Bloody Mary Review : Darby's Pub & Grill

Place: Darby's Pub & Grill

Location: 315 N. 5th Ave. Mpls., MN 55401

Day: Monday, January 30

Time: 5:10 p.m.

Temperature: Around 39 degrees

Indoor/Outdoor: Indoor

In a rather unusual location comes a rather fantastic find.

Not expecting too much I ventured with friends from work to this out of the way 'pub & grill' and discovered something ... well, unexpected. Fans of Darby's wont be disappointed by this review. In fact, it's probably something they already are aware of and have been trying to get others to try as well.

Now, by unusual location, I definitely am implying that it's off the beaten path. First you see the sign located just off 5th Avenue. Brightly lit, and pretty easy to identify. Two markers on each side of the alley point the way down towards the bars entrance.

The alley has strings of lights overhead, but with very little activity in the alley I wasn't sure if I was even going in the right direction. The signs pointed this way though, so I grabbed my sense of adventure and headed down the deserted alleyway.

At the end of the alley was this sign pointing the way onto a deck.

The train track side deck was hugely expansive, yet still as empty as the alleyway was, so the feeling of uneasiness was still on high alert. I can imagine that in the Spring and Summer this deck is probably full of people, but this is January, in Minnesota. The only outdoor people you might run into out here would have lit cigarettes in their hands. No smokers here today. Go figure. The view of the city from this deck, on the other hand, was amazing! I can see why they built the deck where the did, and the size they did.

And now for the blogs purpose, the Bloody Mary.

First the price. THREE DOLLARS! Seriously, just $3! Shouldn't expect too much from a $3 drink anywhere. The extras were minimal, with just a pickle skewer, an olive and a wedge of lime. My first bite of the pickle was an absolute joy. No idea where they get their pickles, or if I just hit them on a good day, but to tell you it had a flavor worth eating would be a major understatement. I've never cared much for olives, so let's just say that it was ... an olive. Perfect olive taste. Just an olive.

Then the first swig. Heavier on the spicy side, but not overwhelming. Good tomato flavor, nice mix, not watery, but not too thick. An excellent flavor of celery salt around the rim just added to the drinks enjoyable factor. The staff were ALL friendly and courteous. The french fries ( the only food item I ordered : also $3 oddly enough ) were crisp and delicious. Overall, I'd say that this is a place worth bringing friends and returning to. Good food, good drinks, friendly staff and an unexpected price. You just need to get over a fear of walking down a deserted alley. Call it an internal strength building exercise.

End results:

Location : A

Parking: B ( Street Metered Parking - but easy to find a space)

Bar/Restaurant Appearance: A

Staff: A+

Bloody Mary Appearance: A-

Bloody Mary Extras: B

Bloody Mary Itself: A

Price: A ( $3.00 + tax )