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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2 out of 5 stars

My expectations were high for Coquette because 1) I went for brunch, my favorite meal of the day and 2) I had heard so many raves. But unfortunately the experience fell short. In fact I think my favorite part of the meal was the fresh bread that came out with our beverages.

The decor is nice, a simple checkerboard floor, a very open and sunny environment, and bistro style seating, with a large rustic bread station in the middle. We were seated and our serviec was not great from the beginning. The waiter seemed hung over and wasn’t really able to answer our questions about the menu. I ordered the banana and nutella crepe and hubs ordered the eggs florentine, asking for his sauce on the side. He also ordered the soup of the day, cauliflower soup.

My crepe was tasty, but pretty small. I am sure that I only got about half of a banana’s worth, if that, inside of it. Of course the nutella and roasted hazelnuts sprinkled on top were good, but I expected more in quantity and in quality. Presentation of course was lovely, as you can see. Hub’s cauliflower soup bowl contained about 1/2 cup of soup for $6. Even if it was the most fabulous soup in creation (it wasn’t), that amount for that price is hard to deal with. His eggs florentine came with sauce on top though he asked for it on the side. As our waiter delivered it and placed it before him he said “Oh you wanted the sauce on the side… I saw them putting it on so I asked them to only put on a little.” Umm.. either you asked them to put it on the side or you didn’t. Clearly you forgot and now you’re lying to cover it up? Just wierd. The florentine didn’t have much flavor even with the tomatoes, and the table next to us sent theirs back because it “exploded on her”. We also ordered a side of bacon, which was tasty. Given all the sides we had to order, we had to pay a hefty price for this meal and we still did not leave satisfied.

Perhaps if you give Coquette a shot for brunch try one of the Croques or a Monte Cristo. The exra carbs might help fill you up. Or maybe the other meals of the day are a better bet. Varmint Bites has a great article about their opening including some photos of the interior.

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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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