Treat for the eye and palate, Patrick Molloy’s is worth a special trip for the holidays
by Richard Foss
Most Irish bars and restaurants in America celebrate the food and traditions of the Irish diaspora, not the folks who stayed in the auld sod. The difference is profound – while Irish-Americans have celebrated St. Patrick’s Day in pubs since the 1870s, pubs in Ireland were closed on that day until the 1970s because it was a religious holiday. The celebration of Christmas was a similarly low-key affair there, and a single candle in the front window of a home is still the most common festive lighting for the season.
Patrick Molloy’s, the Irish-themed bar and grill on the Hermosa Pier Plaza, has only fitfully served anything resembling Irish cuisine. They opened as a steakhouse, shifted to being mainly a bar with generic food, and stayed that way for most of two decades. Recently their food focus has been on the upswing, and having heard good reports I decided to visit.
Patrick Molloy’s holiday atmosphere makes it a favorite for families and friends.
When I did, I found that their attitude toward Christmas decorating goes way beyond a candle in the window. Their interior decorations are extravagant, yet tasteful, a rare combination. If you stop in to admire them you might be inclined to stay for a drink or a meal, which I’m sure is exactly what they have in mind.
The starters menu is a mix of bar favorites like wings, deviled eggs, and loaded potato skins with more upscale bites like bacon-wrapped dates and brussels sprouts with bacon and balsamic glaze, with Ireland represented by grilled sausages with mustard. Then again, when I last visited Ireland, the pubs there were serving wings, fries, and the like too. American bar food has a global following.
Most of the items we had were satisfactory, some very good indeed, with one exception. We had a friendly disagreement about whether the bacon-wrapped dates stuffed with blue cheese were enhanced by the balsamic reduction or not. The combination of smoky, sweet, and funky had a little added sweetness and tartness, which wasn’t absolutely necessary. Was it one element too many? We kept eating them until they were gone and couldn’t decide. The deviled eggs were the standard item with a little crumbled bacon and a sliver of cornichon pickle on top, and the bowl of housemade clam chowder was quite good. (This is usually served in a sourdough bread bowl, but they’ll bring it out in a regular bowl if you prefer.)
Patrick Molloy’s bartender Jerry pouring special holiday drinks.
The only starter that didn’t work was the buffalo cauliflower, which arrived from the kitchen limp and mushy. They had used frozen rather than fresh vegetables, and in this preparation you can really tell the difference. I’d recommend that they keep this item on the menu but prepare it with fresh ingredients – it’s a little more work and a lot better result.
Patrick Molloy’s always has a good cocktail selection, but for Christmas they have gone overboard with specialty drinks that celebrate the season. We ordered two items from the regular menu, a milk punch that might have delighted ballgoers in the era of Jane Austen, and a modern take on the Penicillin with passionfruit and ginger called City of Angels. It was excellent with a balanced fruitiness and ginger sharpness. I’d have it again in a heartbeat. On another visit we sampled an original Christmas themed drink called The Krampus and “Yippie Ki Yay, Mother F–,” along with a classic hot buttered rum. The holiday theme extends to the glassware, with the Krampus served in a mug shaped like a gape-mouthed devil. These drinks were stellar and worthy of keeping on the list. Kevin Jones, the bartender who created that menu, may be the most creative bartender in Hermosa, and his concoctions are worth a trip.
The main courses showed a kitchen that has ambitions, but is working on consistency. The shepherd’s pie was excellent, made with roasted lamb rather than the usual ground beef, with a flavorful demi-glace gravy. The Irish banger sausages may be polarizing because they’re authentic, using finely ground meat with a bready, mildly seasoned filler instead of the coarse grinds and more peppery elements that Americans often prefer. It was served with potatoes and an onion gravy of the type residents of the British Isles have enjoyed for centuries. (A French ambassador to England in the 17th century wrote a poem in which he swore to uproot every onion in his garden when he got home, since the English put them in everything and he was tired of them.) We appreciated the light, crisp fish and chips too – they’re not cooked in beef tallow the way they are traditionally, but they hit the spot.
Santa’s favorite holiday drink at Patrick Molloy’s.
We ordered plain cheese and hot honey pizzas, with mixed results. Both had a medium crust that was soft rather than crisp, and the plain cheese was simply good. Unfortunately, the sauce on the hot honey pizza with pepperoni and pineapple had a curious gritty texture that was not to our liking. The server removed it from our bill and offered an alternative, but we had over-ordered so just shared our items with the person who chose it.
On the visit when we saved enough room for dessert, they had run out of the one we liked the sound of, so that experiment will have to wait for another day. There will be one, because Patrick Molloy’s is showing that a place that has been a culinary underachiever for decades can have a renaissance in food and drink, and that’s the kind of thing worth supporting.
Patrick Molloy’s is at #50A Pier Plaza in Hermosa. Open 11 a.m. – 2 a.m. Mon. — Fri. 9 a.m. – 2 a.m. Sat. –Sun., Street parking or pay lot. Wheelchair access good. Sound level medium to loud depending on the crowd, full bar, some vegetarian items. Phone never answered. PatrickMolloys.com. ER