English Eats
In the middle of the nineteenth century, Queen Victoria officially declared the day after Christmas to be Boxing Day, traditionally a day to help the less fortunate and to reward tradesmen for a job well done throughout the year. Today in the U.K., as well as here in the U.S., Boxing Day means championship shopping for women and championship soccer and football for men.
At Richmond's Liverpool-inspired pub, Penny Lane, the O' Neill family will open at 10 a.m. this year on Boxing Day for the big Liverpool versus Bolton football match. Since 1976, this quaint pub with low, wood-beamed ceilings and timbered walls has been a favorite male-bonding spot and community hang-out.
Belly-up to the convivial bar with your favorite pint to watch British "football" stars or have your own championship match of cricket or billiards in the dart and pool room upstairs. Team scarves hang from the rafters and other sports memorabilia set the tone in the downstairs man-cave, while diners looking for a quieter space, as well as non-smokers, should choose the country comfort of the dining room, designed to look like a manor house library.
I stopped by for Happy Hour and some of Penny Lane's renowned pub grub. At 4 p.m., the bar was already packed with testosterone and friendly rivalry over the soccer match on the "telly". Since the pub's name pays homage to my favorite band, The Beatles, I decided to do the same and ordered the Fab 4 ($12.95): a sampler platter of traditional English meat pies that includes sausage rolls and Cornish pasties. Hailing from Cornwall, a pastie (or pasty) is traditionally a crescent-shaped pie with a crimped edge filled with ground beef, and sometimes potatoes, onions and vegetables.
I didn't see anything that looked like a traditional pastie on my plate, so I asked my server to identify the items, but he was at a loss, so I'm guessing the triangular-shaped items in puff pastry were meant to be the pasties. All of the pies…pork, beef and sausage…were delicious, and came with a large bowl of brown gravy for dipping, and my accompanying pint came with a surpriseas well. During Happy Hour, from 4-7, when you order a pint, you'll receive a wooden token for a half-pint: in other words, buy two pints and get one free. You can save your Penny Lane tokens for a future visit as well.
Served from 4 p.m. to 1 a.m., other Pub Grub selections include the "Liverpudlian" favorite Fish N' Chips ($12.95) and standard bar fare including spinach dip ($8.75), mozzarella sticks ($7.25), and chicken wings ($8.25), which come "Full Monty" (naked), or with spicy barbeque or hot habanero sauce.
The lunch menu serves up a variety of soups and salads ($3.25-$5.25) and a large selection of Picca-Deli Butties which include the Princess Di, a Southwestern grilled chicken sandwich ($8.50), as well as burgers (including a veggie version), a reuben, a beef brisket sandwich and a French Dip ($7.25-$10.95). In true British style, chips here are fries and potato chips are crisps. Curry fries ($5.95) and sweet potato fries ($5.25) are available as sides to share.
While the dinner entrées include steaks, chicken, and lamb, the thematic choices are much more interesting. Try the Steak & Guinness Pie ($13.95), puff pastry filled with sirloin, mushrooms, and flavored with the U.K.'s mother's milk, Guinness Stout. The soccer-inspired Beckham & Owen ($14.95) is a combo of beef Cornish pasties and pork sausage rolls with mashed potatoes. Vegetarian options include a wild mushroom ravioli in a gorgonzola cream sauce ($14.95).
Be prepared to spend some time at Penny Lane, as service is friendly but somewhat slow. It took about 10 minutes for my pint to be delivered, although Mr. O' Neill did stop by to see if anyone had helped me. And, since my food took an additional 30 minutes, I ended up having to pack up most of it to take home so that I could make it back to the parking meter before my 75 minutes had expired.
That being said, this cozy pub is a place you would want to bring friends to and settle in for visit. If you're looking for a place to park your men-folk while you're out scooping up Boxing Day bargains, or a place for a homey dinner after mall-hopping, Penny Lane will be packed with Anglophiles and sports enthusiasts on this British holiday.
If You Go:
O'Neill's Penny Lane Pub
421 E. Franklin St.
(804) 780-1682
Hours:
Monday through Friday: 11 a.m. to 2 a.m.
Saturday: 5 p.m. to 2 a.m.
Sunday: Closed (except occasionally for special soccer match events)
Bar: smoking
Dining area: non-smoking available
Rating: Three and a half stars
Please sign in to respond | | Register