If you have occasion to visit Westminster, put O'Lordans Irish Pub on your list of MUST stops. The stone building, circa late 1860s, has been renovated with style and a nod to the past. The Pub is owned and operated by Dave and Wendy Johansson - Wendy traces the O'Lordans name to her grandmother's family. O'Lordans is open every day except Monday. Visit their website at http://www.olordansirishpub.com/.
I was at Westminster to hear Ramblin' Jack Elliott at the Westminster Theatre. O'Lordans is just a couple of blocks away from the theatre. While indulging in Bushmills Irish Whiskey, we decided to stay around for dinner since the Pub seemed to be attracting quite a crowd. Food and service were both A++!
O'Lordan's offers a variety of soups and salads ranging in price from $3 for small portions to $5 for large soups and $4 to $9 for salads. We decided to share an appetizer instead of soup or salad and indulged in the Oak Smoked Salmon served with flat bread, capers, red onions, hard-boiled chopped egg, and chive cream. It was excellent! Other appetizer options were Irish Cheese Board, Crab Dip, Gaelic Prawns, Irish Whiskey Tenders, Onion Loaf, Potato Skins, and more. Most were between $8 and $12.
The guys (hubby and a SOMD friend that we met at the Pub) both ordered the Gaelic Strip - 14 oz grilled New York Strip topped with 3 jumbo shrimp in white wine butter sauce. The steak was accompanied by roasted red bliss potatoes and Dublinear asparagus gratin. All of this for $25.99 - the steak was melt-in-your mouth tender and the shrimp firm and full of flavor. I must try asparagus gratin in my kitchen - you can too, just pull out your favorite gratin recipe and add a little Irish cheese to it! Thanks guys for giving me a taste from your plates!
I ordered Duck Ravioli - duck confit stuffed home-made ravioli topped with butternut squash and sage sauce. (Giada DeLaurentis has a similar sauce that she uses over pasta with shrimp and I've used her recipe several times. This sauce was reminiscent of Giada's and was absolutely divine.) The ravioli was accompanied by string vegetables (what's the culinary term for carrots, zucchini, etc., cut in very thin strips and sauteed for just a few minutes?). The mound of vegies in the middle of the plate was tender crisp with just a hint of butter and really benefited from a brush of the ravioli sauce. This dish was heavenly!
The Pub menu also contained filet mignon, salmon, crab cakes, lamb, chicken, and pasta dishes. I will most definitely return to O'Lordans and try something else next time ... although that will be difficult if the Duck Ravioli is the speciality of the night again. There is also an abundant sandwich list with lots of side options. Specialty desserts included Irish Cream Cheesecake, Bread Pudding, Irish Mist Strawberry Shortcake, and Baileys Irish Cream Rice Pudding - we were too full to indulge.
Service was excellent, from the bar tender to the hostesses to our server. These folks were very pleasant, enjoyed their work, and were proud of the building and their menu. I did not, however, get a cocktail napkin (-) while in the bar or when seated for dinner; you know my pet peeves!
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