Pat's Bar & Grill

     Genial Joe Finn, the illustrious owner of Pat’s Bar & Grill righteously proclaims on their menu and in Pat’s advertising that Pat’s is “A place of fine spirits and good food and drink” …and he’s right on target. Pat’s, which started out as Pat’s and then became McDermott’s…and back again to Pat’s, has held forth at their southwest corner of Oakland and Tamm in Dogtown some 68 years now. The place came into being in 1942, the first full year of World War II for the USA, when the gregarious Patrick P. Connolly (of County Galway) started tapping the golden brew created by the Griesedieck Brothers from their bustling brewery at 1900 Shenandoah Avenue. (From ’57 to ’77 that brewery would be the property of the Falstaff Brewing Corporation). Much of that old building still stands above one of St. Louis’ many natural limestone caves and there’s occasionally talk that someday, someone will use the 19^th century brick brew house as a microbrewery. In ’42 one of the Griesedieck Brothers ads read “Only perfectly healthy yeast makes perfect beer. The yeast in Griesedieck Brothers is scientifically tested. That’s why GB is of such high uniform quality – Drink all you want – it’s good for you!”

     You can still belly up to the bar to quaff some beverages of your choice, but GB, is no longer served and Falstaff “The Choicest Product of the Brewer’s Art” is no longer being made. (Say, maybe some savvy business person will snap up the name and get it back on the market). Today it’s primarily Budweiser, Bud Light, Guinness and the current best seller Bud Select. The beer and booze biz at Pat’s is good, but for me it’s the food that like a magnet has kept pulling back for decades; and the Numero Uno item that most folks think of when they think Pat’s Bar & Grill is the yummy, crunchy, fried chicken. It’s just as you remember even if your “rememberer” can take you back to the forties. And they’ve just added , for the very first time, a spic y fried chicken prepared with St. Louis’ own Andy’s seasoning. Either way the real secret in Pat’s fried chicken is how they manage the oil. For the past two years Pat’s was the first restaurant in America to install a device from Japan called Frylow. This system allows them to cook the chicken 25 degrees lower than a normal fryer thus reducing oil absorption and increasing flavor. Plus it has reduced the amount of oil used over these two years by a whopping 35,000 pounds which translates to saving 52,500 bushels of grain. The Pat’s chicken is not only healthier but it helps our nation’s food supply and the environment. Just in case you’re interested in getting the Frylow system, Pat’s is the U.S. distributor for it, and these days Fylow is being used at places such as: O’Leary’s (oh, those fried pickles), Weber’s Front Row and Llywelyn’s.        

     If you’ve enjoyed fried chicken over the years and lament the loss of places such as: Golden Fried Chicken Loaf on Delmar Boulevard by the original Pageant theater, Buckingham’s on Manchester Road west of Brentwood Boulevard, The Green Parrot on Big Bend Boulevard, the Chicken Cottage on Kienlen Avenue, Meyers Out-Of-Town restaurant on Bellefontaine Road, The Stop-Light on St. Clair Avenue in E. St. Louis, Opp’s on Gravois Road, Lemmon’s on Gravois, Romine’s on Riverview Boulevard, Charlie Mittino’s Supper Club on Watson Road (now Pietro’s)…then we suggest without reservation that you make it to Pat’s Bar & Grill. And just so you know they also serve succulent char-broiled boneless chicken breast which has become very popular. 

     But as tastes have changed, Pat’s has changed with them, and such once popular items as brain sandwiches (which took a good half-hour to clean and cook are gone) as is the Jack Salmon. If you were a brain fan, other than Pat’s, you likely miss Bud Dieckmeyer’s place at 6201 S. Broadway and if you were a Jack Salmon (whiting) fancier you for sure miss Dohack’s on S. Lindbergh and Lemay Ferry Roads.  

     One of the “in” food classifications is comfort food and comfort food, and lots of it is what you’ll get at Pat’s ‘cause Pat’s is a real home-style eatery.  There’s home- made soups, spinach-artichoke dip, home-made onion rings, onion strings, peel and eat shrimp, French fried shrimp, B.L.T. salad, spinach salad , Greek salad, tuna salad, fresh chili, catfish, fried mushrooms, Brunswick Stew, Gumbo, fried chicken gizzards or livers, frog legs, chicken fried steak, pork chops (fried or grilled), hamburger steak, sole and cod (fried or broiled), chili burger, bacon-cheddar burger, plus they offer real mashed potatoes and home-made potato chips.

     A must for breakfast is the Johnny Rabbitt Special. It’s served from 6 to 10:30 a.m. Monday through Friday.  For $2.99 (can you believe it) you’ll get two eggs any style, bacon, sausage , potatoes and your choice or toast or an English muffin. It’s the best breakfast buy in town. And also Monday through Friday Pat’s has a daily $5 Blue Plate Special.

     Dining or drinking at Pat’s, if you’ve gone there over the decades, is a most nostalgic experience as it looks pretty much the same as it always did. The only expansion of the business was done on the second floor that through most all of the 20^th century was a rooming house, mostly for people from Ireland. The upstairs has been dubbed Pat’s Roost and it’s a fine space for an intimate party of up to 60 of your closest friends. One idea to ponder is “The Unplanned Birthday Party.” Just go to Pat’s, tell them it’s your big day and get an official Pat’s Birthday cup, that they’ll fill for free, and head to The Roost to throw your party, planned or unplanned, at no charge for the room Sunday through Thursday. You’ll even get some special treats too!

Pat’s, an Irish Pub in Dogtown, is open 7 days a week. Not many places can make that statement. Try Pat’s again for the first time.

      
Written by: Ron (Johnny Rabbitt) Elz – Host of Route 66 Saturday nights on News Radio 1120 KMOX & KMOX.com
 

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