By Clyde Noel
A little bit of Ireland, in the form of St. Stephen’s Green, came to life last week as soon as the green awning was hung over it’s Main Street canopy.
Three Irish investors, Matt Hynes, Erik Barry and Bob Crosbie joined in a business venture to introduce Los Altos to an authentic Irish bar.
“I was in the old Bar & Grill before and what is missing in a small town like this is a local bar,” Hynes said. “In Ireland, it’s a social place for people to meet, even the local soccer team meets there. It’s a place people like to come to.”
Once the transaction to take over the Bar & Grill was complete, a crew came in and spent three days renovating the kitchen. It was dismantled and the floor retiled. Most of the equipment is new, but it had to be refurnished.
“Running a restaurant isn’t a rocket science,” Hynes said. “It’s basic courtesy. I intend to spend 100 percent of my time here to meet the customers. It’s important to make sure we are doing things right.”
Hynes said most Irish bars have a weak wine list. They concentrate on their strengths with different beers they have on tap. He knew the first night they were open they had to strengthen the wine list. Since then, more California wines from Kendall Jackson, Camus and Cake Bread have been added.
The original St. Stephen’s Green is in Mountain View, (other than Dublin, Ireland) and Hynes and Barry have learned two things from their successful operation on Castro Street.
“You need a consistent bar tender. One that doesn’t change every week but becomes a part of the community,” Hynes said. “The other is a excellent chef. We like to train our own staff because they are hard to get, so we treat them with respect and provide a pleasant working environment.”
The chef, Sorren Madsen, came from the Mountain View restaurant and knows how to prepare an Irish cuisine.
“He knows how to make soda bread from scratch better than my mother,” Hynes said. “We took the best from the Mountain View menu and added more Irish food for Los Altos and make it more traditionally Irish.”
The favorites are there: Irish stew, choice tender lamb and vegetables in a stew served with potatoes.
The Irish mixed grill is an adventurous tasting of Irish sausage, bacon and Irish black pudding.
Other Irish favorites on the menu are: Shepherds pie, fish & chips, chicken and mushroom pie.
“Roast chicken is my favorite. It’s cooked slowly and we buy roasting chickens and not regular chickens,” Hynes said. “It’s a traditional dish I grew up with in Galway, Ireland, and it was always our Sunday dinner.”
You won’t find a long list of pastas, because it is Irish cuisine, but there is a long list of appetizers, soup and salads and deserts to start and finish the meal.
The most requested item in Mountain View is the $7.50 half pound burger and it will be featured on the Los Altos menu and served all day long. It’s served with hand cut French fries made in the kitchen. Food is available from 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. and the bar remains open till 2 a. m.
Entertainment four nights a week starts with Karaoke on Wednesday and disc jockeys playing music from the 70s, 80s and 90s for dancing Thursday, Friday, and Saturday.
St. Stephens Green is located at 169 Main Street, Los Altos. For more information call, 917-1336.
