The Dubliner

“Why is it trivia?  People call it trivia because they know nothing and they are embarrassed about it.”  Robbie Coltrane

Eatery:   The Dubliner, 45 Stone Street, New York NY

Stone Street dates back to the 1660s; it got its current moniker sometime later on due to its cobblestone paving (so the name is not ironic).  I want to love this short artery because it’s old and cute.  In reality, though, the establishments that line it are largely forgettable – contrived and born of mass-produced drinking and dining concepts.  Except the Vintry, a wine and whiskey joint that I do love even though it is a tiny bit pretentious. And a new place called The Growler, which I have decided in advance that I will cherish because it’s an upscale beer and hot dog joint – who doesn’t like that?  Other than vegans, perhaps.  You’ll soon be seeing a post from me about The Growler.

Stone Street (photo by Tony Byers)

The Dubliner, by contrast, is an Irish pub that isn’t actually all that Irish.  It’s more like a New World take on the traditional Irish watering hole. I generally avoid this place (I sort of despise fake international stuff), but visited on this occasion for pub trivia.  Husband and I started participating in this filling-a-bar-on-a-slow-evening activity at our local pub in London (the very English-y named George and Vulture), and have continued with this ritual on a somewhat regular basis in the US.  I don’t mind doing it but, in truth, it’s not my favorite pastime as I am a very ungracious loser.  However, he loves it (I think it conjures up memories of his English homeland) so we regularly subject ourselves to this exposure of our vastly limited knowledge.  Sometimes we bring friends along in hopes of broadening our base of collective wisdom – and collecting the $50 bar credit that goes to the winner.

I decided tonight that – if I must deal with the pressure of competing with 17 other teams to answer questions ranging from the economic policies of Presidential candidates to the longevity of Marilyn Monroe’s marriages – I might as well use the opportunity to create some content for this site.  And so I settled on the Slider Trilogy (the actual name of the dish) as my beer-absorbing meal choice.  The prospect of a slider sampler was, to me, a more comfortable option than a single, regular-sized burger because I fear commitment.  Plus, as everyone knows, small stuff tastes better.

Slider Trilogy at The Dubliner (photo by MJ Byers)

The Dubliner offers a choice of fries or salad as an accompaniment for the three sliders featured; I chose salad as (1) I don’t really love French fries and (2) lettuce makes me feel a tiny bit self-righteous even as I down beer and burgers.  I did, however, elect to have Caesar salad rather than mixed green salad – the Caesar dressing and croutons make it just a bit more slutty and, therefore, better matched to burgers.

The eponymous sliders are of three varieties:  pulled pork, sirloin burger and BBQ chicken with bacon.  As you can see from the photo, it’s an unfortunate looking dish – the buns appear lackluster, and there is nothing about what’s in between them that stands out during visual inspection.    They are, however, a bit more of a treat for the taste buds than for the eyes.  To take them one by one:

Sirloin:  Reasonably tasty, cooked medium, good meaty flavor, no adornments included or required.  My only complaint is that it was a little dry; perhaps it could have used a bit of mayonnaise after all.

BBQ Chicken and Bacon:   Nothing special here.  The chicken and bacon were completely fine individually, but the sandwich just didn’t really come together.  This may be because of the barbeque sauce, which was on the sweet side.

Pulled Pork:  Pretty decent, though there was the rather odd and unnecessary inclusion of an American cheese slice – the chef would have been better off topping this one with coleslaw.  The sauce was tangier and more savory than that on the chicken – I’m not sure if this was different sauce or if the differences in the meat just produced a varying experience.

One last and decidedly extraneous note:  I ordered Chimay (the wine of beers!) as my beverage for the evening, but The Dubliner had run out.  So, I settled for Duvel which I’ve now decided is not a favorite – the flavor is a bit thin and doesn’t hold up especially well to heavier dishes, though this perception may have been as much disappointment as an actual flavor experience.  Someday I will devote a post to a comparison of beers with high alcohol-content, hoping that I will actually be able to see straight enough by the end to complete said post.

Price:  $14.00

 Destination Burger:  No.

Optional French Fry Rating:  Opted for the Caesar salad, which was nothing to write home about.

Fat and Calorie Worthy:  Not really.

Today’s Weigh In:  Plus 2 lbs.  Sigh……

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6 Comments

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