Mahaffey's Pub

We decided to venture across town to Mahaffey's Pub in Canton last night. After some odd directions from Mapquest and the GPS, we finally found it. The closest landmark is the Canton Safeway, and Mahaffey's is behind it... sort of.

We got there about 6:45 and happy hour was in full swing with the requisite hip Cantonites bellying up to the bar. We found that there was an upstairs section, so hightailed it up there. It was loads quieter and not smokey. Also, the average age was about 40, instead of 25, so we fit in there better.

After checking out their extensive and interesting beer menu, we ordered a Smutty Nose, a New Castle Nut Brown Ale, a cask-conditioned MacGregor from the Orkney Islands off Scotland and some Belgian beers. The UK beers were a little on the cold side, but that's to be expected here in the States.

We got down to ordering dinner because we'd seen the menu selections on-line and thought that they were ambitious for pub-grub. More like a gastro-pub than a corner pub. Two of our company are trained chefs, so I was interested in their comments.

C&J started with a warm salad that was similar to seaweed/sesame salad and thought it was excellent. I had a steak caprese sandwich which was good, except for the winter tomatoes. IC had a cod roll-up, D had a burger (well-done) and D2 had a chicken breast sandwich. C&J also had a baked brie with basil and pignoli nuts. The kitchen seemed to have deep fried the brie, because the crust was perfectly done but the cheese was cold. We all agreed that having the brie a little warmer and melted was the way to go, but that the crust was great.

We tried a number of the beers, including some of the well-known Belgian beers in huge bottles that were $20/each. By about 9:30, the upstairs started filling up and getting smokey, so we got the cheque and left. The total bill was $142, plus tip, which was about $30/person. I would go back again for the beer, the food and the atmosphere.

On a funny note, we had to ask the owner to change the TV channel because after the movie "Children of the Corn" was over, "Misery" came on, and that's not something you want to be watching on a big-screen TV five feet from your dinner. Hoops were better!