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Monday, August 17, 2009
Con Murphy's: An Irish gastropub with a story

Con Murphy was a guy from Limerick you just wanted to be with.

Maurice Collins wants his new pub, named after Murphy, to be a place you just want to be in.

Collins and Liam Kelly, who founded Tir na Nog, are looking at mid- to late-September for Con Murphy's at 17th Street and the Parkway, in that corner space in the Windsor that previously housed Peacock on the Parkway and Kujaku. (One working name for the project, when I wrote about it in January, was SnugBar.)

Here's Murphy's story, courtesy of Collins.

Design and concept will focus on Irish heritage and the Irish influence in Philadelphia. They'll offer 18 beers on tap, plus a large selection of imported beers and scotches. There will be a focus on weekend brunch with several kinds of brunch drinks and outdoor seating. They'll serve breakfast and an all-day menu.

Chef Todd H. Butler is German-born and Norfolk, Va.-raised. He's worked all over California in a variety of styles. See clips here, here, and here. After the jump, he dispenses some menu ideas.

Angels on Horseback ($9.99 as an app): fresh oysters wrapped with smoked bacon and baked; served on caraway toasts

Fried Shrimp Cocktail ($10.99 as an app): crispy tiger prawns served with homemade horseradish, cocktail sauce and lemon

The Last Leg (grilled panini, $11.49): oven-roasted lamb, Brie, arugula, olive tapenade and tomato

Dandelion Salad ($7.99): tender greens, peppered creme fraiche, baby potatoes, tomatoes, shaved celery, carrots and sweet onions

Pan-Roasted salmon ($15.99 as an entree) with black lentils, baby tomatoes, kalamata olives, oranges, fresh basil

Golden confit chicken breast (14.99 as an entree) with sorrel and arugula salad with Granny Smith apples, dried blueberries, toasted pistachios

Lamb frites ($18.99 as an entree): Petite rack, rubbed with sea salt and pan roasted; served with parsley sauce and fries

Stout-braised beef short ribs ($15.99 as an entree) with wilted sorrel greens, baby carrots, buttery mashed potatoes

Blue Brie omelette ($12.99, served all day) with Abbey Blue Brie, baby tomatoes and wild spinach, and served with grilled bread and sliced apples

Lemon pepper butterfish "coddle" ($16.99 as an entree) with asparagus, fingerling potaoes and prosciutto

Desserts

baked apple pot pie with vanilla bean gelato and cinnamon caramel
chocolate pot de creme with homemade ginger snaps and fresh berries
blackberry and bailey's fool
caramelized red plums with lavender honey, sabayon gelato and "lacey blouse" tuiles
warm cornmeal cake with lemon curd and Chantilly cream



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Posted by Michael Klein @ 5:00 AM  Permalink | File Under: TableTalk | 5 comments
Comments   
Posted 12:23 PM, 08/17/2009
TheDog
That makes no sence. Why open another Irish bar 1 block away from the Irish pub you formerlly owned?!?! That area is "dead" on the weekends and now during the week, these two places will be fighting for the tourists and business people with the same theme. I say both bars closed by New Years.
Posted 01:16 PM, 08/24/2009
JackDuggan
What's taking these boys so long? They've been at this some time now. Sounds like $ problems to me. Still no website. License in safe-keeping. A chef based in LA. Something wrong here. No September opening a'tall a'tall.
Posted 02:07 AM, 11/05/2009
opinionsrus
I had my first experience at Con Murphy's tonight when I went to watch game 6 of the World Series... a disappointing game no doubt, but my bar experience was far from disappointing. It was reasonably priced, with a good menu, and a just-as-good-as-it-sounds food quality, with a low key crowd looking for some easy going happy-hour action after a long day. The service was great and the location was perfect, with lots of easily accessible parking. Thanks to the comments above for their unfounded speculations on a place they have never experienced. For future reference, it is usually helpful to actually GO before offering advice or criticisms to others!!
Posted 11:30 AM, 11/06/2009
mladd
I have been to Con Murphy's a few times in the past week. The food was great and the service was just as good. The bartenders and wait staff are very friendly and try to make you feel right at home. Breakfast and brunch start this weekend. They have had a great crowd so far over the past week, and the grand opening isn't planned for a few more weeks, at least, is what I was told. And there is also Mace's pub two doors down. All three Irish bars seem to be doing very well, and all of them will last for a long while, I am sure. And their website is up, but most likely won't be updated until they decide on a date for their grand opening: http://www.conmurphyspub.com/
Posted 11:07 AM, 11/12/2009
JackDuggan
ha ha ha ha If you fella's ever need a job Hallmark cards will take ye on! Toughen up boys. Good luck with the new pub!
5 comments
About Michael Klein
Michael Klein chronicles local people, places and things (in easy-to-digest portions) three days a week in his Inquirer column "INQlings." He also covers the restaurant scene in his Thursday Food column, "Table Talk." See his work at http://www.philly.com/inquirer/columnists/michael_klein.
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