Restaurant Review: Inishmor satisfies comfort food cravings
When traveling through Ireland with our friends the Cakes, my husband and I fell in love with Irish pubs — and that’s no blarney!
So we were pleased to happen upon the relatively new Inishmor, an Irish pub in Colchester, right across from the green.
The Inishmor offers a menu with many items rooted in traditional Irish dishes, a selection of about 50 craft brews, and entertainment on select nights.
The open space, home to other eateries over the years, has exposed brick walls, new floors, moderate lighting, a spiffed-up bar, comfy booths and tables.
Appropriate decorative items and paraphernalia, including signage, emblems, photos, paintings and flags, are placed strategically, but nothing is overdone.
Service was friendly. All in all, it provides the welcoming feeling of a pub in the Auld Sod.
The kitchen prides itself on making everything from scratch. The staff says that absolutely nothing has been previously frozen, that the place doesn’t even have a freezer (OK, there has to be one for ice cubes).
Our first foray was for lunch. It was too early for us to lift a pint, but not to try a couple of different sandwiches.
In addition to a regular reuben, the restaurant offers what it calls a salthill reuben. That one features a generous cut of deep-fried haddock on a toasted burger bun, with crunchy, house-made coleslaw, a slathering of Russian dressing and melted Swiss cheese. While those accoutrements bolstered the combo, the putative star of the show, the haddock, had little flavor.
Since one of the burgers referrenced Newcastle, one of Michael’s former brew favorites (Guinness now rules), that was an easy pick. The grilled bun was filled with a slab of Irish bacon (similar to the Canadian version) and bright Cheddar cheese melted onto a very good burger. I had ordered it medium rare, but it arrived well-done. Otherwise, it was nice.
Fries steal the show
The thick-cut fries, however, were outstanding, ranking among the best we could recall. We split our preferences, ordering one sandwich with sweet potato fries and the other with regular. Both were top-shelf.
We went back for dinner a couple of weeks later. A Cajun catfish salad with four crispy, battered fish filets made a wonderful textural contrast to a bed of chopped iceberg underneath.
Strewn over the top was an assortment of sliced avocado, chopped tomatoes and bitingly sharp red onion bits. A side ramekin held a delicious buttermilk dressing. The salad would make a great luncheon item all by itself.
Spotting mac n’ cheese on the menu, but not wanting it plain, I went with the option of adding Buffalo chicken. The ample portion was a perfect example of updated comfort food. Cavatappi pasta curled through the melting, yummy, four-cheese blend tossed with plenty of cubed chicken breast. An extra jolt from the spicy Buffalo sauce peaked each bite.
Michael picked an Irish stew, Dublin coddle. His large portion of carrots, potatoes and onions had been simmered for hours, creating a thick base which held two fat, grilled sausages. A formidable chunk of dark pumpernickel bread, baked with an outer shell of regular rye, was there to swab the decks when finished.
Of the two desserts available that evening, the deconstructed Inish-smores or apple cobbler, we chose the latter. Unfortunately, it had way too much thick cake batter and too few chunks of apple.
Families and couples came, the crowd swelled and the tables were turning. The locals have found their pub.
The Inishmor
20 Main St., Colchester
(860) 603-2369
facebook.com/Inishmorpub
Rating: *** 1/2
In a nutshell: Pub atmosphere with loads of great suds and appropriate comfort food. Friendly service. We loved the catfish salad, Dublin Coddle and four cheese mac n’ cheese. The fries rule!
Prices: $-$$
Hours: 3 p.m. to 1 a.m. Monday to Thursday; 3 p.m. to 2 a.m. Friday and Saturday; 11 a.m. to 1 a.m. Sunday
Basics: Major credit cards accepted. Separate children’s menu. Wheelchair accessible.