Duffy’s

Well Jimbo and I decided to meet up at Duffy’s Irish Restaurant and Pub for a little happy hour grub and wandered into a Guinness promotion. It would have been more enjoyable if I actually liked the taste of beer. Completely wasted on me. What wasn’t wasted was the beef and cabbage. I really liked it. The cabbage was not overcooked and the beef sliced thin. There were some other ingredients like carrots and potato, but I’m not a carrot person.
But what I really wanted was the fish and chips. Big fries and slightly salty cod. I think that’s the way it should be. I’m not sure because for all the times I’ve gone to the British Isles, I never felt a need to grab fish and chips, I always go for the curry. But it was good and the Happy Hour price was about $6 for this big plate of food. Jim didn’t even finish his plate. Maybe it was the big glass of Guinness, and the little tasting glasses of stout, lager and ale that did him in.
Decor wise, Jimbo noticed a lack of permanency. There were a few Harp things on the wall, the ceiling tiles were white, and it was well lit. Maybe, in time, the place will develop character. Hopefully, whomever is going to move into the condos (Floridian, Rhapsody?) near by will make it their place and determine the character. My snipe regarding the place, to be fair I apply to almost all “Irish” pubs in the city, as being fake Irish pubs. To me, what makes an Irish pub Irish? Irish people. And maybe a guy playing traditional Irish music.
But as a restaurant meeting place goes, it looks good and the food (well fish, chips, beef & cabbage) is good too.

5 thoughts on “Duffy’s”

  1. I am looking forward to trying this place out. hoping that the Truxton Circle folks can rally around a happy hour soon.

    I find that most of the Irish bars in DC are fake, as are those in touristy areas. Fado, is totally fake, Irish Times is just awful (although they do have the requisite irish balladeer on weekends), Four P’s and Four Courts are ok, and Dubliner may be the best of the bunch. Although a true Irish bar will have footballers on all day rather than blasted american sport.

  2. Agreed on the Dubliner. I have enjoyed it and it does have a great pubby feel. There was another “Irish pub” in MD I went to which felt more like an Irish themed bar. Regardless of what level of genuineness, many do serve their purpose as being a place where irish/folk musicians can play.

  3. I never finish my big fries, fyi.

    The ‘fakeness’ of PseudoIrish bars begs a question…is it Irish by virtue of it’s customers, or by decor? Is a gay bar still a gay bar if it’s full of straight people yet a disco ball still hangs from the ceiling? Discuss.

  4. Jim this would be a lovely topic for your blog. Yet you do bring up a valid point (note Mari is really trying to stay on topic) in the ‘character’ of a pub or bar or whatever.
    I don’t know the ethnic background of the Duffy’s owner but in the case of Be Bar the orientation of the owner is known and thusly BB has been classified as a ‘gay bar’. However, if the crowd patronizing BB is no different than the crowd at DC9 or some other Shaw bar, then I’d say it would not be a gay bar. Now apply the same to Duffy’s would be harder as I don’t think there are as many irishmen & women running around Shaw as there are gays & lesbians. It may go to our notions of what is an Irish pub an Irish pub and what makes a gay bar gay.
    For my definitions an Irish pub is part decor & design, employee makeup, entertainment, food, clientele, it’s pubbyness and that fuzzy thing called atmosphere. Gay bar, different set of factors. Food ain’t one of those factors. Irish pub must have one of the following: fish & chips, Guinness on tap, something with potatoes, bangers, lamb stew, and so on. Is there a ‘gay’ dish? Decor? Compare say JR’s to Halo, both considered gay bars both completely different interiors. Irish pubs, going from the food & drink base there is at least one or 2 Irish or British based beer signs on the wall. Clientele, this is where a gay bar becomes a gay bar and it really doesn’t matter that much with the Irish pub.
    okay this comment is getting long… I’m going to take a break.

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