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Type: Irish
Hours: Monday-Saturday, 11:30 a.m.-11 p.m. Sunday, noon-11 p.m.
Good Choices: Jalapeno poppers, baked bris, stuffed mushrooms, New York sirloin, Ciro's chicken, fish and chips, and Irish beef stew.
Credit Cards: Discover, MasterCard, Visa.
Access: Fully accessible.
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THE DUBLINER
197 Market St., Lowell
(978) 458-2120
Restaurant reviewed 10/01/97 by Bob MacDonald
Like a number of old New England mill towns, Lowell retains some 19th-century funkiness, an Old World quality that the city has been smart enough to rehab rather than replace. Some of its downtown streets, for example, have been restored to charming cobblestone.
The Dubliner lies amid all this, in an airy and spacious room in an old brick building, with a bar at the back and sturdy tables in the front. That we were panhandled when we stopped to ask directions only adds to the color and supports my belief that you should never ask directions.
The Dubliner attracts different ages, including extended families. The service is quiet and efficient. The appetizer section is the kind you can get lost in and make a meal from a combination of dishes. If potato skins with cheddar and bacon are not enough of a nod to Ireland, there are "Irish skins" ($4.75) with cheddar and corned beef, and never mind that bacon is really more Irish than corned beef.
Baked brie ($6.25) came in a scooped-out round bread loaf and was mixed with toasted almonds and honey mustard for a contrast in texture and taste. It was served with fruit, in this case orange slices, a pleasant alternative to the apple we're more accustomed to.
Jalapeno poppers ($5.60) were a new take on chili rellenos, stuffed with cream cheese and deep-fried to make ample little morsels to dip in salsa. The jalapenos, though minus seeds and ribs, still offered some heat as opposed to the milder chilies of traditional rellenos.
Stuffed mushroom caps ($4.95) were rich, buttery, and bound together with a chewy melted mozzarella. We never detected the seafood stuffing, but we didn't care.
Poor man's pizza ($3.50) sounds like high school cafeteria fare, but it isn't. It's the Dubliner's usual garlic bread topped with cheese, fresh tomato, and Bermuda onion. The onion on ours was slightly caramelized, blending nicely with the cheese.
The Dubliner's version of the Caesar salad ($3.95) is an immense platter of crisp romaine with croutons and a honey-mustard vinaigrette sort of dressing, tasty if not totally Caesary.
We appreciated the aforementioned seafood stuffing more in the baked stuffed haddock ($10.95). Light and mild, it complemented the fish well, although the fish might have been in the oven a tad too long. The accompanying rice pilaf was fluffy and enriched with chicken stock. Peas, served with this and other entrees, tasted fresh and were cooked just enough.
Fish and chips ($7.95) was true to its British Isles origins, the fish having a light, sweet batter fried to a crispy puffiness.
Roast pork ($8.25) was three thick slices of what appeared to be tenderloin, with just enough gravy to moisten this lean cut and highlight the taste. It was accompanied by colcannon potatoes, which are mashed and infused with the most minute morsels of varying other tasty bits, in this case onions. These were the lightest of mashed potatoes that seemed to have had air injected into them.
Ciro's chicken ($9.95) featured a boneless, skinless chicken breast topped with mozzarella cheese and sliced tomatoes and then baked. The tomatoes added flavor while keeping the chicken moist, and the right amount of garlic permeated the blend.
A New York sirloin ($12.95) had a pleasantly charcoal-flavored exterior while remaining tender and moist inside.
Closheens, a house specialty for $10.95, was described as a traditional Irish dish of scallops "baked in a savory white wine sauce." Apparently this dish is very popular because for each of our three visits the Dubliner was out of it.
Fortunately another house special, Irish beef stew ($6.25), was available: Beef and carrots simmered in Guinness stout and served in a casserole ringed with colcannon potatoes extruded from a pastry bag. Guinness, it turns out, has just as beneficial an effect on beef as does burgundy.
Guinness also kept a chocolate cake ($3.50) pleasantly moist, making what could be called an Irish tiramisu, sweet and satisfying.
And of course what would an Irish establishment be without Guinness on tap along with other goodies such as Samuel Adams and Oregon IPA?
Tips & hits
