Irish pub fare, with a side of potatoes, at The Holy Ground
The Holy Ground is an authentic Irish pub in the center of Quincy, a city that is home to a growing Asian population and accompanying restaurants and businesses. Here, the menu cover shows a farmer and his wife in the fields of Ireland, bowing their heads in prayer. Underneath, it explains that "the holy ground" is the moniker of a certain quarter in County Cork, which was inhabited mainly by fishermen and memorialized in a sea chantey. "Today, 'The Holy Ground' name is used as an allegorical reference to Ireland," the menu states.
But there's more than just that Irish name, Irish owners, and Irish chefs. There's Guinness on tap, waitresses with a brogue, and a breakfast (served all day) with black and white pudding that attracts diners from Southie and Dorchester on weekends. There's the fact that the kitchen goes through 800 to 1,000 pounds of potatoes a week, all peeled by hand. There's Sky Sports, invariably turned to a soccer game. Some nights, there's live Irish music. The place looks like an Irish pub, with the long bar upfront, followed by a dining area in back with cafe tables.
Gerry Hanley, who hails from County Cork, opened the place two years ago with his wife, Diane Hill. The couple wanted a place where parents could bring their kids and where they could all eat without choking down their food or spending a fortune. "Going out with my own five kids, it's an ordeal," says Hanley. On Tuesdays from 5-6:30 p.m., he brings in Sparkles the Clown to entertain kids while their parents eat. "Everyone can be out of here by seven," he says. There are seven televisions scattered around the dining and bar areas, and on a recent day we watched a couple eating lunch peacefully while their young daughter took her burger and watched cartoons.
You can order American, or you can order Irish. The appetizer platter ($9.95) includes the usual suspects: buffalo tenders, mozzarella sticks, potato skins, garlic bread, and onion rings. It's perfectly fine, if you like that kind of thing. But a better bet is the smoked salmon on Irish soda bread ($6.95). Ours actually came on brown bread, which was moist and tasty (although to be truly authentic, the bread should have been buttered). The thick bread and thinly sliced salmon were laid over lettuce and tomatoes, which were accompanied by a sweet mayonnaise dressing. The soup that day was carrot parsnip (cup $2.25, bowl $3.25), a colorful and subtle offering of medium consistency, a nice warmer-upper on a cold, rainy day.
Although there are sandwiches, burgers and wraps, we stuck mainly with the Irish offerings. The shepherd's pie ($7.95) came in a large casserole, easily enough for two. It was served steaming hot, with a thin blanket of gravy on top of the mashed potatoes and ground beef that also contained mushrooms, carrots, onions, and peas. Only at an Irish restaurant, remarked one of my friends, would you also get a large side of mashed potatoes. Soup or salad comes with all entrees.
That omnipresent potato made a dual appearance with the baked stuffed scrod ($9.95), which came with french fries and mashed potatoes. The scrod was fresh and stuffed with crab meat, but the cream sauce was a bit heavy, drowning out the flavors beneath. As for the fish and chips ($7.95), the haddock is thick and flaky and gently fried. Irish lamb stew ($7.95) was a veritable vat of tender lamb chunks in a colorful and healthy melange of carrots, potatoes, onion, and celery. Bangers and mash ($7.95) included three large Irish sausages, mounds of mashed potatoes, and large "mushy" peas.
Though the prices are reasonable -- the most expensive thing on the menu is the sirloin steak for $11.95 -- you can eat even more cheaply if you take a friend: Monday through Friday from 3-10 p.m., dinner for one is $6.95; dinner for two is $12.95. Choices include items such as the roast of the day, half a roast chicken, chicken parmesan, chef's pie, chef's salad, or fish and chips. Each comes with potato, of course, and another vegetable, or with soup. Don't bother with dessert, which isn't made on the premises.
Hanley, who loves music, brings it in live. Thursday is blues night, and Friday through Sunday are reserved for cover bands, Irish groups, and other local musicians. See www.theholyground.com for a list of entertainers.
