Mick Kelly's Irish Pub

Yesterday I decided to try Mick Kelly's Irish Pub for the first time.  So the atmosphere here is just wonderful.  It's warm and inviting.  Dim lighting, great Irish music playing.  The owner is very friendly and helpful.  It's nice to see a restaurant/bar owner working the bar AND going to tables to see if the customers are satisfied.  We started out with the Stuffed Mushrooms.  AMAZING.  Best I've ever had really.  So tasty and perfectly cooked.  We then had to try the hummus.  Again, perfect and tasty along with the hot soft pita bread.  I ordered the Paddy Melt.  I was going to order something bigger, but decided to keep it simple after the amazing and filling appetizers.  Bread was perfectly grilled.  Meat was moist and onions grilled perfectly.  I tried a mixed drink and it was pretty tasty.  Dangerously tasty.  Next I decided to try the Kilkenny Cream Ale.  I'm not much of a dark beer person... Ok I'm not a dark beer person at all.  This beer was AMAZING.  So smooth.  I absolutely loved it.  The head was creamy and beautiful. Perfectly poured.  Tasty.  I fell in love with this beer...
So much so that my friend and I came in today to try the beer and brat special.  $7 for a beer and a brat is a really good deal!  Again, I had to have the Cream Ale.  Just as good the second time!  Now the brat... I'm not a huge brat fan... This one, was so good!  Cooked perfectly, it was so flavorful.  When it came out, it doesn't look like anything special.  Just a brat on a bun with grilled onions and dijon mustard.  One bite and I was sold.  Best tasting brat I've had.  The bun tasted like it was made that morning.  Onions grilled just right, not too greasy, not over cooked, not burnt.  If you get this, don't add ANYTHING to it.  Trust me, it's already perfect.

Now my only complaint is the wait staff.  We were seated by one girl, menu's given, and she disappeared to help others.  Came back to get a drink order, and someone else brought them, which is fine.  The waiter took probably 15 minutes to come over to us. I believe we had to flag him over.  This wouldn't have been a problem if the restaurant had been busy.  But it was a wednesday evening and there weren't a whole lot of people there yet.  He acted like he had better things to do and it was really hard to get him to come to our table.  We ordered our first appetizer and he brought that back.  After that, we had to flag him down for our hummus.  We didn't see him again for a while and the owner actually had to take our dinner order, AND brought it out to our table.    The waiter NEVER came back over to our table over the next 2.5 hours we were there.  He went to the table on either side of ours, but not once did he check to see how we were doing.  Very disappointed.  
The owner went above and beyond by checking on us, making sure things were good, and was very polite the entire time (both times I was there).  For him, and the amazing food and beer, I will definitely be back.  As for the waiter, I hope he's not there the next time I come in.  If he is, I will for sure sit at the bar near the owner!  That man knows how to treat a customer!

I had the shepherd's pie which was excellent.   My wife loved the blackened salmon pesto. Wait staff was very knowledgeable and friendly.

It's a bit of a trek for me, so I've only ever come on Sundays, but I always enjoy myself.  There's an Irish social dance group that meets in the back every week (at least until July, resuming in the fall) and they usually have live musicians.  And yes, other patrons are welcome to join.  =)  <a href="/redir?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.hoilands.com%2Fsets_oct2011.htm&s=a31132cd2b78c334abb2cfee07fbc160153cae2bef6651934b7b35b1f061e029" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">http://www.hoilands.com/…</a>  

I'm not a big fan of Irish fare so I can't compare those menu items with other pubs, but I like the other grub and cider.  I haven't been impressed with the wait staff but neither have they scared me away.  

If you're curious about Irish dance that average people enjoy (Riverdance is awesomely beyond me), or even just want to watch and enjoy the music while you eat, I totally recommend you check this place out on a Sunday evening (dancing is 7-9).