Food Review: At home with the Irish

When @formulaoneut asked me what my favorite watering hole in the city of salt was, I didn't quite know what to say. Then I realized the one place Ava, Erin and I go to most often is the Irish pub proudly proclaiming itself, "a step down in social clubs." Yep, Murphy's Bar and Grill at 160 South Main Street.

It's not exactly the kind of place you would expect to find three 21-year old women on a Friday night, right? I mean, it's a pub in a basement lined with leprechauns. They serve PBR on tap, Irish stew and cheese fries. The food is good, but not yummy enough for me to go out of my way to get there. And it's not especially cheap, with $7 Newcastle and $9 burgers it's pretty average for a Salt Lake City pub.

Last time I was there, I had the fish and chips for just under $9. The menu declares the meal "world famous." I have no idea how it would have that designation given that the food was pretty average-exactly what you would expect from a pub.

So why is it when I'm starving and thirsty in Downtown, I inevitably end up at Murphy's? Well, because it is a pub. Murphy's is the kind of place where the city's blue collar guys go after a long day of work. They are at the bar to drink a few beers and talk with their buddies (intense man-bonding) before they head home to their wives and girlfriends.

And strangely enough, that suits me just fine. Every once in a while it's nice to go to a place where the guys are not ogligng every woman who walks in the door. Sure, no one pays for my drinks, but I can pay for myself. The waitresses aren't intent on picking up their clientele and manage to wear clothes that constitute cute, comfortable and covered. And if any guy gets out of hand, the waitresses are right there taking care of business.

So I guess on a quiet Friday night, I find myself with my two favorite girls at an Irish pub for middle-aged, blue collar guys because everyone is there just to hang out with their friends. And seriously, where else can you hear two Irish guys talk for hours about Ireland?

Where do you like to hang out after a long day?