Olney Ale House: one down, 5,999 to go
The title of today's Shallow Thought Wednesday by guest poster John Lindner made me laugh out loud. It may be a bit obscure for those of you who aren't frequent readers, however, so I'm going to link to an earlier post of mine. The rest of his post, by the way, is just as funny. Here's John. EL
The Olney Ale House, by its own admission, is famous for its stew.
This I take on faith bolstered by the unsolicited testimony of a friend who, when the restaurant came up in conversation, said, “They have really good stew.”
I cannot vouch for it. ...
In my experience, good stew is something one’s mother cooks because what do kids know? But then, so is bad stew. Great stew is either an oxymoron or a better dish misnamed. Therefore, among the things I will not order at a restaurant (e.g., pbj sandwich, pork chop, taco), stew figures prominently.
But perhaps a bowl of OAH stew would expand my universe. A good reviewer would at least try it. Would I go to a steak house and whine about the stuffed flounder but not mention the filet?
No.
Maybe?
I don’t know.The problem with restaurant stew is there’s so much riding on it. If you choose it and it’s not an order of magnitude better than the best you’ve previously tasted, you’ll feel robbed.
I’m not a stew enthusiast, so why risk it? Spend your chance on something you like. If it’s a disaster, so be it. But if it’s an average rendering of a humdrum dish, you’ve just paid for a meal you could have screwed up equally well yourself.
There’s another reason I’m reluctant to buy in to the OAH stew: I’ve dined here before.
This past visit, I had their Reuben. In this case, the OAH committed a tragic error: tough corned beef. It required a knife and fork. Chewy? Felt like it would bounce if I dropped it.
Aside from that the sandwich wasn’t horrible; it was an afterthought, a menu filler. The meat was stacked high in an apparent attempt to get rid of as much of it as possible.
All this in a self-purported Irish pub. Tsk.
Also in this visit, limp fries. Not their typical delivery, I hasten to add.
The OAH wings practically stand up and invite you to choose a different appetizer: There is nothing amusing about this bouche.*
In my several visits, I’ve tried the OAH ribs, burgers, chicken, fish. Others in my company have probed elsewhere in the menu. By way of praise I would say that our meals have been unerringly filling.
But we shall return. It’s a nice place and always leaves me with the sense that they can, and sometimes might, do better. Though I’ll stick to their burger. Because even a tolerable burger is better than a merely good stew.
* poetic license # TSE26788
(1997 photo of Olney Ale House stew by Nanine Hartzenbusch/Staff photographer)
Comments
*shock and horror* How could you write abt OAH and not mention the fantastic bread?
Posted by: linz | May 13, 2009 12:23 PM
When I go to visit my daughter in Rockville I usually drive through Olney and have been tempted to try the OAH. Now I know I have made the right choice by going to the Dogfish Head Ale House in Gaithersburg instead. Sounds like TGI Fridays would be a better choice.
Like John I like to get food in restaurants that either I can't make at home (barbeque) or is a real pain to make (deep fried foods).
Posted by: Elite Elephant Lover | May 13, 2009 12:41 PM
Getting a Reuben at an Irish place is as crazy as getting the Shepard's Pie at Attmans.
You know, I used to feel the same way about Rocky Run/Bert's on St. Paul as you do about OAH. I guess it's kind of like rooting for the home team, even when they perpetually lose. Optimism is a good thing.
Posted by: Bob UU | May 13, 2009 12:44 PM
You can't buy publicity like this.
Posted by: Lissa | May 13, 2009 1:53 PM
Linz: I have not tried the bread. Glad you mentioned it.
Now that I see a pic of the stew, I'm less tempted than ever.
Interesting point about a Reuben at an Irish pub. I always associated the corned beef with the Irish thing. On the other hand, if Attmans had a Shepard's pie, I'd order it based on what I've had there in the past. And why in the name of Boswell's Johnson would you put a Reuben on your menu if you didn't plan to offer a good one?
Posted by: jl | May 13, 2009 2:57 PM
The Olney Ale House has one thing going for it. Location. It's across the street from the Olney Theater. Makes it easy to park early on the theater's lot, run over for a chewy Reuben and a flagon or two of Guiness, then scamper back across Olney -Sandy Spring Road at curtain time. When John Lindner speaks of several visits to the OAH, my hunch he is he's a theatergoer.
Posted by: Michael A. Gray | May 13, 2009 3:19 PM
When John Lindner speaks of several visits to the OAH, my hunch he is he's a theatergoer.
Maybe. But my guess would be that Olney is a convenient stop when motorcycling on country roads nearby (although more and more of the countryside disappears every year).
Posted by: Hal Laurent | May 13, 2009 7:15 PM
FWIW, I've had the beef stew at the OAH and it was indeed excellent, esp with their bread. I think I had a burger there once too and it was good. Haven't been there in a very long time, though - over 10 years.
Hal is right - it's good stop for riders (it was me and my Triumph back then).
Posted by: Bourbon Girl | May 13, 2009 10:03 PM
About a decade ago at OAH, I discovered a Thomas Hardy's Ale, perhaps the Kobe beef of beers, rich and liqueur-like, which then normally retailed for $5 a bottle at the few stores that carried it.
I inquired as to the price. $4. I ordered it, with a straight face, while dancing a victory jig in my head.
They opened the bottle and set it before me, beside a frosted, ice-cold mug.
I then offered to pay them handsomely never to do that again. It was akin to putting fine champagne in a sippy cup, or using the finest single malt Scotch in a light-beer boilermaker, or.......
Anyway, the beer serving and selection has vastly improved since then.
Posted by: Alexander D. Mitchell IV | May 13, 2009 11:15 PM
ADMIV, how does one massage an ale?
Posted by: Lissa | May 13, 2009 11:34 PM
Hal, you're probably right. Motorcycling never occurred to me because it's something I've never done. Like bungee jumping, paragliding or getting tattooed. I've always figured that the only reason for a two wheel vehicle is exercise. And when you add a motor, it defeats the purpose.
Posted by: Michael A. Gray | May 14, 2009 7:17 AM
jl: because people will fall for the corned beef head fake and it will bring in revenue. All of that said, I'm speaking from experience on the Irish Reuben - we're both members of the same club. I'm mostly of Irish decent and love Reubens, so that set the stage. I had the Reuben at The James Joyce, and cried on the inside at how it was executed. The corned beef tasted like 1/4" thick, slab jerky. I set off to explore the Reuben's heritage, and sure enough it is an American, Jewish Deli creation. We've been duped by my people!
Lissa: with the tongue of course
Posted by: Bob UU | May 14, 2009 9:08 AM
The Reuben was created at Reuben's restaurant, a popular mid-Manhattan eatery on East 59th Street (between Fifth and Madison Avenues) back in the Mad Men era. And yes, the prtoprietor, Reuben, was Jewish -- and his menu featured several Jewish specialties. Like terrific pot roast, I seem to recall.
Posted by: Michael A. Gray | May 14, 2009 9:56 AM
In the early to mid-90's, I worked in Olney and loved the Ale House. Even though I'm not a vegetarian, one of my favorite items was the Sun Burger, made with brown rice, sunflower seeds, carrots, etc. Over the years I've driven from Balto to Olney just to eat at the OAH, but my last trip there was a "never again" moment. Service was dismal and the menu had morphed into something forgettable. After failing repeatedly to flag down a "waitron", we left money for our beverages and walked out. Went to Clyde's in Columbia instead and had a great meal.
Posted by: jjk | May 14, 2009 9:56 AM
Quick correction to my previous post. Reuben's was on East 58th Street (not 59th as I thought -- but my last lunch there was more than forty years ago.) Among the first customers when Arnold Reuben opened it in 1935 was New York Mayor Fiorello LaGuardia. No record, though, of whether he munched on a Reuben. The restaurant stayed on 58th Street til the late 1960s when it moved south to 38th Street, again just off Madison Avenue, maintaining its popularity with ad agency "mad men."
Posted by: Michael A. Gray | May 14, 2009 10:11 AM
Why would BG be riding an English bike?
Posted by: LEC | May 14, 2009 10:24 AM
Why would BG be riding an English bike?
J'accuse! Secret anglophile! Turn in your freckles.
Posted by: Owl Meat Gravy | May 14, 2009 11:34 AM
BG + Motorcycle → ¬BG
Posted by: Amanda.C | May 14, 2009 12:37 PM
BG - I like the old triumphs. One of my favorite bikes was a '65 Triumph Bonneville.
Posted by: jl | May 14, 2009 6:35 PM