The Grange: First Impressions
September 5, 2008 | 10:09 am
Signage in place!
The misses and I were lucky enough to attend the pre-pre-opening party at the Grange last night.
This was the very first opportunity to see the full operation in action. The space was hopping with family, friends and relations, all enjoying the plentiful food and drink.
Here are my impressions, broken up into self-prescribed categories.
The space: As has been previously noted…the Comers brightened up the interior by replacing the red rugs with hardwoods, painting the walls above the wood paneling an off-white color, reupholstering everything with a lighter green fabric and adding additional lighting. It worked. For a building with so few windows, it no longer feels like a cave. Even the mafia booth now looks inviting!
The drink: Here are the taps I can recall: Guinness, Highland Gaelic, LaGuinitas Censored, Harp, Strongbow, Sweetwater 420, Weinstephaner, Dogfish Head 60 Minute IPA, Peroni. I believe there were at least two or three more that I’m blanking on. No surprise here…The Grange knows how to pour a Guinness (which I can now say from personal experience). There also seems to be a pretty extensive wine and liquor list. So, regardless of your vice, you’ll be well-covered.
The food: Now I’m no Blissful Glutton, but I do love my pub food. Many items at the Brick are old standbys for me (Fingers & Chips mostly). Last night at the Grange, we sampled the staples. I ordered the Shepard’s Pie while my wife dove into a basket of Fish and Chips. I must admit that my experience with Shepard’s Pie is limited, but to me, this was as good as comfort food gets. Sirloin with peas and carrots, topped with mashed potatoes and cheddar. Really good. Icould see this being perfect for a cold or rainy day. (Colin says its as close to their mom’s recipe as they could get it)
Onto the fish and chips. With these, I’m pretty picky. All too often the fish is too greasy. But at the Grange we’re talking more authentic fish & chips, so instead of fish pieces/chunks, this is just one very substantial piece of fish over fries. Because its larger, the fish stays more moist and flaky after frying than smaller chunks, and our piece really wasn’t greasy at all. It was also very flavorful, and I found myself cleaning my wife’s plate/basket after finishing off the shepard’s pie.
The interior isn't as fuzzy as this picture
The people: To me, this is what this place is all about. People and atmosphere. The Comer’s seem to be well-aware that even if they presented you with the best poured pint, if the waitress was giving you the fish-eye while you drank it, it wouldn’t taste all that good. And though it wasn’t the typical crowd last night, (and you could tell that the staff were all dealing with the newness of everything), I’ll go out on a pretty sturdy limb and say this is going to be the one area where the Grange will really outshine the Angel. Service is really important here.
Kids: Some people were asking about the kid-friendliness factor. We saw at least three kids (from infants to toddlers) last night. High chairs are available and there’s a creative kids menu. So while it might not be the “kid-friendly” idea of someone OTP (table crayons and balloon parties), its definitely right up the alley of kid-friendly Decatur-style.
Ultimately, I’m really excited. The Grange is primed to be the next great addition to our community.
Check it out for yourself this Saturday after 6p!
Smart beer selection. Everything sounds great, can’t wait to try it.
I walked by a couple times with thoughts of sneaking in, it was very tempting! I’m so excited about Saturday evening and even more excited they know how to pour a proper Guinness. I’m a Guinness snob and get pretty upset when I receive an overflowing glass that’s been poured to the top with no settling. Strongbow on tap makes me equally excited, that’s a hard one to find on tap! Thanks for the review, it sounds great!
The perfect pint of Guiness starts with a frosted glass . . .
Just kidding.
No prob Jarrett. Glad to see others are just as excited as I am!
Every pint of Guinness I saw poured was filled 2/3 of the way, allowed to settle for a minute or two and then topped off. The result? A perfect head every time.
Oh…and I forgot to mention, there is definitely a Wii sitting above the flat-screen at the front. So at some point in the future, look out of tournaments!
The “taps” you listed (and that show up in one of the pictures on the website) mostly seem to be the same ones that were in place when The Angel closed it’s doors. Hopefully they’re just artifacts of a bygone time and there’re some better beers going to be connected to them eventually. They couldn’t give that Dogfish Head stuff away back then, even on their “one dollar a beer” Sunday afternoons …
Cliff,
Dogfish head is awesome. Arguably one of the best breweries in the States today. What’s the problem?
Maybe they should put Schlitz on tap. Would that make you happy?
Going tonight, can’t wait!
Spent 9 hours there Sat. evening/night. Had a good time. They’re carrying a very nice British beer – in the bottle – that I’ve never seen over here (Thwaites Lancaster Bomber) and a lot of good Irish whiskies, so I’m happy. Decent food, too. Good to have our local back …
Just had dinner there – food was good, service was excellent. I enjoyed watching others walk in the front door, do “the lap” around the place to check out all the renovations before sitting down to eat. The atomosphere has improved for sure.
Lots of people on the patio and inside. Hope this one stays around a long time. My only request – bring back the table (maybe tables?) that were in front of the fireplace. Would love to be able to sit in front of the fire when it gets colder outside.
Excellent Shepherd’s Pie and Risotto Balls! Great hosts! Place looks great!
I hope their plans for Magner’s come through. But in the meantime, this sounds awesome.
I beg to differ. Very disappointing. The chicken tenders and fish are coated in thick breading. We had to peel off the breading to find the meat. Tasteless turkey burger as well. A really good turkey burger can be found at a pub up on the square. The only thing good on the menu that we’ve tried so far is the beer.
My first impression was not particularly favorable. The service got spottier as the place filled up. The menu seems limited. The wings were big and tasty, but where’s the celery or carrot sticks? I ordered my burger to be as close to medium rare as they would do it and it came well done. Given the service at that point and my need to be somewhere else that evening, I didn’t send it back. I didn’t finish it either.
Probably first week issues. I’ll give it another chance further on down the line.
I agree the food may not be the strongest thing about this place. I found it OK, nothing special. I did like the atmosphere , though . The service was adequate and staff very friendly. I will go back mainly for drinks – not full meals.
I’m glad some other folks have chimed in. Now I don’t take it personally that our first visit there was a dud as well.
Problem is, here in Decatur, the standard for pubs is pretty darn high. I don’t envy anyone trying to hit it just out of the gate. Things like waitresses that need you to point at beers or other items on the menu when you order them because they’re unfamiliar with what they sell probably won’t fly in a town with the Brick Store, where the staff not only knows everything they offer, they can probably tell you about its taste or even history.
I’ve heard that the Grange guys are passionate about creating a great place. I think they just need some of that enthusiasm and knowledge to trickle down to the staff.
All that said, we’ll give ‘em another try once they get settled in.
i went there on Saturday night and really enjoyed it. We got there around 10:30pm, and it was busy, but not too crowded. We sat outside on the patio, which was nice. Their kitchen was closed, so we just had some beers. Our waitress was attentive and friendly. I’d definitely go back!