Bloody Mary Review: Dan Kelly's Bar & Grill

Place: Dan Kelly's Bar & Grill
Location: 212 S 7th Street, Minneapolis
Day: Tuesday, October 4
Time: 6:00 p.m.
Temperature: Around 70 degrees
Indoor/Outdoor: Indoor

Dan Kelly's is an Irish pub in downtown Minneapolis, though it's most notable Irish items to me were the shamrock on the menu and sign out front, a few Irish beers served, and not much else. Not really a problem, as I was there to give the Bloody Mary a try-out. (Also to wish a friend well as they quit one job and embarked into a new one.) The parking situation was one I expected to be problematic. I was very pleasantly surprised to find just the opposite. Street meters are enforced only until 6p.m. and finding one was as easy as picking red M&M's from a party-size bowl. This could be different on other days of the week, during sporting events, or who-knows-what, but at this time, it was perfect.

The employee's at Dan Kelly's were polite and alive. Not too invasive, but still around enough to access if needed and impressive enough to be be able to throw back comments at patrons without being insulting. More like having drinks at a friends house.

Happily, this Bloody Mary didn't disappoint my taste buds. The "extras" were not elaborate, including only a lime wedge and a pickle skewer, however the salted edge on the glass was at least the proper celery salt and not just a crushed sea salt — as I encountered last weekend at a bar with friends. The beer chaser was fine. Nothing major to write home about, but not horrible. The Bloody had just the right amount of tomato flavor (One of the people at the table said that it was actually Clamato, but as for that, I am uncertain). There was a good mix with just the right amount of alcohol not to be watery. The spice level was at the lower end of the spectrum, and by low I mean VERY low. If you don't care for a spicy Bloody, this would be the place for you. The price was just $4.23 (with tax), so the budget remained well intact. In my humble opinion, while the Bloody wasn't as thick as I would prefer it to be, and while extra's not as extra, I would still recommend this bar/drink to anyone wanting a Bloody Mary with flavor to it.

End results:

Location : B
Parking: C (Street & Parking Ramps)
Restaurant Appearance: B
Staff: A+
Bloody Mary Appearance: C-
Bloody Mary Extras: D
Bloody Mary Itself: B
Price: A