Revamped Irish Pub is better than ever

For many years, Lansing’s old Irish Pub was the traditional gathering spot for Sexton High School graduates in the days leading up to Christmas. The place was like us — a bit gritty, deeply connected to the west side and possibly best examined in dim lighting. The pub closed in 2013 and sat vacant for more than a decade, a reminder of so many fun times that also made me sad. The big building at a prime intersection had seemingly been forgotten.

After being completely renovated and reopening in July, the pub is virtually unrecognizable. It’s clean, bright and has a private room for parties. It’s a bit off the beaten path but not too far from downtown that you can’t go there for lunch. Some colleagues, Mr. She Ate and I did just that, braving temperatures that had quickly plummeted for a cozy pub lunch.

We started with the scotch egg ($8.50), a hard-boiled egg halved lengthwise, wrapped in sausage and breadcrumbs, and deep fried. It’s one of my favorite treats and an automatic order when I see it on a menu. This version was a little bit crunchier than I’m used to, but it hit all the flavor and texture notes that I was looking for, and we were off to a good start.

My entrée choice was the fish tacos ($16), three tacos stuffed with fried haddock filets, shredded red cabbage, radish, scallion, avocado and creamy sriracha. I loved the crunchiness of the veggies in contrast to the spicy sauce and crispy fish, and I inhaled two of them before coming up for air and some fries, which were salty enough for this perpetual worshiper of Maldon. 

Mr. She Ate had a burger, which prompted him to engage my colleague in a full conversation about how his patty was properly cooked according to his directions and how this frequently doesn’t happen at similarly situated establishments where they just cook the hell out of it.

Service was attentive, but the food was surprisingly (and concerningly, for those of us who had afternoon hearings) slow. It was a bit of a mad dash to get back to the office, but I returned for lunch the following week, so obviously the infraction wasn’t that serious.

On this visit, Mr. She Ate and I started with the rarebit ($13), the pub’s version of the confusingly named but well-known Welsh rarebit. While the name gives little insight into the composition of the dish, it’s melted cheese on bread or toast. It could also be called cheese bread, which is what we dubbed it when giving our children the leftovers. It was covered in garlic and pleasantly broiled cheese, but it needed a dipping sauce. I was happy when my salad was brought to the table so I could dunk the bread into the dressing before taking a bite.

We also each had a cup of chicken noodle soup ($6), which Mr. She Ate appropriately described as “fresh from the can.” You can safely skip this one. I moved on to the O’Cobb salad ($14), basing that choice on the fact that this one was slightly different than usual, with corned beef and turkey, hard-boiled egg, shredded white cheddar, tomato, red onion, sliced avocado and fresh greens. I would order this again, but I would ask for half the cheese, the addition of croutons and grilled chicken instead of the lunch meat. The homemade ranch was possibly the best part of the meal, and as I ate and reflected on the deep affection Michiganders hold for ranch dressing, I realized that it’s simply our preferred method of adding umami to a meal.

Mr. She Ate chose the Rachel ($14), a turkey Reuben. If there’s one thing that both of us can agree on, it’s that a Reuben is a nearly perfect sandwich, from the crispy grilled bread to the tangy coleslaw to the creamy Thousand Island dressing. This one checked all those boxes, and while there was nothing to distinguish it from the turkey Reuben I’d had the week prior, that wasn’t what I was looking for. I wanted the classic flavors, and when paired with the pub’s fries, I had a winning lunch.

The pub hosts karaoke, which was one of my favorite pre-holiday rituals during those Sexton gatherings. It has live music, pizza and a kids’ menu. This time of year always makes me feel a bit nostalgic for the holiday seasons of years past, and it couldn’t be more fitting that the Irish Pub has come roaring back to life and is once again hitting its stride.