Star and Shamrock – Irish and Jewish Tavern
Ah, Guinness. One of my favorite all time beverages. Both a meal and a drink in one lovely pint glass. And now I have a place on H street where I live that I get to enjoy one. Granted, Star and Shamrock has been open for some time now, and as usual i’m late to the party in writing a review of it, but better late than never.
This great little tavern opened up this summer on H and I’ve been there many times since it did. The inside is nice, really nice. It’s a big open space, unlike other places on H it’s not just a thin row house style, and the bar wraps around in the middle.
They have a good selection of beers on tap, including of course Guinness. The staff is very cool and friendly and this is quickly becoming one of my favorite drinking spots on H. How about the food you ask? Well this is a food blog, so read on.
The food is, in a word, good. They have a solid selection of sandwich, Reubens, Chicken Livers, Hot Pastrami and roasted turkey. They also have a pickle as an add on, nice! I normally get the Turkey #2 with a side of fries or onion rings. One thing, if you order either one expect to get a ton of them. They don’t come with the sandwich on the menu but you get so much of them they could be a meal in and of themselves. My wife loves the Reuben with Turkey, called a Rachel (would be cool if they added it to the menu) and often sends me over to pick one up.
Another nice thing they are very kid friendly and have a kids menu. They can also give you some crayons and paper for the little ones to doodle on while you wait for dinner. Perhaps the best thing about them they are open for lunch during the week. I can’t tell you how nice it is to have a lunch time spot on H street when you are working in the area. Its heaven.
Not everything is rosy colored. Don’t expect to eat very healthy here. Like I said, though they are quite good, the fries and onion rings come in a big basket. Best to share them with a friend if you can. The sandwichs are good but again, don’t expect to stay on your diet. The Turkey 2 is loaded with mayo, bacon, muenster cheese on sourdough bread. Not exactly health club turkey. Delicious but makes my waist line increase every time. They even have a sandwich called The Clogger. Again, good, but damn I can feel my arteries hardening.
The appetizers are not much better. Everything is fried, except the pickle, and though it tastes good it’s not something to eat regularly. Would be awesome if the added some kind of smoked salmon bagel or even salmon wrapped in cream cheese. Yum!
Bottom line this is a great addition to H street. The interior is fantastic and the food is really good. I would love to see just a few healthier choices. How about a salad of some kind? Smoked salmon anything? Not like i’m not going to go just not as frequently as I would like.
Star and Shamrock is located at 1341 H street NE. http://starandshamrock.com/
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