Donovan's Pub

There is a banner hanging outside of this pub proclaiming that it has the #1 Rated Hamburger in NY. Of course, even if it didn't advertise the supremacy of their burgers, I would have gone in. It looks mysterious and castle-like from the outside, and the interior is dark and cozy. Jose and I were led to a booth in a private corner, close to the fireplace, but separate from the rest of the diners. I guess we looked like we wanted a romantic dinner. We were looking for burgers, not romance, but it was a nice thought. We decided to snack on wings as a starter, this being a bar and all. And a pint of Guinness to wash them down. The wings came out quickly, extremely hot, very crispy, and the meat inside was steaming and tender. The only light source was the flickering candle on our table, so the following pictures are quite dark.
The wings were not tossed in sauce, as buffalo wings often are. Instead, they were freshly fried, and sent out in a basket with two sauces: sweet and sour, and blue cheese. I like my wings to be spicy. But the wings themselves were meaty and delicious. If the worst thing in my life is that I had to dip my crispy fried wings in some sweet and sour sauce, then I really can't complain.

Then the burgers. We each got one, Jose went for the cheeseburger, I opted for a plain burger. The platters were set before us, a nice pile of fried potato wedges, the burger, and the bun. I do like a little something on my burgers, so I asked the waiter if I could have some lettuce and tomato. He apologized, saying that due to a recent change, lettuce and tomato were $1.25 extra. I still wanted them, extra charge or not, and a few seconds later he handed me a small plate with some iceberg lettuce and a slice of tomato. After topping the burger, I took this picture.

The burger, a thick patty, nicely charred on the outside, pink on the inside, was beefy and juicy.
I would have liked an onion, but it was too late to ask. The fries were crisp and hot, and quite addictive. It was fine, it was tasty, it was a good hamburger. Good, not great. I am not a burger purist, I like my toppings, so maybe I should have ordered the bacon cheeseburger. But it was not the best hamburger I've ever had. I liked Donovan's. I loved the atmosphere, the neighborhood feel, the crackling fire, the service; it's an old school pub, and it was bustling. But I was expecting greatness (with exclamation points!) the best burger in New York! Anything less is disappointing. Of the burgers sampled on Roosevelt Avenue so far, I would rate it #2. To see #1, click here.

Donovan's Pub
57-24 Roosevelt Ave
Woodside

Pub Brunch

Last week in Sunnyside. PJ Horgan's. I was so looking forward to a good burger, and they did not disappoint. I told José that we were going to go to a pub for brunch today, Saturday. A pub, you know, a bar with good food and Guinness. It wasn't a very difficult sell. Even with the mid-day sun shining brightly, and the glare from the snow, it was dark and cozy inside. There were a few people sitting at the bar watching rugby. I liked it already. There was a baby behind the bar. Don't know why. I liked it even more. We sat at a wooden booth under a stained-glass lamp, and were given a brunch menu, as well as the dinner menu. Here's the problem with the brunch menu: the drinks included in the brunch special were the regulars - bloody mary, screwdriver, maybe a mimosa, and then the kicker- domestic beers. Why would we get domestic beers in an Irish pub when what we really wanted was a Guinness? Ok, I didn't really want a Guinness, I was there for the food, but why would we want a domestic beer when José really wanted a Guinness. He loves them. We asked our server just to make sure, and even in Sunnyside, Guinness does not count as a domestic beer. So we ordered from the dinner menu. The Sunnyside burger and Shepherd's pie. It was, as I mentioned, very dark inside, so I had a very hard time getting good pictures. I hate using a flash in a restaurant. My not so great pictures of pretty great food-
The Guinness. No description necessary.

Soda bread. Comes with all entrees. It was delicious. Very moist as soda breads go, with plump golden raisins and caraway seeds. Sweet and salty.

Worst picture ever, so I will describe. Thick patty, ordered medium rare, came medium rare, (which doesn't happen often enough). The burger was topped with cheddar cheese, fried onions (these really made the burger) and Irish bacon, crisp and salty flowers of bacon, a huge garnish on an already piled-high plate. The bun was thin and soft, and the burger was accompanied by lettuce, tomatoes, sliced white onions, and 2 pickles. The fries were good, thick cut, mushy on the inside and crispy on the out. I wish we had thought to order the onion rings, which passed by our table at one point and looked amazing, but we were too full to do anything about it.


Shephard's Pie. Delicious. The potato topping was smooth and buttery, the top crisped perfectly. The ground beef was flavorful and well-seasoned, the peas and carrots were fresh, not frozen. It was a very large portion, and I didn't think I would be able to finish it, but even with the burger, we managed to clean both plates. I shouldn't be proud of that, I know. But I kind of am.We sat, ate, and chatted for over an hour, were not rushed at all, and really felt comfortable in our little booth. We talked about how much we liked the place, and how much we liked the neighborhood. It pains me now to think that just a few months ago, Sunnyside was something that I passed on my way home, never thinking to get off the train. The walk back was a history of my journey so far. Such a nice way to spend a slushy afternoon in February. We left the pub, and the neighborhood, full and happy. A little fatter, a little wiser.

PJ Horgan's
4217 Queens Blvd
Sunnyside

Off Boulevard Exploring, Part One

After my disappointing visit to the Cup It franchise, I needed some lunch, and fast. I decided to break from the route and do a little Sunnyside wandering, to places that I'd read about but hadn't planned on visiting. Stop number one, The Butcher Block. The place to go for the Irish ex-pat, longing for a taste of home, so I've heard. I have a hard time resisting snacks from other countries, so I immediately headed over to the chips and chocolate aisle. I picked up quite a selection of snack-y packaged treats (a packet of salt and vinegar flavoured crisps sounds better than a bag of chips, doesn't it?) plus some orange marmalade for my toast, on sale for $1.69.

I then wandered around to the meat section and saw something you don't see everyday in my neighborhood. Irish Breakfast to go.
Blurry, but there it was.

The deli section looked inviting, I could have gone for the shepherd's pie in the display case, or a freshly-made sandwich, but I saw the sign for soup, and then there was no turning back. Beef barley soup on a rainy day, perfect, not to mention the price: small soup $1.50, large soup $1.99!
Once I got home I was able to see how far that $1.5o went.
A rich, beefy broth, soft carrots and celery, earthy bits of barley, and tender chunks of meat.

I love soup.

I have yet to try all of my snacks, but one delightful discovery: Cadbury Flake is exactly the same as my favorite Israeli chocolate-like candy, Elite's mekupelet: I am not the first person to realize this, I found. There is actually a blog post which pits the two candy bars against each other in a taste test, here. There was no winner declared.

My Flake was pretty good.
Despite disappointment, I somehow managed to make it through the day, and though I strayed from the path, I ate some great soup, and made some very important cultural discoveries. I gotta say it was a good day.

The Butcher's Block
43-46 41st Street
Sunnyside