McGonigles Irish Pub

On this adventure of Diary of a Fat Guy, your favorite fatties are once again found in a rather peculiar spot, surrounded by food containing enough grams of fat and calories to kill a small army.  So what will your heroes do?  Well, they will do what they have done time and time again; they will eat their way out.  Stay tuned to find out there fate.

On 04/26/2012 we loaded up the vehicles (alright overloaded them) and made our way to McGonigles Pub 915 Emmett St E, Battle Creek, MI.  At first sight nothing seemed to be amidst the décor was what to be expected of a small Irish pub.  Once seated and after several pain staking minutes I had made my decision.  I would get into character as a true Irish man and order the fish and chips.  This is a brave decision I must say, as when it comes to fish if it is bad you will know it in a flush, oh! My bad, I mean flash.  Well anyway the fish was edible I thought, I mean I did eat it (I’m not wasting money) with some malt vinegar and the fries they seemed to be done well.  However, the tartar sauce that came with the fish tasted strange and was very dilly, but I must admit I am not a tartar sauce fan because if the fish is done correctly you will not need it.  I do have to say that they have a rather creative menu featuring a THREE POUND BURGER for $20.00.  Food: 2.5 Stars

Now, on to the service.  The service at this location was actually good.  Beverages were kept full and the food came at without haste.  The server was pleasant and even laughed at some lame jokes provided by my dining comrades.   Service: 4 Stars

Overall:  The service was above average and was quite a surprise.  However, the food was a let down after seeing the menu.  The food though it had some good flavor, it lacked in digestive likeability if you understand what I am throwing at ya. I say this because all parties involved were left flipping coins for the use of the second office.  Once again we are left without the important service and food balance.  And the search goes on.

Overall: 3.25

Join use next time; the same fat channel, same fat place and same fat time as your heroes continue the search for edible food in unexpected places.

FBB

It’s Thursday (change of pace)!!!!  And yours truly gets to pick our gluttonous destination.  Although I had several destinations lined up it seemed appropriate to go to McGonigles on

Emmett St.

in Battle Creek.  McGonigles is one of the Irish Pubs in Battle Creek.  Upon entering it looked like you average pub.  The waitress seated our party of five at a round table, and did an excellent job of taking our orders.  She did not use a pad of paper or a ticket, but simply her memory and was spot on with the orders.  She was probably was not as personable as we have had in the past, but good.  SERVICE 3.5 stars.

As always we ordered a couple of appetizers.  Our mainstay the onion rings (fat guys are suckers for hand battered food), and we also tried the Texas cheese fries.  The onion rings were good, they had a good crust on them and were well executed.  The Texas chili cheese fries were huge.  They definitely lived up to the moniker that “things are bigger in Texas.”  They were good seasoned fries with house made chili, shredded Monterey Jack cheese, and scallions on top, served with a side of sour cream.  Overall I was very pleased with their appetizers.  It was bar food done right.

For my meal I had one of their new menu items called “The High Roller.”  It was built much like a club with sourdough bread on the bottom, followed by a half pound burger with pepper jack cheese on it.  It then had another slice of sourdough bread topped with Prime Rib roasted red peppers and onions, topped with Swiss cheese and another slice of sourdough bread.  It came with a huge order of fries.  This meal was more than enough for someone looking to “fill up.”  Unfortunately it did not live up to the name.  By the time the meal was over I felt more like a bottom dweller.  The meat to grease ratio was off the charts (which I did not think was possible for a fat guy), and the cook killed the prime rib.  Note to cook…the animal is already dead!!!!  No need to kill it again.  Prime rib should never be cooked well-done, let alone cooked to this extent.  In the end, I was left with an over-cooked greasy mess, that although was filling was far from meeting my expectations.  I must say I was sadly disappointed with the sandwich.  FOOD 2.5 stars (only because of the appetizers)

OVERALL: 3.0 STARS

~TFM~

I had the McGonigle Burger.  It was HUGE.   It was taller than me, and there was no way I could finish it.  The fries were good, and tasted “cheesy.”  I asked for a medium burger, and it came out medium rare.  Otherwise it was a pleasurable experience for this wee little leprechaun.

TVC

So the herd of fat guys' next stop was at McGonigles (formerly the Frog Pond) in Emmett Township.  The building itself seems sort of small and cramped, but the menu was interesting with plenty of choices.  Our waitress was excellent, remembered everything and kept the drink refills coming.  She was also a good sport and had a good sense of humor as she had to put up with a group of idiots like us.  Service was 4 out of 5 stars.

The food was very tasty.  I ordered the 2 chili dog combo which came with French fries and a pickle spear.  The fries were seasoned fries and were better than average.  The hot dogs were above average, but nothing special. However, the chili on them was very good, tasted home made and pushed the overall meal above average.  The food is very greasy, but then again I didn't order healthy food, I ordered friggin' chili dogs and French fries.  I give the food 3.25 stars out of 5. 

Overall rating by myself is 3.5 out of 5 and I would definitely eat there again.

-The Fat Opie Taylor