The Irish Surprise

I am aware that I am a food snob. I admit that I judge restaurants based on their covers, I turn up my nose at laminated menus and beer flags, and I even make snide comments sometimes like "I'll order chicken fingers, they can't screw that up." However, I actually enjoy it when my snootiness comes back to bite me in the ass.

The first time I was a patronizing patron at Rosie O'Grady's in Ferndale, I didn't even order food, based solely on the decor (you know, traditional Irish... shamrocks and neon orange). I ordered a pint of Guiness and had a good time. Rosie's didn't cross my mind again for two years.

Then last night I joined a group that was going to Rosie's to celebrate my friend Andrew's birthday. I went in with low standards and assumed I would just order chicken fingers and mozzerella sticks. Which I did, and I am so very grateful for it. Now... mozzerella sticks are glorious everywhere, but thats my personal bias, so I will exclude them from this discussion.

The chicken fingers, however, were out of this world. Cooked to perfection, with a crispy flavorful crust - not just the standard brown tasteless grit you would expect in a joint where the water stained ceiling tiles are threatening to crash into your lap any second. No, these fingers had class... they could have been served over a sweet potato puree with a brown sugar mustard drizzle... but I digress.

One of the lovely ladies of the group recommended the chicken dumpling soup, claiming it was the best soup she had ever had. This was a grand statement, one I had to test, so I ordered a cup of the chicken dumpling soup for myself. I couldn't say it was the best soup of my life, but it was delicious; creamy, hearty, and I think the dumplings were homemade! My only complaint was that they went overboard with the salt. Then again, I finished every last spoonful.

So what's the lesson learned? Don't write off a restaurant just because it looks like a shithole... but just in case, order the chicken fingers. It really is pretty difficult to screw up chicken fingers, and you never know, they might just win you over. If not, you can always try the soup.