50 East Washington Street, Petaluma, CA 94952
(707) 765-9694
Parking: in shopping center
http://www.dempseys.com/
Last Visited: August 2, 2006
Food: 3 stars
Atmosphere: 3 stars
Service: 3 stars
Price: $$ to $$$
Dempsey’s isn’t much to look at from the outside. In fact, if you’re still in the parking lot, you might think it’s a store, not a restaurant. The entrance is on the side facing the Petaluma River. There is outside patio dining available. Inside, it’s fairly dark. It is a brewery after all. The bar has a television, and inside there is ample seating.
It’s been a while between the actual visit and the review, so the details of the dishes are going to be a bit vague, but the overall impression is still here.
- Cheese Burger – It was a good burger, but a bit pricey considering what you get. You’re paying restaurant hamburger prices for sure, and the portions are average.
- Pizza of the Day – I was a bit disappointed by this pizza. The size and presentation were nice, but the flavor wasn’t unique. This pizza was topped with sausage that had a special sauce, but it wasn’t to our tastes. The crust was thin, so that was nicely done, but as a whole, the pizza wasn’t all that good.
- Root beer – This is their special brew of root beer. It was nice and smooth. Not unlike other brewery root beers. Good, but not exciting.
- Beer – The overall review on the beer is that it wasn’t outstanding, but maybe we just didn’t care for the ones that we chose.
During my 2006 visit (as opposed to my last visit three years ago), Dempsey’s seems to have changed its menu to have a more seasonal flare.
- Flat Bread Sandwich - Today’s flat bread sandwich contained smoked salmon, chive spread, red onions, and tomatoes. It’s served with a side green salad of spring mix. The sandwich is basically homemade pita bread – thin and crispy and well seasoned. In fact, it was a bit salty for my taste – the bread would have been good alone, but the encrusted cheese on it coupled with the spread and the smoked salmon just piles on the salt so that by the third bite, you’re looking for something to cleanse your palate which is where the salad comes in. If you like your sandwiches on the salty side, you’ll love this. The combination of ingredients was nice, but one of the halves of my sandwich contained salmon that was tough and had some sort of thing about it that prevented the meat from being pulled apart. The green salad was fresh and seemed to be a good accompaniment. $9.95
- Pork Chop – The dish was described as a Dempsey’s classic. It’s marinated with hoisin and served with mashed potatoes and sautéed seasonal vegetables. Although I didn’t eat the sides, I tried a bite of the pork chop when it was served and found it to be fairly juicy. I’m not sure if it maintained the same juiciness as the meal went forward. It didn’t taste marinated with hoisin sauce to me, but it did have a light sweetness about it. $14.95
- Side of Homemade Fries – The fries are cut and deep fried until golden. Crispy on the outside and soft on the inside, they had good flavor and there was certainly an ample quantity. My only suggestion is to get a larger potato cutter. These pieces were about the size of my pinky finger or shorter. Great flavor, but longer fries would be better. $4
My overall impression wasn’t great, but wasn’t bad either. I thought brewery food here was better than others I have tried. The problem was that there was too much hype. I had heard all these wonderful and outstanding things about Dempsey’s that maybe I had set my expectations too high. So you’ll have to decide for yourself. Nothing screams at me to try it again, but I’m not avoiding it either.
Showing posts with label pub. Show all posts
Showing posts with label pub. Show all posts
Friday, April 1, 2011
Saturday, July 31, 2010
The Golden Fleece - Pub, London, United Kingdom
8 Queens St
London, EC4N 1SP
Tel: 08721 077 077
Nearest Tube: Bank or Mansion House
Restaurant Hours: Mon - Friday 11:30am - 8pm
http://www.traditionalpubslondon.co.uk/goldenfleece/index.php
Last Visited: July 7, 2010
Food: 3 stars
Atmosphere: 3 stars
Service: 3 stars
Price: $$
We had just toured the Bank of England and had begun to roam around the area seeking some lunch. I hadn't had any pub food yet and with not much nearby, I was looking for just about any place that had seating and decent food. It's remarkable how much the Brits are into sandwiches. Pret A Manger abounds around every corner, almost like a Starbucks sighting in California - they're everywhere you look. As we were walking towards the next tube station, we came upon The Golden Fleece. A number of people whom looked like they were a business bunch were inside enjoying a beer during their lunch, and it seemed as good a place as any. Little did I know that after lunch, we would find a bunch more cafes just around the corner, but this turned out to be a good find.
Inside, there is a lot of wood, and it's fairly spacious - just as you would expect a classic pub to look like. There were signs of world cup celebrations and happy hours around the tables and the bar. The menu offered fish and chips, burgers, sandwiches, baked potatoes with toppings, and a number of dishes great for sharing.
Unaccustomed to the pub scene in England, we didn't realize that nobody comes to your table. The waitress shouted to us that we needed to come up to the bar to order. Apparently, the long time we spent staring at the menus was a sure sign of our ignorance of pub etiquette.
Upon ordering, salads and main courses arrived about fifteen minutes later.
- Side Salad - The side salad had lettuce, spring mix, cucumbers, tomatoes, red onions, and olives. The Italian dressing was good and the vegetables were surprisingly very fresh. It was a great salad to start the meal and a great price too. 2.50 pounds
- Stuffed Pork Sausages and Mash - Of course, we had to have our mandatory bangers and mash - we were at a pub after all. Three Suffolk sausages are cooked until brown and placed on a bed of mashed potatoes on top of a pool of red onion gravy. Maybe it was the simplicity of the dish, but it was hearty and good. The sausage filling was tender and the flavors were just right - not too salty. Good stuff.
If you're ever in area of Bank, it's a good stop for some classic pub specialties in a sit down environment which was seemingly rather difficult to find in the immediate area. And if you happen to have a very large group, there is another large room downstairs where private events may be held.
London, EC4N 1SP
Tel: 08721 077 077
Nearest Tube: Bank or Mansion House
Restaurant Hours: Mon - Friday 11:30am - 8pm
http://www.traditionalpubslondon.co.uk/goldenfleece/index.php
Last Visited: July 7, 2010
Food: 3 stars
Atmosphere: 3 stars
Service: 3 stars
Price: $$
We had just toured the Bank of England and had begun to roam around the area seeking some lunch. I hadn't had any pub food yet and with not much nearby, I was looking for just about any place that had seating and decent food. It's remarkable how much the Brits are into sandwiches. Pret A Manger abounds around every corner, almost like a Starbucks sighting in California - they're everywhere you look. As we were walking towards the next tube station, we came upon The Golden Fleece. A number of people whom looked like they were a business bunch were inside enjoying a beer during their lunch, and it seemed as good a place as any. Little did I know that after lunch, we would find a bunch more cafes just around the corner, but this turned out to be a good find.
Inside, there is a lot of wood, and it's fairly spacious - just as you would expect a classic pub to look like. There were signs of world cup celebrations and happy hours around the tables and the bar. The menu offered fish and chips, burgers, sandwiches, baked potatoes with toppings, and a number of dishes great for sharing.
Unaccustomed to the pub scene in England, we didn't realize that nobody comes to your table. The waitress shouted to us that we needed to come up to the bar to order. Apparently, the long time we spent staring at the menus was a sure sign of our ignorance of pub etiquette.
Upon ordering, salads and main courses arrived about fifteen minutes later.
- Side Salad - The side salad had lettuce, spring mix, cucumbers, tomatoes, red onions, and olives. The Italian dressing was good and the vegetables were surprisingly very fresh. It was a great salad to start the meal and a great price too. 2.50 pounds
- Stuffed Pork Sausages and Mash - Of course, we had to have our mandatory bangers and mash - we were at a pub after all. Three Suffolk sausages are cooked until brown and placed on a bed of mashed potatoes on top of a pool of red onion gravy. Maybe it was the simplicity of the dish, but it was hearty and good. The sausage filling was tender and the flavors were just right - not too salty. Good stuff.If you're ever in area of Bank, it's a good stop for some classic pub specialties in a sit down environment which was seemingly rather difficult to find in the immediate area. And if you happen to have a very large group, there is another large room downstairs where private events may be held.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)