O’Connor’s Restaurant is truly a gem. What once started as a small place to have a drink and a meal has turned into quite a large establishment. O’Connor’s is situation on route 12 where route 190 meets. This Irish sounding restaurant has Irish fare and many selections from all over Europe, including England, Spain and Portugal with quite an extensive menu. Once you enter, you notice a lot of natural looking wood on the walls, rustic but sophisticated with a casual dining areas throughout the building, giving you the impression of a small cozy space. Robust conversations came from the large bar area as we entered and was located just off the entrance. As you leave this area and journey further into the restaurant proper you hear the noise level diminish and again you feel like you are in a small cozy and setting with friendly surroundings.
Once we were seated, our server was prompt and came right over to attend us. I found our servers to be very friendly, open, and knowledgeable about the menu. When asked what our servers favorites dishes where there was no hesitation in telling us their favorites and why. After hearing my server tell me her favorite I knew what my choice would be for the evening.
I started my meal with an appetizer called “Shelagh sticks” they were amazing. It was mashed corned beef that had a creamy-ness to it that was wrapped in dough and then deep fried. It came with a honey mustard type of dipping sauce but I found it to be so tasty I never used any sauce with it. The dough was very light and was really just there to hold the moist meat together inside. Truly something I would come back for again and again.
I also had a side salad with mixed greens and an amazing blue cheese dressing. It was just the right size for a side salad.
For my meal I chose the “short ribs over fried polenta.” I received 6 short ribs bone in and was happily pleased to see the meat come off the bone very easily. The rib meat was tender and flavorful and came in a brown gravy which only enhanced the flavor. The polenta was fried crispy on the outside and was creamy on the inside. Truly a dish I will come back for and have many times again.
I would recommend this place to my friends and anyone who wishes to have a fantastic meal with fantastic server knowing the food is prepared loving and for your enjoyment. I can’t say enough good things about this restaurant. It will be forever on my rotation of favorite restaurants.