The Corner has many dining options; nearly every step brings another restaurant awning, another chalkboard full of lunch specials and bar menus. I was excited to visit Trinity Irish Pub, the newest addition to this Eat Street, primarily because it fills a niche the Corner has not previously offered. Irish pub fare is unlikely to be found in any of the typical Corner haunts, so I headed to the restaurant with eager anticipation.
Trinity had a few atmospheric touches - a distressed staircase leading up to a second upper dining area, and some old-time photographs and signs - that attempt to create the Irish pub feel the restaurant claims to embody. Generally, though, the experience ended up being mostly like any other Corner restaurant, with a well-stocked bar and plenty of flat-screen televisions. The atmosphere is fine - nice, even - it's just not particularly Irish ... or pub-like.
One charming feature at Trinity is that the whole front of the restaurant can be opened on warm days, creating a European feel and allowing customers to enjoy the breeze and bustling Corner activity. I went on one of the rare November afternoons that reached the mid-70s with plenty of sun soaking the remaining autumn leaves on the trees outside, and enjoyed my table right inside the opened doors. Though certainly a pleasant experience, it was an atmosphere that did not really mesh with the pub concept.
As a new restaurant, Trinity has a few things that seem to still need working out. My service was incredibly fast, though the restaurant was not very busy at 2 p.m. Sunday. My waitress was friendly and eager, and was decently knowledgeable about the best selections on the menu. I'm also a sucker for wait-staff who remember to refill my water glass consistently, which our waitress certainly did. But toward the end of my visit, both servers on the main floor left, leaving what seemed to be only one waitress for the entire restaurant. The people at the table next to mine were without menus until they finally took matters into their own hands and requested them almost 10 minutes after arriving.
The most Irish thing about Trinity is the menu. The restaurant offers a number of pub-type meals, including bangers and mash (mashed potatoes and sausage), fish and chips and chicken potpie. As a student coming in for a quick lunch, however, the entrees were all priced a little more steeply than I wanted, with the most expensive being pan-seared tuna for $18. I ordered one of five burger options. You can get a burger or sandwich for around $8, which includes a choice of a side of fries, broccolini, a green salad or macaroni and cheese. Naturally, I chose broccolini in the vain attempt to be a healthy eater. That, and I wanted to know what exactly broccolini entailed. I quickly found out that it is four or five long stems of a green vegetable, saut
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