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PUB CRAWL: A rocking good time at the Coat of Arms
Posted: May 3, 2006
Sitting at the bar with my buddy Rich, my second pint of Black and Tan (1/2 Guinness and 1/2 Bass) before me, everything seemed right with the world. The tunes on the jukebox (more than 160,000 to select from) seemed to be playing the soundtrack to my life: Clash, Squeeze, Specials, English Beat, Madness.
The Coat of Arms, which opened across Fleet Street from Gilley’s in 1994, is the Seacoast’s answer to the modern English pub, complete with darts, friendly waitresses and bartenders (no snobby BS here). For sports, there’s international soccer and rugby on the tubes, and then there’s what bar manager Mark Adams contends is the only true snooker table north of Boston. Don’t worry if you don’t know the rules, as everything is spelled out on the back of the menu.
There’s a great beer and ale selection, as you might expect, including some tasty slow-pull cask ales. Plus the menu includes authentic pub fare, such as: Fish & Chips ($9.95), Bangers and Mash ($9.95), Shepherd’s Pie ($10.95, Finan Haddie ($13.95), and a Dublin Reuben ($6.95). Interesting sides include Mushy Peas ($2.50 which are peas boiled to the point of being overcooked and then mashed, as well as a basket of what might be the best onion rings in town ($3.50).
Head here on Tuesdays and Thursdays where your pint of choice will cost only a mere $2.95 between 5 and 9 p.m. I love Molly Malone’s, The Press Room and the other pubs in town, but I must say that for some unknown reason, the Coat’s Black and Tan is the best in the land.
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