Midtown Lunch

If you like to eat, chances are you like to drink (read: a lot of you are freakin’ lushes), so every Friday afternoon our Happy Hour Correspondent “Mamacita” will post about a different bar in Midtown that fits the Midtown Lunch mentality: unhealthy food, not lame (unless it’s lame in a cool way), and most importantly… cheap.

It’s an open argument as to whether there are more Irish bars in midtown then Duane Reades. I noticed another in this clover cluster this week: Jameson’s Pub (on 2nd ave btw. 51st/52nd). Upon seeing that name, my eyes gleamed, my lips smiled, and my liver quivered. Jameson evokes candy colored memories of Irish whiskey and many other caramel tinted elixirs. So like a Pavlovian pup I heeded the sirens call and went in. Damn you marketing gods!

So would Jameson turn out to be another average Irish pub? The happy hour from 3 to 8pm is encouraging. I like a place that starts early and ends later then most. The drafts come in imperial pints (20oz), another good sign: $4 for domestic, $5 for imported, and mixed drinks are $5.

The décor is quirky with a row of dusty ceramic roosters above a classic old register, mounted enameled serving plates, steins, ornamental casks, dreary oil paintings and one painting where the dogs are remarkably absent of poker cards. It’s like your grandpa’s collection of liquor and Irish themed brick-a-brack, mixed in with grandma’s china collection. There’s a significant amount of nostalgia and.. err…“blarney.”

The patrons on the other hand are your usual mixed crowd of white-collar workers meeting with friends before the trek home and some neighborhood regulars. The bartenders all have that lovely Irish accent, but if you’ve been to enough of these pubs in town that’s not a surprise, it’s apparently a prerequisite before hiring. The music is rather discordant with the Irish theme, our older bartender was whistling along to a Lady “Gag-ga” song.

Jameson also acts as a sports bar with many large-screen TV’s and one enormous projection TV in the back wall of the dining section. If you hate sports there’s no way of getting around watching it here.

They do offer a full menu with soups, burgers, and daily specials, but most of the entrees are out the ML limit. The footprint of the bar is rather small and narrow so I have a feeling that their kitchen is shared with a neighboring pub like maybe Murphy’s Bar. So is this a typical pub? You make the call. I certainly enjoyed my imperial pints of Boddingtons and Guinness and was glad to drop only a Lincoln for each.

The + (What someone who likes this place would say)

• Imperial pints plus a deal on Import drafts
• Huge projection TV in the back that is perfect for all sports
• Happy hour starts at 3pm for those “summer Fridays” where you get off early

The – (What someone who dislikes this place would say)

• I’m not in to Irish bars
• Narrow space and pricey bar food
• I hate sports
• I hate top 10 radio

Jameson’s Pub, 975 2nd ave, btw. 51st/52nd, 212-980-4465