EVANSVILLE – Sláinte! Evansville has an Irish pub once more. Patsy Hartigan's Irish Pub recently opened on Main Street under owners Joshua Pietrowski, Alan Braun and Scott Schymik.
"Hartigan’s started when Alan Braun approached me two years ago," said Pietrowski, who also owns Doc's Sports Bar. "We were in the 711 Tavern, and he said, ‘I think Evansville needs an Irish pub, and I think we’re the two guys to do it.’”
They shook on it. Within a few months, Scott Schymik of Sauced became interested in joining the business, and the roles were cemented − Schymik would head up the food; Braun, who is in construction, would lead the building remodel, and Pietrowski would handle the business aspects, or “keep the books and throw the party after work,” as he puts it.
It took two years to bring the project together. The Main Street space was a gym before the restaurant went in, so all the surfaces, fixtures and everything are new and specifically chosen for Hartigan's.
Well, not necessarily brand new. An authentic Irish pub has a broken-in character, so the booths are old church pews from St. Theresa and St. Benedict churches, and the tables and chairs were once in The Pub on Division St.
Research in Ireland
In search of the most authentic experience, the trio traveled to Ireland last winter.
“We went looking for food and aesthetic, but we found three things,” Pietrowski said. "Scott found the food, Alan found the aesthetic, and I found exactly what this pub needs to be in terms of a social aspect. There’s an absolute unencumbered joy over there. Everybody’s always ready for a good time, they can’t wait to get off work and head to the pub and be together. We need some of that in our country.”
Who is Patsy Hartigan?
The pub's namesake is actually Alan Braun's cousin, many times removed. When you walk in, there is a display of Evansville newspaper articles about Patsy Hartigan.
“He was from Limerick, and he was kind of a turd but he was a loveable turd," Pietrowski said. "He was always in trouble, always getting stabbed. It was 1879 when he first became famous in an article called ‘Stabbed in a Struggle.' He lived and died in Evansville. The more research we did, the more I thought that this is someone I’d like to drink with every day.”
On the menu at Patsy Hartigan's Irish Pub
“We learned a lot about the food aspect when we were in Ireland,” Schymik said, “but we found they don’t season things much and we’re trying to bring our American taste buds to it a little bit. We’re staying as traditional as we can and the dishes will be done the right way."
This means that meat products specific to Ireland are imported from Ireland. For example, the meats included in the full Irish breakfast, which contains:
- Rasher bacon - A thinly sliced cut of preserved pork that contains the loin, like Canadian bacon, along with a tail of side meat, like American bacon.
- Black pudding - Blood pudding, a type of sausage that contains pork or beef blood with other ingredients such as oatmeal. It's not gross. Really.
- White pudding - A highly seasoned, pale-colored sausage made with oats and pork.
- Banger - A finely-ground, well-seasoned sausage flavored with leeks and scallions. This is not a bratwurst and you need to try one.
- Also : Heinz beans in tomato sauce, toasted soda bread, half a grilled tomato, sautéed mushrooms, hash browns and two eggs.
“These are the legit products that you will get over there if you order a full Irish breakfast,” Schymik said.
More: Evansville-area food news: 5 bites of food news for you this week
A few more explanations
Some of the Hartigan's menu items could use a little explanation.
- Fish and chips - Cod with a Killian’s Irish Red beer batter. The housemade tartar sauce contains caper, pickle, dill, lemon and more. And let's talk about those chips. Chips, are, of course, fries. These fries took a lot of testing, because they are done correctly starting with the variety of potatoes. “When you have an Irish pub, the chips are going to be the number one thing going out and you gotta be good at it,” Schymik said. He starts with Chipperbec potatoes, a variety grown for making potato chips and french fries, which are lower in sugar and moisture and don’t brown before they get crisp. They are hand cut, soaked and rinsed three times, cooled overnight, rinsed again, air dried, par-fried at a low temperature, and then frozen. They’re finished at a higher temp for an incredible crisp texture for service.
- Scotch eggs – Boiled eggs peeled, covered with raw sausage, coated in bread crumbs, and fried. Served with Coleman’s English mustard.
- Irish Spice Bag – Chips (as in fries) tossed with peppers, onions, a spice mix with Asian chili crisp, and chopped beer-battered chicken breast. It’s a popular snack in Ireland in the bodegas and late night eateries, which are mostly owned by Asian people.
- Mushy peas – They're mushy, and they're peas. Hartigan's are made with frozen green peas cooked and crushed with bacon and shallot.
- Irish curry – Even the curry sauce at Hartigan's is made in house. It contains coconut milk, spices and other special ingredients and can be served with a chicken curry or a vegetable curry with Halloumi cheese.
- Shepherd’s pie – Made with lamb and veggies under a topping of whipped potato and Dubliner cheese.
- Seafood chowder – This is a ubiquitous dish in all Irish pubs, according to Schymik. “Every single place had it, and it was the best thing on everyone’s menu,” he said. Hartigan's is made with cod, bacon, smoked salmon, cream and veggies.
- Champ – A side dish made with mashed potatoes, rasher bacon, cooked cabbage and onion.
Also on the menu
A few more menu items include the following:
Hot smoked salmon dip – Served warm with saltine crackers.
Reuben sandwich – At Hartigan’s, have a corned beef reuben with kraut or a turkey reuben (with house-brined and roasted turkey) with slaw.
Shaved prime rib sandwich - Served on a long bun with homemade horseradish sauce.
Guinness stew - with ribeye beef, potato, carrot, celery and barley in a rich dark beer gravy.
Burgers - Of the smash variety, served on Martin’s potato buns.
Desserts - Choose Bailey’s Irish Cream Cheesecake, Jameson Whiskey bread pudding, and Guinness chocolate cake.
The bar at Patsy Hartigan’s Irish Pub
The Cocktail program, said Pietrowski, will be approachable, delicious and fun. The drinks themselves are not necessarily Irish, but they’ll be using Irish spirits and other ingredients. Beers include Guinness, Smithwick's, and Killian's.
Patsy Hartigan’s Irish Pub
- Location : 203 Main St.
- Phone : 812-773-3570
- Hours : Monday-Thursday, 11 a.m.-10 p.m.; Friday 11 a.m.-11 p.m.; Saturday 9 a.m.-11 p.m.; Sunday 9 a.m.-2 p.m.
- Website : phirishpub.com
This article originally appeared on Evansville Courier & Press: Sláinte! Long-awaited Irish pub opens on Main Street.
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