Tacoma feels luck o’ the Irish

Ed Murrieta, for the Northwest Guardian

The snakes followed St. Patrick to their watery graves. Your fate can be much more pleasurable this weekend. Just follow the green dots of the South Sound Pub Crawl as we check out two Irish pubs that celebrate their first St. Patrick’s Day in Tacoma this year.

Paddy Coyne’s Irish Pub

ADDRESS: 721 Pacific Ave., Tacoma; 253-272-6963

HOURS: 11 a.m.-2 a.m. daily

Seattle publican Pat Coyne opened his eponymous Tacoma pub in January in the first floor of downtown’s landmark Olympus Hotel.

VIBE: Warm and moody, quintessentially Irish, as much of a restaurant as it is a bar. The circa-1912 back bar, carved by Franciscan monks and overseen by peasant shepherd’s visages, dominates the narrow room, which also features booths, tables and high-rise seating.

FAMILY FRIENDLY: Lads and lasses under age 21 allowed in the dining room.

LIBATIONS: The trinity of Irish beer (Guinness, Smithwick’s, Harp) anchor Paddy’s nine taps, which also include a couple of Northwest nods (Paddy’s IPA, brewed by Seattle’s Pacific Rim, and Mac and Jack’s). Irish black and tan made with Guinness stout and Smithwick’s, the Emerald Isle’s ruby-hued ale. More Irish whiskeys (Jameson, Bushmills, Powers, et al.) than you can shake a shillelagh at.

FOOD: Irish pub-grub favorites stand out, including aggressively spiced shepherd’s pie ($9.95), Guinness-braised beef stew (with spongy soda bread, $9.50) and meatloaf with mashed potatoes ($9.95). Lightly grilled roasted corned beef gave a Reuben sandwich ($9.50) extra-good bite. Grilled cheese ($7.95) would be great with just white and orange cheddar, but bacon and tomato inside made my Mexican eyes smile. Chicken-fried steak ($9.95) looked and tasted like it had been stomped by Orange paraders. Open-faced steak sandwich ($11.95) could have used another piece of bread to cover up the skimpy skirt steak and unattractive presentation. Pulled pork sandwich ($8.95) and Kansas City-style pork ribs were dry and overspiced. Good happy hour specials for less than 5 bucks, particularly the cheeseburger on ciabatta and the stew. Olympic Mountain whiskey praline ice cream rocks. Order chocolate bread pudding only in case of famine.

GAMES: Two televisions usually tuned to football (soccer to you Yanks), plus Paddy’s signature fireplace.

RATING: * * *

Doyle’s Public House

ADDRESS: 208 St. Helens Ave., Tacoma; 253-272-7468

HOURS: 11 a.m.-2 a.m. daily

Publicans Russ Heaton and Dave Shelnut transitioned from the beer distribution business to the bar business last April with their Stadium District pub.

VIBE: Wood and brick, warm, open and spare. Great for sipping in peace, reading the best selection of newspapers in town or meeting new people.

FAMILY FRIENDLY: Lads and lasses aged 21 and over only.

LIBATIONS: Guinness, Smithwick’s and Harp are on tap, but so are a bunch of better brews, including Franziskaner Weisse, Double Diamond, Boddington’s Cream and a rotating Belgian tap (currently Karmeliet tripel), all served in appropriate glassware. Tasty selection of bottled European beers and more Irish whiskeys (Jameson, Bushmills, Powers et al.).

FOOD: There’s more assembly than cooking going on in the kitchen, but there are some tasty surprises. A black bean veggie burger with chipotle mayo ($7.50) was savory and sassy. A corned beef sandwich with apple-onion relish was sweet and satisfying. Pepperoncini were surprisingly good inside a shredded chicken quesadilla ($6.50). The ploughman’s plate ($8) was my favorite: salami, roast beef and turkey, surrounded by smoked gouda, dill havarti and cheddar cheeses, with black rye bread, Darigold butter, grain mustard and chutney. Hummus ($6) with marinated onions and zucchini plus a plateful of pita was a close second. Dry and pebbly shepherd’s pie ($11) could inspire a famine. If the crab cakes ($11) were any softer they’d be pudding. Soft German pretzels ($3) from Hess Bakery in Lakewood are a treat.

GAMES: Two televisions tuned to English league football most hours of the day. Darts. Wednesday evening trivia. Regular prize drawings.

RATING: * * *

IRISH FOR A DAY, OR TWO

Here’s a taste of what some South Sound pubs and restaurants are doing for St. Patrick’s Day.

TODAY

Doyle’s Public House (208 St. Helens Ave., Tacoma; 253-272-7468) puts on a St. Pat’s pre-funk with a parking-lot beer garden. House band Ockham’s Razor plays its modern Celtic grooves at 9 p.m.

Pairings Fine Wine & Art (3012 Sixth Ave., Tacoma; 253-779-0838) hosts a barley wine and microbrew tasting starting at 6 tonight and again on Saturday from 4 p.m. onward. Cost is $10.

SATURDAY

Doyle’s Public House opens at 6 a.m. In addition to the full-service bar, the beer garden features five portable bars and a draft beer trailer with 10 taps. Food: corned beef and cabbage; Guinness stew; chicken quesadillas; hummus plate; corned beef, Reuben and beef dip sandwiches; black bean burgers; and bangers and mash. Ockham’s Razor plays at 9 p.m.

Paddy Coyne’s Irish Pub (721 Pacific Ave., Tacoma; 253-272-6963) opens at 9 a.m. Limited menu: shepherd’s pie, beef stew, soda bread, colcannon (mashed potatoes with kale and butter), and fish and chips. From 3-6 p.m., Jim Bailey mixes traditional Irish tunes with Celtic-punk covers of The Pogues; from 8-10 p.m., Irish ballads by Leo McNamara.

Primo Grill (601 S. Pine St., Tacoma; 253-383-7000) trades its Italian accents for some Belfast favorites of chef/owner Charlie McManus: his mother’s Irish stew, fried oysters, wheaten bread, champ (mashed potatoes with green onions and butter) and sticky toffee pudding. McManus family memorabilia, including 1767 and 1857 land deeds from County Antrim sod, will decorate the restaurant.

Zephyr Grill & Bar (240 W. Kent Station St., Kent; 253-854-5050) adds Irish comfort food to its “Aroused Americana” menu: corned beef and cabbage, shepherd’s pie and Guinness lamb stew with soda bread. Lunch from 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Dinner from 5-11 p.m.

O’Malley’s Irish Pub (2403 Sixth Ave., Tacoma; 253-383-3144) opens at 10 a.m. Corned beef, cabbage and red potatoes served at 1:30 and 5:30 p.m. Clan Gordon bagpipers blow from 1-3 p.m. Seamus and Suzanne sing Irish folk songs at 5:30 p.m.

Maggie O’Toole’s (6006 100th St. S.W., Lakewood; 253-584-3278) opens at 10 a.m., serving shepherd’s pie, corned beef and cabbage, Irish stew and green beer. Clan Gordon bagpipers blow at 4 p.m.

Shamrock Tavern (11118 Pacific Ave. S., Tacoma; 253-531-8055) opens at 11 a.m. and serves corned beef and cabbage starting at 1 p.m.