#1 Callahan's Grille - Sam's synopsis

A very Irish-looking sign

The adventure began at Callahan's, located at 2615 South Street.  According to the interwebs, Callahan's is a family-owned business that has been around since 1933, and the mood inside felt appropriately homey.  It was obvious that the bar has a large community of regulars, which I personally think is always a good sign.  We went here in early December, so there were Christmas decorations floor-to-wall and Christmas music playing the whole night.  Sandya is not a big fan of Christmas music, but I enjoyed it, especially when "You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch" came on - because seriously, how can you not like that movie?

Great decorations

I walk/bike past Callahan's pretty much every day coming to and from work, but have never actually been inside, so I had no expectations for what it was going to be like.  The beer selection was nothing special, with your typical choice of domestic (Sam Adams, Yuengling) and "foreign" (Stella) taps.  I went for Stella, which is always a nice and easy beer to drink.  

Let me start off by saying that I am in no way a food snob.  I don't know fancy words that mean "these two flavors complement each other really well" and I probably can only name 3 types of mushrooms (all of which I probably hate cause mushrooms are gross).  So don't expect some Julia Child analysis on this shit, because you won't get it - you're just going to get a normal, unbiased opinion.  Now that we have that out of the way - we started with mozzarella sticks, which were crispy brown and deliciously cheesy.  The marinara sauce for dipping was among the better ones I've had in a long time, so A+ to Callahan's for that.  For dinner, I went with the roast pork sandwich with provolone - they were out of spinach which was a bummer, because I really think it would have added to the flavor, but overall I was happy with the sandwich.  With so many slices of meat, I was expecting the sandwich to be pretty dry, but it turned out to be a nice level of juiciness.  

Stella and lager

 Overall, I was impressed with Callahan's, despite having no expectations for it coming in.  The prices were reasonable, the staff was friendly and the crowd was an interesting mix of older businessmen, students and what appeared to be a running group where someone was wearing a kilt. The one downside was that a lot of the items listed on the menu were not available, but in the end Sandya and I had a nice relaxing conversation about the trials and tribulations of life, the universe and everything while listening to Christmas music and enjoying standard pub fare.  

Roast pork sandwich

Callahan's Grille
2615 South Street
(215) 732-6332