RiRa Irish Pub Review

     After the history walk we were starving. You would think we would visit one of the many, many, new places we haven't been to yet. But wife's go to place in downtown Burlington is Ri Ra's. And since we haven't done a full review yet, here we go.

      First of all, many people do not realize that Ri Ra's is a chain. With twelve locations up and down the East Coast, (plus one in Vegas). What most of you may also not realize is I usually HATE these type of chain restaurants (Chilli's. Longhorn, Olive Garden, etc.) YUCK, pre-packaged frozen food, trucked in from all over, YUCK, YUCK, YUCK, the absolute total opposite of the whole Localvore movement which I love. Not to mention the "fake atmosphere" trucked in by corporate planners to make you feel like your in the southwest, or a saloon or in Ri Ra's case, a pub in Ireland. And yet despite all this, I really do like Ri-Ra's.
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      First the atmosphere, they really have done a good job of giving us what we Americans think of as the ideal Irish pub. Beautiful bar, lots of TVs playing sports, some quiet areas in the back, and a nice fireplace to curl up near on those cold winter nights. In addition, it has some of the best beer choices in Burlington, (Yes, I know it doesn't come close to Farmhouse Tap but still), wife loves their hard cider on tap and I always have a Black and Tan. This visit they had a pear cider, which was OK but didn't have a real strong pear flavor. Bro-in-Law went with a Guinness stout (even heartier that regular Guinness YUM).

      After getting our drinks, we all ordered. Ri-ra burgers for Chris and I, a nice burger with an Irish rasher, (bacon), Swiss cheese, and onion rings, YUM. Mike went with the Publican Reuben and wife went with cottage pie (shepherd's pie for the rest of you). No pictures, and YES I did have the camera handy but c'mon it hamburgers and Shepherd's pie, you've seen pictures of them a million times, nothing earth shattering in their presentation. Mike and wife loved their meals, Chris and my hamburgers were OK but too well done and dry . We had asked for medium and they came out much closer to well done. A hazard of the pre-packed burgers I assume. Cottage pie and the reuben were both very good and as always the beers were tasty and cold. All in all a very satisfying but not inspired meal.

On a scale of 1 to 5; Food,                Quality means much more to us than quantity. Beer and Wine,  Based on selection and pricing Service,             Speaks for itself Ambiance,          Does the look fit the food and pricing  Price,                And finally does the pricing equal the results we had. Food,                     3.    Not totally inspired but consistently good. Beer and Wine,    3.    Nice beer and cider selections, wine is not a highlight Service,                 3.5  Always efficient, not always super friendly Ambiance,             4     Looks like an authentic version, of an Americans idea of an Irish bar Price,                     3     Average food but average pricing also. In downtown this counts as inexpensive. Overall                  3.3  This is a pretty consistent place downtown. Casual, but the food is Ok. Don't go in expecting gourmet fare and you will be very happy. And be sure to order my favorite, Black and Tan.