Irish Comfort in the Rain
Phoenix is called the Valley of the Sun. Most of the time it is. For the past few days, however, the sun has been obscured by thick grey clouds and rain has been falling at record, if intermittent, rates. It's difficult to complain about wet weather in the middle of a decade-long drought. So I made the best of it by indulging in some good Irish food.
Shepherd's pie is always wonderful on cold and rainy days. The version at Fibber Magees (1989 W. Elliott Rd., #19 in Chandler), is a wonderful casserole braised beef and vegetables topped with mashed potatoes and melted cheese. The lunch portion is generous, I can usually get two meals out of it, especially if I pair it with a pint or some soup. The soup varies daily. I was fortunate to get mushroom which is thick and creamy with large chunks of mushrooms. It's delicious and people have actually been known to call ahead to find out when it is on the menu.
Guinness lends the Beef Stew more comfort than it might otherwise have. It's difficult to improve on the flavor of braised top sirloin, potatoes and root veggies, but the Guinness gravy somehow manages to do so. It's wonderfully complex without losing any of simple familiarity that is the hallmark of superior comfort foods.
For some reason, fish and chips aren't a rainy day food for me. That aside, I do find them comforting and Fibber's Fish and Chips are also excellent. The 10 oz. cod fillet is moist and battered just enough to be crispy but not so much that you don't taste the fish. The malt vinegar is good vinegar, if you like vinegar you could drink it out of the bottle. It provides a bit of a bite without being too bitter or harsh, a perfect counterpoint to the Harp used in the batter. The fish is also served with tartar sauce for those who don't do vinegar. The chips are thick cut but still crisp. And what would fish and chips in a restaurant be without mushy peas?
Of course, these three dishes are not the sum of Fibber's menu by any means. There is pretty much something for everyone's taste, with an Irish twist. As far as liquid libations go, they serve Guinness and Harp, as well as pear cider and good Irish whiskey. Oh, and a range of beers and ales appealing to American palates. Prices are reasonable, ranging from $5 appetizers to $18 steak entrees with most entrees in the $10-13 range.
One of the key ingredients to all comfort foods is atmosphere. Fibber's atmosphere changes with the crowd. During the day, it's a quiet neighborhood pub and as the day draws to a close more of the neighborhood shows up. Evenings, especially Fridays and Saturdays when a band like the Keltic Cowboys, Blackwood and the Scones (see them on December 21!) perform, are positively lively but still in that friendly local pub feel. The only thing missing is a huge stone fireplace,which would probably be a waste of space given how rarely it is actually needed.
The only time it loses that neighborly attitude is on St. Patrick's Day when it hosts one of the largest parties in town, but more on that next year. For now, bring on the comfort food and let it rain!
