Philadelphia: Relaxed Society Hill pub has a Hearty English and Irish Menu.

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Relaxed Society Hill pub has a Hearty English and Irish Menu.
April 2, 2004

It's rare that I find myself ordering a beer in anticipation of my meal. But a late stop at Dark Horse, an English-Irish bar and restaurant in the spot where Dickens Inn was on 2nd Street off South, practically required that I forgo my usual glass of red in favor of an icy cold draft to complement my dinner. As I surveyed other tables around the dining room, perfectly poured pints and bottles were everywhere.

While Dark Horse does attract a steady stream of patrons on a strictly beer basis for its selection of European drafts and bottles, a discerning menu of English and Irish pub food awaits in the upstairs dining room if you can dodge past the bar.

It's not just the traditional duos of bangers and mash or plates of fish and chips streaming out of this kitchen. Due largely to chef Ben McNamara, who ran the show at Isabella's, New Wave Cafe and began his culinary career at Dickens Inn when he was 17, Dark Horse manages to retain tradition while reaching past its impositions.

McNamara's gourmet influences flavor house specialties like shepherd's pie and Cornish pastie with lamb and potatoes. Entrees incorporate a smattering of international fare like Creole rice and beans with andouille sausage, crawfish and grilled chicken and homemade potato basil gnocchi with spinach and roasted peppers. A hazelnut seared yellowfin tuna with soba noodles and soy mirin vinaigrette was also an interesting choice.

Dark Horse features McNamara's signature dishes, the Isabella salad with warm goat cheese and pine nuts and risotto crab cakes appetizer, taken from the menus at Isabella's and from his three-year exec chef position at New Wave Cafe

It wasn't the menu that I expected when I walked in, taking notice of the dark wood decor, beer ads and overtly male clientele sipping pints of Guinness. But like I said before, if you can get past the bar, the upstairs dining room is dimly lit and cozy, even a touch romantic.

» Go to Dark Horse