Pure pub from pint to finish, with convivial air and comfort food

By GAIL CIAMPA
Journal Food Editor

• See the menu.

NEWPORT -- Visiting a new restaurant always comes with certain expectations based on the kind of place and the type of cuisine. When you walk into a pub -- an Irish one no less -- you expect great beer, comforting food and a jovial atmosphere.

What you expect is indeed what you get at Buskers Irish Pub and Restaurant.

The two-story Buskers, opened just a year ago by Irish native Tom Sheehan, is squeezed in among other Newport dining spots, coffee shops and boutiques on lower Thames Street.

The long, narrow pub is appointed with dark wood walls and high-back booths as you enter the cozy bar area. Irish signs and memorabilia dot the walls. A dining area with exposed brick walls has a view of Thames Street. A separate dining room on the second floor was occupied by a private party on the night of our visit.

The bar is backed with red brick and fronted with those familiar beer taps that call to a thirsty traveler -- names such as Guinness, Bass, Harp and John Courage. In all, there were 18 draft selections, fufilling all our expectations for a fine pint.

We tried three, beginning with one of my favorites, Smithwick's (pronounced Smith-icks, without the w), an Irish ale brewed by Guinness. When the full-bodied amber ale with its smooth finish flows from a tap, it's a dream in a glass. We also enjoyed Boddingtons, an easy-drinking British cream ale, and Belhaven, a Scottish ale that packed a bit of a bitter punch.

Sausages shipped from New York

With such hearty beers going down so easily, we were anxious to try the appetizers. Most were pub standards, so we opted for the Causeway platter, which gave us a sampling of five selections: Buffalo wings, mozzarella sticks, cocktail sausages, chicken tenders and large onion rings.

The small Irish cocktail sausages reminded us of the breakfast variety with their smooth texture, thin casing and mild flavor. The sausages, like the bangers in an entree, are shipped in from an Irish butcher in New York, chef Nathan Patenaude said later in a phone call.

The platter's Buffalo wings were standard-issue pub fare, spicy and meaty but with an average sauce. The mozzarella sticks were a little thin on the cheese, but the onion rings were thick and beer-battered, and went well with the beer.

The platter came with three sauces, a homemade honey mustard/Dijon, marinara and blue cheese, which were run of the mill.

For a second appetizer, we opted for Curry Chips, which were billed as Irish fries. These were hand-cut fries served with a side dish of curry sauce. That brown curry dip -- with its sweet, almost fruity tang -- turned out to be the perfect accompaniment for the meaty, moist chicken tenders of the Causeway platter.

Patenaude -- who spent a week in Kinsale, Ireland, last year as part of the chef exchange between Newport and the Emerald Isle -- took special note of that sauce in our conversation. He said that Irish food has an international flair not often recognized in culinary discussions. The meat-and-potatoes stereotype is passe.

His comments reminded me that we surely could have opted for the European Cheese Platter. which has Irish cheddar and goat cheese, brie and gorgonzola. Each would have paired nicely with the beers.

Plenty of the tenderest beef

We were already satisfied when our entrees arrived, but they managed to perk up our palates.

My dining companion's Jameson Pepper Steak was presented in a most appetizing way. The 12-ounce sirloin steak was dotted with peppercorns and poised over a mound of mashed potatoes with perfectly al dente green broccoli florets and peapods to the side. The Irish whiskey sauce was served in a separate small bowl.

The steak was cooked perfectly rare, as ordered, seared with the peppercorns on one side and finished in the oven on the other. The sauce, made by deglazing the pan with Jameson Irish Whiskey, Dijon mustard, and a touch of heavy cream, presented a full-bodied sweet flavor ideal for balancing the flavors of the tender, peppered steak. The mashed potatoes were creamy and offered the perfect foil to the sweet and peppery flavors.

Selecting only two entrees was a challenge this night. Shepherd's pie, corned beef and an Irish breakfast of eggs, Irish bacon and sausages, black and white pudding, brown bread and beans were all mighty tempting.

But I opted for Murphy's Irish Stew. It was served in a large bowl with a side of Irish soda bread. There was plenty of the tenderest beef, just enough carrots and potatoes in a rich, creamy brown sauce. The dish was the ultimate in comfort food for a cold winter evening.

Irish coffee and cheesecake

Our server, Deirdre, was pleasant and quick to the ready. She brought us the bad news that Buskers' housemade dessert, Bailey's Creme Brulee, was not available.

So we chose cheesecake and a slice of Chocolate Thunder, a triple-layered chocolate cake, to go with our Irish Coffee.

The cheesecake was nice and dense, and the chocolate cake was moist, rich, and dotted with powdered sugar for a nice presentation. Both slices were large enough to have been shared.

Sure enough, they went nicely with Irish coffee that was a perfect blend of coffee, cream, sugar and Irish whiskey. It warmed us up head to toe.

Things might have been unnaturally quiet on our midweek visit had it not been for three families who converged in the dining room after flying into Rhode Island for a weekend wedding. Their conversations and celebratory air brought a life to the pub as they caught up on news and recounted their travel experiences from points around the country.

Comforting food, good drink choices, and a lively crowd -- that's what you want from your pub. And that's what we got at Buskers.

****

Details, Details

Buskers Irish Pub and Restaurant, 178 Thames St., Newport, (401) 846-5856, www.buskerspub.com. Casual. Reservations accepted. Wheelchair accessible. High chairs available. Open for lunch and dinner daily from 11 p.m. to 1 a.m. V, MC, DIS, AE and DC. Street parking. Appetizers cost $3.95 to $10.95. Entrees are $6.95 to $18.95 with most under $10; lunch menu with sandwiches and burgers $6.95 to $8.95. Kids' menu $3.95 to $4.95. Desserts $5.95. Pints of beer on draft, $4. The wine list includes glasses from $5.50 to $6.75. Live entertainment on Friday and Saturday nights.

****

If you like Trinity Brewhouse, Ri-Ra, and Union Station Brewery, all in Providence, you'll like Buskers.

****

BILL OF FARE

The dinner bill for two at Buskers Irish Pub and Restaurant might look something like this:

Causeway Platter . . . . $10.95

Jameson Pepper Steak . . $18.95

Murphy's Irish Stew . . . $9.95

Cheesecake slice. . . . . $5.95

2 pints of Smithwick's. . $8

2 Irish coffees. . . . . $12

Tax . . . . . . . . . . . . $5.26

Tip. . . . . . . . . . . . $14

Total . . . . . . . . . . $85.06

---

Buskers Irish Pub and Restaurant