4 out of 5 stars

I’ve been to Trali Irish Pub twice now and both times really enjoyed both my meal and the atmosphere.  Once you find Trali (behind BJ’s at Brier Creek) and struggle to find parking you’ll enter a warmly lit convivial environment complete with comfortable tapestried seating at traditional-looking wooden tables.  Weeknights this place will be buzzing with activity and it can get a bit loud, but not rowdily so when I’ve been.

One our recent visit, we enjoyed one of the appetizer specials of the day, fresh mozzarella with tomato and basalmic vinegar.  Friends have highly recommended the Guinness flavored mussels as well but I must admit I was also tempted by the fried camembert cheese with strawberries.  For my entree, I tried a prociutto and pea cream sauce over bowtie pasta.  It was perfect, lightly creamy and not too heavy, with thick slices of prociutto and fresh peas. Hubs tried out some baked cod from the daily specials menu as well, which he enjoyed. On a previous visit I had the cornish game hen, which was acompanied by some delicious roasted potatoes.

I don’t think you can go wrong at this friendly pub, where the attention to detail put into the décor hasn’t exceeded the attention paid to the quality of the food and the preparation of it. Stop in for a drink and find out what the new specials are.

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4 out of 5 stars

O’Malley’s Tavern is hidden in a quaint shopping center off of Glenwood Avenue, across from the Rooms to Go and just up the road from Crabtree Mall. Fellow reviewers’ descriptions of a dive bar are correct, but this is a dive bar with personality. Well-worn wooden booths welcome you on one side, and the other sports pool tables and comfortable-looking couches. Patrons seem to be made up of a come-as-you are local crowd, which is a breath of fresh air compared to many places farther down Glenwood. Speaking of fresh air, now that all bars are non-smoking it shan’t deter you from visiting this hidden gem. They even have a nice patio out front.

I actually only stopped in here for breakfast, but really did enjoy the simple meal and friendly service. The breakfast menu here is actually pretty broad, taking up two sides of a menu page. I had the country fried steak and two eggs with toast, plus choice of hash browns or oatmeal or grits for $5.75. My steak was relatively small, but quite satisfying for the price paid. Hubs had Byron’s Breakfast, consisting of two eggs, two sausage links plus wheat toast for $5. His sausage links were deliciously herby and tasted homemade. Prices are reasonable with lots of options to choose from, including corned beef hash, sweet potato sticks, yogurt, omelettes, pancakes, breakfast sandwiches, french toast and more.

Drink (including pitchers) and food specials look generous, so try them out any time of the day.

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3 out of 5 stars

The Rockford is located up a flight of wooden stairs across Glenwood from the Hibernian. It could be difficult to find if you didn’t know what you were looking for. It has no sign, only the number of the address, 320, above the food. A crowd of 5 of us stopped in and luckily were able to get a table within 20 minutes or so. The place tends to get crowded, as the bar is small and there is not much room to occupy as you wait for a table. The fact that it’s so cramped may account for the reason why I noticed the sub-par inspection score on the wall (90.5) and the fact that one of the cooks was wearing a backwards trucker cap. While I know most cooks where I dine don’t dress up for the occasion, thinking about other 90 scores I’ve read about put me on edge before we even sat down.

This weekend had been a rainy one, but what was interesting about the Rockford is it also happened to be raining near our table! A ceiling leak not too far from the table was taken care of by putting a bin on the floor to catch the drips. By the looks of the ceiling, it was not a new leak, there was quite a black spot above us! Still, ambiance was cozy with lovely watercolor paintings on the walls and a nice street views.

Of the selection of sandwiches I ordered the cannellini bean sandwich, made with a bean paste with a garlicy flavor, along with havarti cheese, tomato and spinach. I quite enjoyed my sandwich but not my choice of seasonal side, a clumpy and bland couscous. Hubby got a mushroom sandwich, which was ok, and others ordered an angus sandwich with brie (tasted like a cheesesteak, they said) and a mozzarella sandwich with pesto (tasty, using fresh mozzarella but also a bit bland). The boys liked the mashed potato sides. Glen’s side dish of edamame salad was tasty, with mustard seeds, red onion and a light sauce. Our appetizers were just ok – a red pepper hummus everyone enjoyed and goat cheese, both served with pita triangles. I was hoping the goat cheese would be slightly more adorned or blended with herbs or even fried. It was just a hunk of goat cheese with a little red and black pepper sprinkled on.

I felt like something was missing here, other than basic building maintenance. Yes food prices were entirely reasonable, but food was a bit bland and disappointing. I’d probably go back – other options at this end of Glenwood are limited. Plus the night ended on a high note with some tasty fresh ground coffee in a diner-style mug that fit nicely in my hand.

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