Molly Maguire's Hits a Grand Slam

When our family of six decides to get together for dinner – which is a rarity with two college-aged kids on their own agenda – it’s best to strike while the iron is hot.

For some reason, which I’m sure doesn’t have anything to do with my cooking, eating out usually gets their attention.

As usual, the where-to-go became a problem, and as you probably guessed, the word unanimous usually doesn’t end the conversation.

We thought of Chile’s but that got nixed by our older son. I believe “not again” was the quote.

We often go to Jose Tejas in Woodbridge, but even our patience would have been fried with their 90 minute wait.

In the meantime, there were a few arguments which had nothing to do with food, which led to a delay, which led to my hungry and annoyed husband almost pulling the plug on the whole thing.

Finally, he said, “Molly Maguire’s,” which led the kids to say “who, what where?”

And so it was, that we took the short ride to a place we had never been, even though it was less than five minutes from the house we've been living in for 18 years.

Molly’s is an Irish pub and restaurant, and while my hubby and I were there a few times for banquets, we never had a meal in the restaurant on the main floor.

The first order of business was the buffalo wings, which weren’t outstanding, but were more than adequate for this famished group.

My husband ordered the French Dip, which, as he always says, “is a hit or miss proposition."

When the plate arrived with an overloaded pile of roast beef and a load of fries with a side of au jus, we were holding our breath for the outcome. After the first bite melted in his mouth, we were on our way to a successful dinner, and a place we’d return to.

My eldest daughter had the same thing, so she was a happy camper, while the two younger ones had the old standby, chicken fingers and fries.

My salad was just fine, while our eighteen-year-old son enjoyed a monster cheeseburger which was cooked to perfection.

While we didn’t have any traditional items, like the recommended fish and chips, other entrees that were served around us looked tempting.

Molly Maguire’s also has live entertainment, and the guitar playing and singing coming from the bar area added a nice touch. 

Maybe the next time we get together as a family, we actually might all agree on where to go. And it's all thanks to Molly!