Dickie O'Neal's owner Michael Farber wasn't feeling very lucky last December when rain storms caused the roof of his Palm Springs pub to collapse.
Open for business for barely a month, he was forced to close.
While devastating, Farber saw it as an opportunity to make some tweaks and come back stronger.
“When we first opened, we noticed a couple of things that could have been done better,” he admitted.
“Restaurants don't often get a chance to take care of those little opening problems, but we did.”
If you're looking to raise a glass to St. Patrick tomorrow night and chase it down with some tasty grub, consider the newly reopened Dickie O'Neal's. The public house is getting a rare second chance to make a first impression. And that, you could say, is really the luck of the Irish.
Sitting below a portrait of the pub's namesake, Farber revealed the origin of the red-bearded mascot: “Dickie is a pure figment of my imagination.”
Figment or not, there are several portraits of Dickie scattered about the pub, designed by Joey Leffel, including a set she designed that could have been painted by Andy Warhol.
Farber pushed hard to get the building repairs completed by St. Patrick's Day — when everybody is at least a wee bit Irish. He made it by days, opening at 7 a.m. on Saturday.
“I wanted to give the cooks a couple of days to get back up to speed,” he said.
The menu — featuring recipes gleaned from “varied sources and taste-tested by the staff” — offers several traditional Irish dishes and others that have undergone Celtic makeovers, including:
St. Patrick's Corned Beef and Cabbage — slices of corned beef piled high over cabbage, boiled potatoes and carrots ($8.95).
Garnish Island Fish and Chips — deep-fried North Atlantic battered cod and fries, served with house made coleslaw and tartar sauce ($11.95).
Barryscourt Castle Shepherd's Pie, with bits of beef and/or lamb and garden vegetables in a savory gravy, topped with mashed potatoes and cheese ($8.95).
Bangers and Mash — sausages and mashed potatoes; a pub favorite across the British isles ($6.95).
The traditional dishes, along with burgers, chicken, salads and pizzas, all go down better with one of the eight beers on tap, including Guinness.
While Farber originally planned a larger St. Patrick's Day celebration at Dickie's, he's keeping things in perspective.
“We're happy to be open,” he said.”
Judith Salkin is a features writer. She can be reached at (760) 778-4771 or judith.salkin@thedesertsun.com.
