Pot of Gold: Loafing Leprechaun Delivers Authentic Experience

One hundred nineteen point five seconds.

That is the time and patience Vince Meeghan, the General Manager of Alpharetta and Duluth’s Loafing Leprechaun Restaurants and Irish Pubs, insists is required for the properly poured pint of Guinness.

He emphasizes the “point five” the same way a marathon distance runner might describe his slated or slayed trek – 26.2 miles – the exclamation point always on the most painfully felt “point two.”

It is the gap between close-to-perfect and precisely perfect that makes all the difference – the difference between twenty-six miles and a marathon, the difference between a draft beer and an Irish pub poured pint of St. James Gate’s finest. Take it from one of The Loafing Leprechaun’s most tenured stout pouring purists, Brian Harris.

“The proper Guinness pour begins at the tap at forty-five degrees,” he instructs in regard to filling a glass that is never more or less than exactly sixteen ounces – a pint. “When properly poured, the tap’s spout should never touch the glass or the beer. The tap should be opened full, until the glass is filled to three quarters, then set aside to ‘cascade,’” a settling process that allows the brew’s head to rise and then calm.

“The head,” Harris explains, “should be smooth as paper – no ‘fish eyes,’” carbonated hiccups that are the best indications of a rookie fill.

The three-quarters-to-full process is completed, he says, “with tap forward, in a controlled flow, one-half an inch above the glass’s rim.”

Perfect.

That same spirit of perfection – that Guinness get-it-rightness – is what local resident and restaurant owner Richard Cox had in mind when he opened the Loafing Leprechaun in Windward Plaza, two miles east Georgia Highway 400 on Windward Parkway, and two years earlier at the original Sugarloaf Parkway (Duluth) location.

While Cox calls North Atlanta home, his New Zealand accent quickly gives away any secret to the roots of his passion for the fruits of his pubbing labors.

“There are a lot of Irish pubs around,” he says, “but nothing like what we had in mind.”

Like many Irish tales, Cox’s is told in fantastic terms. His web site’s “our story” tab explains it this way with regard to his and his partners’ increasingly frustrated quest to find a quenching solution for parched pallets and spirits north of town.

Finally, the story goes, “…a rainbow appeared! They decided to follow it to see what they would find. They reached the end of the rainbow and found a beautiful grassy hillock. Upon this knoll was a little fella, lying on the ground, clad in charcoal pants and a green coat and hat. He gazed and grinned at the men, as he relaxed on the lush grass. He seemed to relish in their excitement.

“The wise men were thrilled and overwhelmed with their good fortune.
"Look!" One of the men shouted. "In his hand is a pot of gold!" As they approached the little guy, he said to them, "Easy lads, I don't like the way you're looking at my beer, get your own!"
"Beer!" they exclaimed. "Aren't you supposed to give us a pot of gold?" "To be sure," he said, "I will, but you must do three things to earn your gold. First, on this very spot, you must build the finest Irish pub in all the land. Second, you must invite the finest folk to work for you. Last, and most important, you must promise to serve the fine citizens of Gwinnett, and the surrounding country-sides, the best meals and beverages they have ever experienced." "Then and only", he continued, "will you inherit your pot of gold." Then with a wink of his eye and a tip of his cap, the little Loafing Leprechaun disappeared.”
While Cox explains that he is still pursuing that proverbial “pot of gold,” he says that he is happy and proud of the unique dining experience his Loafing Leprechaun delivers. It is, he explains, a place where customers can come and relax, but one where they can also enjoy great food, prepared and served by an, atypically, well tenured staff that Cox calls his “leprechaun family.”
The menu is, by careful design, an eclectic mix of traditional Irish classics, including Guinness Shepherd’s Pie, baked with a blanket of fresh mashed potatoes and cheddar cheese covering tender beef, peas and carrots ($12), well-portioned Corned Beef and Cabbage ($12), and an outstanding Irish Stew, made with braised beef and slow cooked with Irish root vegetables ($ 12.50).

The Bangers and Mash – sausage and mashed potatoes – are freshly made and finished with deliciously complimenting onion gravy. Soda Bread with Smithwicks butter naturally accompany the house favorites.

More contemporary standards tease equally. Buckhead Beef Tenderloins ($22) are teamed well with a side of Potato Leek Pancakes, as are the Salmon Filets, fresh cut and grilled ($17). Chicken and Bar-B-Q platters also dot the menu, perhaps unusual for an Irish Pub, but not so misplaced on taste.

Traditional bar and appetizing favorites, like skins, wings and tenders are available, but might be well advised to the back seat in deference for The Leprechaun’s specialties, like Whiskey Mussels – sautéed with Tomatoes and Leeks and bathed in an Irish Whiskey Cream Broth ($12) or the Rueben Egg Rolls, as unique and delicious as they sound, with Corned Beef, Sauerkraut and Swiss Cheese rolled in a egg flour pastry, deep fried crisply, with a Thousand Island Dressing dipping ($ 6.95).

Salads and lighter fare also factor in, with an outstanding homemade Chicken Salad, served over Mixed Greens, with Strawberries, Walnuts, Goat Cheese Crumbles, Red Onions and Tomatoes, and a Baby Spinach Salad, tossed with strawberries, Red Onions, Toasted Almonds, Bleu Cheese Crumbles and a house-made Balsamic Vinaigrette dressing ($ 8).

Irish Bread pudding and Bailey’s Cheesecake, with a Bailey’s Irish Coffee finish things off nicely for an evening that might have begun with any one of the pubs 20-plus beer offerings, including not only Guinness but also Harp, Smithwick’s, and Strongbow Cider.

On weekends live music temps beyond the final course and caffeine, with authentic Irish tunes played off of the strings and vocals of folk crooners. Stage microphones are alternatively piqued for karaoke or turned silent in deference for piped in sounds of the Emerald Isle.

Flat screen televisions deliver not only the sights and sounds of ESPN and local team coverage, but also light up for occasional 7 a.m. World Cup Rugby matches or, as Alpharetta’s manager Harris puts it, “Even Cricket if you want it.”

Lunch is also served – quickly and deliciously. Promising a thirty-minute turn, Cox’s chef’s and staff rarely disappoint on either the stopwatch or the fare itself, and the daytime prices offer great values, like Beer Battered Grouper (Fish-N-Chips) with fries (chips) and Coleslaw for $ 8.95, including Iced Tea or Coffee.

Lunch rush aside, Harris probably has it best and right when he describes The Loafing Leprechaun more in the tradition of a European “public house” than a pub or restaurant.

“We aren’t interested in the ‘get-‘em-in get-‘em-out’ approach,” he says. “We want to deliver a relaxed dining experience – an Irish pub feel that is as comfortable to a family as it is to the guys who just want to have a pint.”

With its authentic Irish feel and appeal, one blueprinted by the same consulting partner (Dublin’s Irish Pub Company, or IPC) that fashioned Buckhead’s “Fado”, the Irish eyes (and those less Celtic) certainly smile on this classic, emerald gem.