PlanJam!From your screen to the scene

In the former location of a Lakeview hardware store, the Wilde Bar opened in November 2007. Featuring two full bars, authentic Irish food, and a beautiful interior, the bar would not disappoint Oscar Wilde. Were he alive today, the great gay Irish playwright would feel comfortable here eating a plate of bangers and mash, drinking whiskey in the back with a boyfriend or seated by the fireplace writing something witty.

Inside, the Wilde Bar is much longer and broader than the narrow storefront would lead you to expect. Amber and bronze chandeliers hang over the two long dark bars, the leather booths and two fireplaces with portraits of Oscar Wilde. Portraits of other Irish writers like William Butler Yeats and Samuel Beckett hang on the walls. Two stained glass windows in the ceiling show red dragonflies and Celtic knots. The décor reminds you of Wilde’s insights about aesthetics; even the tile and wood beam floor looks beautiful. Two plasma TVs silently show basketball and other sports, so you can keep up with the games and keep up a conversation at the same time. Like a pub in Ireland, the bar features some booths with walls on three sides, called “snugs”. At night you could drink privately here with a date.

The menu features old-fashioned Irish with staples like lamb, chicken pot pie, champ (mashed potatoes with milk, scallions and butter ($2.95) and the enormous savory Irish breakfast with bungers, bacon, grilled tomato, mushrooms, baked beans, two eggs, toast and black and white (sausage) puddings. Other menu items put an Irish spin on American food like the burgers with Irish chips and coleslaw or the chicken salad with Irish cheddar and bacon. Two soups are on the menu; one is always vegetarian. Desserts include a Guinness chocolate cake, sticky toffee pudding and lemon syllabub with wine sauce. For a brunch, dinner or dessert date, portions are generous and satisfying. My only complaint about the menu is that beer does not come cheap here; Guinness is $6 and Bud and Coors or $4. This would move me to skip directly to whiskey and other drinks.

Service was prompt and attentive here and the food was the best I’ve had since I visited Dublin. The Wilde Bar and Restaurant combines old-fashioned beauty with American comfort and great Irish food and drink. There are DJs here on weekends and private parties. I have nothing to declare but its genius.