B.D. Riley's Irish Pub
The perfectly pulled imperial pint of Smithwick's Ale was all I needed
Reviewed by Wes Marshall, Fri., Oct. 28, 2005
B.D. Riley's Irish Pub
204 E. Sixth, 494-1335
Monday-Tuesday, 4pm-midnight; Wednesday and Sunday, 11:30am-midnight; Thursday-Saturday, 11:30am-2am (kitchen is open until 10pm Sunday-Thursday and until 11pm Friday-Saturday)
Five years ago was the first time I spent a significant amount of time in Ireland. The second thing I fell in love with (after God's nicest people) was pub life. There's something heartwarming about spending an evening in the company of your fellow human beings, enjoying a nice brew and good, reasonably priced foods. In Ireland, its not uncommon to find an entire family spending two or three hours, maybe watching a little football on TV, staying warm and dry, possibly listening to some tunes being played by locals who just brought in their instruments.One of the Dublin places we fell in love with was Oliver St. John Gogarty Pub in Temple Bar. Besides having everything we liked, the beer man introduced me to what would become my chosen drink. I know, when in Dublin, drink Guinness, right? Well, pulling a proper Guinness is a rare talent, even in Dublin. No, the brew that stole my heart was the malty, un-bitter Smithwick's Ale from Kilkenny.
When I got back home to Austin, I was longing for a good pub. I tried them all, and found a number of good ones. First, I fell in love with Opal Divine's for its great ambience, food, and drink, and I still love it. But when I wanted to try to re-create the feel of Oliver St. John Gogarty, the clear winner was – and is – B.D. Riley's. It's in a similar neighborhood, the crowds are friendly and talkative, the sports on the televisions is well-picked and atmospheric, and if you go in on a Sunday night, you're likely to find some of Austin's better amateur Celtic musicians playing for nothing more than your smiles and an occasional free beer. For five years, I've been going in and sampling the friendly atmosphere, good food, and properly pulled Guinness ($4.75 for an imperial pint).
When I went in for this review, I went over to the bar, and suddenly my heart started racing. The circle is complete. I have found my beer nirvana: B.D. Riley's now has Smithwick's Ale ($4.75 for an imperial pint) on tap. Praise be to whoever decided to import it!
After a couple of well-pulled imperial pints, life was feeling good, and we ordered dinner. Your first look at the menu will confirm that B.D. Riley's hews to the first tenet of great pub grub: reasonable prices. Its Potato Skins ($4.95), for instance, were ideally cooked and covered with the goodies: cheese, bacon, and baby onions, with the sour cream on the side for the putatively weight conscious. My wife ordered the Corned Beef and Cabbage ($9.95), which is two large chunks of beer-braised corned beef served on a bed of deliciously dilled sautéed cabbage with sides of real mashed potatoes and a tangy horseradish mustard. For myself, I have to admit to being a creature of habit. I think B.D. Riley's makes the best fish and chips I've had outside of the UK. They start with two or three nice, hefty, juicy pieces of cod loin, then dip them lightly in a beer batter and fry them till just crispy and steaming hot. That comes with thick-cut fries, a sweet coleslaw, and homemade tartar sauce. It's a big meal, one of my favorites in the city, all for $9.95. And finally I can have it with Smithwick's Ale on tap! Glory be.
