My dear friend Kristy from my first newspaper job lives in Lancaster. We try to get together for dinner regularly, but we always end up meeting near the York Galleria or Park City Center because it's the easiest landmark along Route 30. But in an attempt to meet in the middle, I stumbled across McCleary's Irish Pub in Marietta, Lancaster County. It's about a 30 minutes from the office in West Manchester Township. It's tucked along the river in the quaint little historic river town.
Just look at the menu. Isn't your mouth watering already?
We sat on the deck, a very nicely kept, closed in area with umbrella covered tables. The flies got a little pesky, but it was worth it to enjoy the lovely weather.
I started with the seared tuna ($9.95) because frankly, I am obsessed with tuna. It came out on a bed of seaweed salad and drizzled with Asian sesame glaze and some really, really spicy red sauce dabbles. It was so tender, it melted in my mouth. I felt like I was swimming under the sea.
I completely switched gears for dinner and ordered a Reuben sandwich ($6.95). The McCleary's Reuben comes finely diced coleslaw instead of sauerkraut, but you can still get your sour cabbage if coleslaw doesn't suit. The Reuben was small, not the highly stacked variety, but filling nonetheless. It was served with really well-done waffle fries and a pickle spear.
Kristy ordered the Vegetarian Pasta Du Jour ($11.95). It came out in a massive bowl and she commented that it was "really good." She also enjoyed the tomato bisque.
The horn of the train chugging along the river interrupted our conversation once, but it made for a laugh when she jumped in mid sentence. The service was good and the waiter was handsome.
For such a short drive, it was nice change to get out of York County and experience a new atmosphere and a different menu. The inside of the restaurant was really something unique, too, but that's for another day.
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