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