Seekonk's Cozy New Irish Pub

There’s a new addition to the dining scene in Seekonk, and a step inside is all it takes to see how much time and money went into creating the next great spot for dinner, drinks or a show. It was a Saturday night on our first visit to Dublin Rose, and the night was bitter cold. After a chilling walk to the front door, it was nothing short of warming to step into the beautiful pub, complete with soft lighting, gentle wood surfaces and friendly, attentive staff. There was a wait, which is a good sign on a Saturday night, but we were seated pretty quickly.

Our waitress was very nice, and knowledgeable about the menu. Our water glasses, however, were never filled after they went empty. Other than that detail, the service was wonderful and attentive. The décor was very nicely done, and a lot of work obviously went into creating a welcoming atmosphere that anyone can enjoy. Although they advertise as a sports pub, this pub is not exclusive to sports fans, and when we were there, they had everything from football to Jeopardy playing on the televisions.

The menu was pretty extensive, offering choices such as sliders, wings, sandwiches and plenty of other creative dishes all falling somewhere between bar food and restaurant food. My only problem with the menu is that there are only a few items that are actually “authentic Irish” as Dublin Rose claims to be, but if you’re not expecting traditional Irish cuisine, then you’ll like the selection here. The beer list was equally appealing, with some great domestic brews and a selection of imports from around the world. Since this was an Irish pub, I had a Smithwick’s ($5.00), an Irish Red Ale with just the right balance of dark, sweet malts and bright, bitter hops. If you’re not one for beer, they had a nice wine list and plenty of creative cocktails too.

To start, we ordered the Sweet Sausage Stuffed Mushrooms ($9.99) and the Buffalo Chicken Egg Rolls ($7.99). Either the food came out pretty fast or we were just having a great time. The mushrooms were cooked perfectly; plump and moist, and the stuffing had a great balance of sausage and breading; enough sausage to really taste the spic- es, and enough bread to keep the texture soft and fluffy. What really made these was the sriracha aioli, adding a tangy kick and some acidity to the dish. The Buffalo Chicken Egg Rolls were a nice take on American-Asian fusion, with the classic flavor of buffalo chicken, wrapped in a crispy egg roll wrapper with scallions and bacon. It would have been nice to see some more Asian flavors in here, like a sweet chili buffalo sauce, but they were delicious.

We knew we had to try some sliders from the menu, and decided to go with the Corned Beef Sliders as they seemed fitting for an Irish pub. The corned beef in these mini reu- bens was sliced thin, making for a great texture, and having three tiny reubens as opposed to one giant one makes this great for sharing among friends. We also wanted to try some dishes from the “Entrée” section of the menu, and we decided to go with the Shepherds Pie ($13.99) and the Baked Lobster Mac & Cheese ($13.99). The Shepherds Pie was made unique by two large puff pastry crusts, adding a crisp, flakey,buttery crunch that fit very well with the rest of the traditional shepherds pie flavors in the dish. If you’re a lover of shepherds pie, this one is worth taking a trip to Dublin Rose.

Our last entrée was the Baked Lobster Mac & Cheese, which was a refreshingly creative take on the classic. I loved the sweet corn that was added to the dish and I think it paired well with the sweetness of the lobster. I also loved the idea of the wilted spinach, but found that the stronger flavors of cheese and lobster covered it up, and I would have liked to see a green with a more pronounced flavor that could cut through the cheese, such as arugula. To finish our meal, we had Fried Cheesecake ($5.99) for des- sert. With a thin, crunchy crust and warm, melty cheesecake inside, this
was what a good fried cheesecake should taste like. It was served with a nice strawberry compote, and was portioned perfectly to share.

We had a lovely meal here, and certainly recommend stopping by for dinner, or maybe just for drinks. When one thinks of an Irish pub, thoughts of a rustic atmosphere, deli- cious comfort food, crowds of hungry people having a good time and great beer come to mind, and that’s exactly what you’ll find at Dublin Rose.