A. J. Kelly's

Reviewed By:

Arthur J. Kingston.

I was in here just this last Thursday, as it happens. I don't go there that often as they're a bit pricey for my tastes - it's probably over a year since I was in there last - but a guy at work was paying so I wasn't about to object.

Why I was getting a free lunch is a bit of a long story, but to keep it short I'll just mention that I'd done this guy at work a bit of a favor a while back, and he'd promised me a lunch for doing it. Well, that was last year, and I'd heard nothing more about it, so I'd pretty much forgotten the whole thing. So then I had to go to this meeting last Wednesday, and there he was, with a friend of mine who works for him.

Well, after the meeting, Phil (my buddy) and I were chit-chatting about this and that, you know how you do, and as I was leaving, Phil said "Hey! You doin' anything for lunch tomorrow?", and I said "No particular plans, you wanna go out and grab a beer?". Seems like Frank (the boss) must have been listening, and seemingly it jogged his memory that he owed me one. So when Phil calls me the next day, he says "Hey! Frank's springing for lunch. Where d'you wanna go?". Well A. J. Kelly's wouldn't have been first on my list, I must admit; I hadn't even thought about the place in a while, what with the cost of living being close to $4 a pint last time I was in there. I suggested the Killarney Rose, a bit more my style, but Phil said that Frank would kill him if we went there. We needed to go somewheres and run the tab up a bit more. You know how it can be sometimes - you don't offer someone a free lunch for doing something, and then buy 'em a hot dog, after all. Even if all they really wanted was a hot dog.

So originally, we were thinking about Beckett's, and God knows you can run up a tab in there - $6 for a pint of Stella Artois, indeed. But we stuck our heads through the front door, and it looked like a bloody casting-call for "Birth of a Nation" in there. There was no room at the inn, so to speak. Well, I don't like the place that much anyway, so I wasn't that bothered when we decided to go someplace else.

I was still actively lobbying for the Killarney Rose of course, but Phil wouldn't hear of it; we needed somewhere a bit classier. So we were trying to decide where to go, and the wind was getting up a bit, and we thought about the Mercantile Grill, but that place can be a bit of a zoo too, sometimes. Then I suggested A. J. Kelly's. I've always had a bit of a soft spot for that place, what with my initials being AJK too - silly I know, but you know how it is sometimes.

Phil agreed, so off we set. We took a look through the window, and we could see there was a couple of seats free at the bar, which suited us just fine, so in we went. Then Phil takes a look down the bar, and who should be sitting down there but his boss's boss, Bob? And Al, but then those two go everywhere together. Well, I've always got along OK with Bob, so we went and said our hellos - usual stuff, you know. When we got back to our seats we ordered a couple of drinks, and the bartender comes back with them and says that the drinks are on Bob. A free drink that didn't count towards the cost of a free meal! Well, you don't need to tell me twice. We saluted Bob with our freshly filled glasses, and turned back to face the bar; lunch-time called.

Oh yes, I had the potato skins with bacon and cheese, and four pints of Miller Genuine Draft. Phil had some kind of steak, I forget what kind it was. It was all pretty decent, as I recall. I've no idea how much it cost, because Phil put it on his card.

Reviewer's Rating

Two thumbs up!
Good food, good drinks, and the price was right that day, at least.

Miscellaneous items of interest:

• Four TV sets! Two generally tuned to CNBC, one always tuned to a news channel (varies). The last one looks like it's tuned to a TV signal from Pluto or somewhere.
• Bar used to be called something else, but I forget what. It was an Irish name too, I'm sure - I'll think of it eventually.
• Different bar-tender since the last time I was in there. He's good too - spots an empty glass as soon as you put it down.
• Video Poker machines are strictly for amusement only.