Thursday, November 4, 2010

The Shannon Rose - Clifton, NJ

We spend a lot of time in Clifton, NJ (even though we live in Newark). Actually, 'a lot of time' would be an understatement. Most of our weekends are spent in Clifton (if we are not in the city). We do our grocery shopping there, our favorite departmental store is there, our favorite bookstore is there and quite a few of our favorite restaurants are also located in Clifton (there is this kickass Chinese Buffet place in Clifton that I am so in love with!). So yeah, Clifton rocks! :P
Like I said earlier, there are quite a number of restaurants in Clifton. You can find small hole in the wall mom and pop places to huge chains like TGIF, Applebees, Chevys and so on. There is this Irish pub/restaurant that we have been meaning to check out since forever. Groupon had an awesome deal for Shannon Rose a while back. So, we took advantage of that and finally headed out to have dinner there a few weeks ago.
When we first walked in, we realized that it was huge! You really couldn't tell from the exterior but yeah, it's huge. There is also an outdoor seating area for the warmer months. The decor is pretty much your typical pub/restaurant, with lots of wood everywhere. Check out their beer list. They have all kinds of local and imported draft as well as bottled beer. The beer flights (4 different types of beer) as well as the Guinness Mixes looked good too. Oh, and before I forget, there is live music playing almost every day of the week. Cool eh?
To start off, we both shared The Ploughman's Sampler (12.99). All of the appetizers looked so good, we couldn't decide on one. So, we went with the sampler. This way, we get to try some of their more popular appetizers. The sampler consist of Beefed UP Nachos, Corned Beef Spring Rolls, Irish Potato Skins and Shannon Rose Wings. I must say that all four of the appetizers were really yummy but my favorite is the Corned Beef Spring Roll. Corned beef, cabbage, potatoes and some spices wrapped up in a wonton skin. It's really really good. Kevin loved the Irish Potato Skins too. Definitely a good choice if you want to sample a selection of appetizers.
For Kevin's main, he tried the Homemade Shepard's Pie ($11.99). Fresh ground beef mixed with vegetables, topped with mashed potato and then baked to perfection. It comes with a side serving of soda bread. Now, I must first say that Shepard's Pie is ranked among the top 5 of Kevin's favorite food. His dad used to make the most awesome Shepard's Pie ever! So, it takes a lot for him to say that a particular Shepard's Pie is good. Guess what? He said that Shannon Rose's Shepard's Pie is really good. Wow! It must be really good then :P Also, it was huge. Kevin only managed to eat half of the portion and he took home the other half for lunch the next day.
I ordered the Guinness Beef Stew ($12.99). Tender huge chunks of prime beef, potatoes and vegetables slow braised in a Guinness broth. Mmmmm mmmmm mmmmm. It also came with a side serving of soda bread. It was a tad bit oily but it was so so so good! The beef was really tender and the stew was so flavorful. The portion was also very hearty and huge. I too has to pack half of the stew home for my lunch the next day. Overall, we would give Shannon Rose two big thumbs up. Wide drinks selection, good live music, really yummy food and rather affordable prices. What else could a person ask for? We will most definitely be back!


The Shannon Rose - Clifton, NJ
Clifton Commons
98 Kingsland Road
Clifton, NJ
Tel: (973)284 0200
Web: http://www.theshannonrose.com/shannon-rose-clifton/

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

I love in summer sit outside under canopy they have nice new years Eve party there very comfortable warm place the place pretty yours truly kathleen spanarkel

Anonymous said...

Best place Saint Patrick's day too yours truly kathleen spanarkel