Fine Irish Pub food and a mediocre fish fry

A couple of weeks or so, Lori and I were in the mood for something different.  So I fired up the Random Restaurant Piker and let it suggest something in my vicinity and price range.

After a few spins with such stellar choices as Azteca and Burger King, the slot machine finally showed me Paddy Coynes Irish Pub.

We went to the Lincoln Square, Bellevue location. Unfortunately, we arrived - it seemed - right between showtimes at the nearby cinema. While there was plenty of handicapped parking in the garage, it was very congested and drivers were not very inclined towards patience with a wheelchair pedestrian.

Paddy Coynes is a small place, a bar and maybe 10 tables. Since it was a Friday night, we did have to wait a bit before a table was ready. Once that detail was taken care of, the waitress was very helpful in clearing a path.

Our drinks were delivered quickly and our orders taken. Lori ordered a Shepherd's Pie (Braised ground beef, garlic, onions, carrots, celery and peas. Served en casserole, topped with mashed potatoes and browned to a golden crisp) and I had the Dublin Coddle (bangers, Irish rashers, onions, garlic and potatoes).

The food arrived piping hot in very generous portions. Each was accompanied with 2 types of soda bread.

Ratings:

to

Food:

Service:

Accessibility:

Ambiance: 

The lower score in Accessibility is mostly based on the size of the restaurant and the difficulty in maneuvering. On the positive side, the restroom was nicely accessible and the waitress eve held the door for me.

Ambiance suffered because we were seated next to the over-loud speakers us4ed by the band. Conversation was impossible.

Despite those complaints,  the food and service were good enough to bring us back.

Feeling in the mood for some really good fish and chips the other day, I went to the Market Fish Fry at the Crossroads mall in Bellevue.

You have your choice there of prawns, chicken strips or cod. For each order of fish & chips, you choose from 5 types of batter (beer/buffalo/jalapeno/curry/coconut) and pick 2 sides from 6 selections of different varieties of fries and coleslaw.

I had the beer batter cod with tater tots and what was described as "tangy mustard coleslaw."

It's a sad thing when the best part of your meal are the tater tots. The fish was unevenly cooked with the batter over-cooked in places and still doughy in others. The coleslaw had no "tang" nor was there the slightest taste of mustard. For all I knew, it was plain mayo and vinegar slaw.

The different flavors of tarter sauce were nice, but getting to them from my wheelchair was very difficult.

Service was very poor. The young man who delivered my food actually dropped the tray on my table, knocking my napkins to the floor. Then he simply walked away and ignored me for the remainder of my time there.

Food: The tater tots save this from a 1 chair rating.

Service:

Accessibility:

All-in-all and unrepeatable experience.