County Maigh-Eo

Youngstown needs all the help it can get. The County Maigh Eo is a restaurant / bar that sits on Steels St. on Youngstown's West Side and does help, by temporarily halting the inevitable slide towards total anarchy that Youngstown's West Side is in the midst of undergoing. In a beautifully rehabbed and completely safe old building. The current owners bought this place, and threw a bunch of cash at it., Best part, the owners are not absentee, they oversee the little joint. Has plenty of off street parking in the lot. And no one messes with anyone there. You will find no criminal element hanging around here. The owners and customers do not put up with it. Period. Also, the first place I have seen in the U.S. with a large mural of Bobby Sands on the wall. I never even saw that in Boston.

Also, the place is easy to find. It sits right on the corner of Steel and is painted bright orange yellow, and it has a great big wall sized picture of the Guinness ad on the wall outside that had the steelworker carrying the iron beam on his shoulder with the caption "Guinness gives you strength!". Good thing, as it has no other signage.

Nice selection of Irish Whiskeys, with prices marked on the bottle, as well as a small but representative selection of drafts. Just be careful about the draft. Some are cheap, some are pricey. Ask, then order. But the whiskeys are all pretty nicely priced, like, dive-bar priced. But believe me, this is not a dive bar.

Now, best thing about the place. Every Saturday, all year round, the owners come in early, and charcoal roast lamb, ham, turkey, pork, all good.

So, you can get one of the best lamb dinners you have ever had, 1/2 lb for about six bucks, full lb for about $12.00. Comes with bread and a side.

Seriously, the lamb is great. And, best part, there is a place further on down Steel St called "The Palm Cafe". Has been there for years. They also do a lamb roast. But where the lamb at County Maigh Eo is leg, and served without bones, the lamb at The Palm Cafe is whole roast lamb, and if you just happen to be the person who is unlucky enough to get the plate full of lamb ribs with all the meat knocked off, too bad for you.

You see, unless you have been going to "The Palm cafe" for years, after you wait in line, and pay by the pound for your lamb, what you will get are lamb bones with a little meat attached. The good stuff goes to there regulars. And the place is packed. And you get no sides with your food.

Nope, go to county Maigh Eo for Lamb Dinner in Youngstown. Youngstown's County Maigh Eo on Steel St. has the best lamb dinner in the Youngstown area, bar none. They also have bands on St. Patrick's Day, and occasionally throughout the month.

Oh yeah, and this lamb dinner is not the medium rare served with mint jelly kind of lamb. It is cooked outside for hours until fully roasted, tender, and dripping with juice. They take it into the kitchen, slice it up, and serve it as you order it. With whatever sides they are offering that day. And always a couple of slices of fresh sliced bread. The really good kind of bread. Great for making juicy lamb sandwiches.