"Toto, I'm Not In Southie Anymore". Irish Pub in LA!

Being a newbie to the Los Angeles area, there are many places that I have yet to discover. You know how there are those places that you always drive by and say to yourself, "Oh, I should try that sometime" and never do... Tom Bergin's is on Fairfax Ave right before Wilshire and having passed it nearly twice a week, it quickly became one of those "have to try" places. Lucky for me, some new foodie friends of mine have an "in" over there so I got to check it off the list!

The decor is pretty cool, they went through a recent renovation but managed to keep the original atmosphere in-tact. The walls are lined with paper shamrocks the dawn the names of patrons, partiers and even some paparazzi-worthy celebs. The dark wood and fireplace in the dining room made all of us reminiscent of Fall and couldn't wait to go back in those brisk Autumn months. 

Ok, now the good stuff - the food! 

We started off with crisp glasses of white wine, and what goes better with white wine than fresh pretzels and Reuben Balls, right?? Yes, we totally ordered those because we couldn't help but chuckle at the name but let me tell you, they were delightful!

While we moved on to dinner, our charming waiter brought us over some Irish soda bread straight from the oven. It was delish, I would have loved to see a hint of honey in the butter though, but that's just me.

The girls and I ordered quite the variety of dishes; a burger, a catch of the day selection (Yellow Tail) and a traditional cottage pie. Each were delicious in their own right, but I favored and savored the Cottage Pie. As my fellow foodie Sam said, "It reminds me of winter. It makes me want to cuddle". Could not have said it better myself! Other traditional selections included Fish & Chips, Corned Beef & Cabbage and Irish Breakfast that is served all day. 

Mid-way through the meal we found ourselves with empty wine glasses and we decided to switch it up. Our server suggested The Chook, a sparkling Shiraz that certainly pleased this amateur wine-drinkers palate.

Now there is a certain predicament that strikes every table of twenty-something year old women when they go out to dinner. It's that fun game when the waiter brings the dessert menu over and you all look at each other for slight hints as to whether they (also) want dessert or not. Who are you kidding? Everyone WANTS dessert. Just do it!
I was very relieved to be the in company of two women who were on my side of this argument. We chose the popular Coconut Cream Pie and the Apple Bread Pudding with Whiskey Sauce (another cuddling trigger) . The combination of hot and cold threw our tastebuds for a loop but that didn't keep us from letting loose the death-grip on our forks. 

The Round-Up: Tom Bergin's is a great place to grab a pint, watch a game or get some fantastic comfort food. I'll be sure to come back during cozy sweater season and request a table by the fire. Oh, and come St. Patty's Day, I hope there's a table reserved for this girl! Everyone's Irish that day, right!?