, many with bouncy Irish lilts, are attentive and efficient. I found the bucket of onion rings ($6.50) plump, crispy, hot from the fryer and not overly greasy. We waited several minutes for the rings to cool enough to eat. There was plenty for two to share as an appetizer. The fish and chips ($12.50) were generous hunks of cod filets,
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breaded and fried to perfection, golden on the outside and snowywhite and flaky on the inside. The chips, or French fries, were thickcut, crisp and meaty. I was particularly fond of the fries. Shepherd’s pie ($11.95) was a tasty concoction of ground beef and vegetables in gravy topped with a double scoop of mashed potatoes. It was definitely stickto-your-ribs fare. The meat was tender, the saucing generous and flavorful, with plenty of mashed potatoes to mop it all up. Irish stew ($12.95) was loaded with tender chunks of lamb, onion, carrots, celery and potatoes in a rich brown gravy. Stews are simple dishes but restaurants have a tendency to overcook them, making mush instead of a dish with color, texture and layers of flavor. Here, it’s perfectly cooked. No pub these days, American or Irish, from The Curragower Seafood Bar in Limerick to The Brazen Head in Dublin to St. Stephen’s Green in Mountain View can subsist without a burger on the menu. St. Stephen’s takes its burgers to the next step with the buildyour-own burger concept ($9.50). Choices are many: beef, turkey, salmon, buffalo, Kobe beef for an additional $2.45, and a vegetarian option that is already topped with mushrooms, onions, peppers and Swiss cheese. Each burger comes with a pile of fries; additional toppings are available for a nominal charge. I built a salmon burger with sauteed onions ($.75) and Irish bacon ($2). Irish bacon is made from the back meat of the hog, while American bacon comes from the belly.
Veronica Weber
Stained-glass booth partitions at St. Stephen’s Green show scenes of the Irish countryside.
The stick-to-your-ribs shepherd’s pie with a pint of Guinness. Irish bacon is similar to Canadian bacon, does not crisp when cooked, is a tad chewier and delivers a load of flavor. There was a trough of condiments on the table to enrich my salmon burger. After I loaded it up, the bun and patty were too thick to eat. I cut it in half and scrunched the bun to get my mouth around the sandwich. It wasn’t the most flavorful salmon I ever tasted, likely mixed with breadcrumbs and spices. The onions and bacon elevated the sandwich, though. I had no regrets. Additional Irish menu items included chicken and mushroom pie, Guinness steak pie, sausage and mash, and mixed grill. Non-Gaelic-inspired dishes were chicken, pasta, seafood and steaks along with soups, salads and sides. Desserts are not house-made but I was encouraged to try the apple pie ($5.50). It came with a double scoop of vanilla ice cream. The pie itself, one of those lattice-topped crusty affairs,was just okay: a touch too sweet, a tad lacking in apples. As for alcohol, there is a formidable offering of martinis, a so-so wine list and solid lineup of draft and bottled beers.
Many food items are 40 to 50 percent off during happy hour, 5 to 6:30 p.m. Monday through Friday: a very good deal. St. Stephen’s Green is what a good public place should be: reliable, friendly, a hub of activity serving tasty food and drink at fair prices. Despite its Americanization, I think this pub keeps Irish eyes smiling. N
St. Stephen’s Green 223 Castro St., Mountain View 650-964-9151 ststephensgreen.com Hours: Daily 11:30 a.m.-2 a.m. Sunday breakfast 9:30-11:30 a.m.. Reservations
Credit cards
Parking: City Lots
Alcohol Takeout Highchairs Wheelchair access
Banquet Catering
Outdoor seating
Noise level: High Bathroom Cleanliness: Good