Dining Review: Irish respite from the summer heat
The bangers and mash plate at Timmy Nolan s Tavern and Grill is served with real English bangers.
On the Toluca Lake stretch of Riverside Drive sits Timmy Nolan’s, an Irish pub that’s best described as a combination of Boston’s Bull and Finch (from which the concept for the original “Cheers” TV series hails), the Corrib in West Roxbury, Mass., and any friendly “local” that’s ubiquitous across the UK. In short, it’s a bar with dining tables, albeit one that you can bring the kids to, as long as they’re comfortably beyond the age of Cheerios snacks and running willy-nilly around the restaurant.
After an overstuffed week of nearly unbearable heat that made work difficult and grocery shopping and doing the laundry completely impossible, I realized the fridge was empty and dinner was upon us. It was decided that Timmy Nolan’s was the answer to our weather-induced miasma because, as everyone should be aware, pub food, cold beer and a convivial atmosphere can solve many problems.
We collected the tweens, who are used to entering through the restaurant’s front door, directly into the downstairs bar. There’s limited seating on the first floor, the room is fairly dark and the bar busy, but the patrons appear to skew over 40 and are largely from the neighborhood, the music is good and the vibe is friendly. It’s also a short walk to the staircase that leads to an upstairs dining room, where there’s a small bar and a number of comfortably situated tables, as well as a couple of large, flat screens that broadcast whatever game is being played. A handful of booths are available too. They all have individual small screens; which is great if you’re sitting with someone who must watch Sponge Bob, or another game than the one being broadcast on the bigger televisions.
The menu includes a variety of traditional Irish pub fare , as well as burgers, sandwiches and some pasta dishes. It should go without saying that the beer selection is consistently choice.
Normally we’ll order some fried potato, pickle or cheese appetizer because it’s a pub — but we were a little daring and ordered calamari saut?ed with garlic, tomato, basil and lemon instead. It was a pleasant surprise. The calamari had a bit of a crunch to it and the simple sauce was delicious enough for us to sop up with fresh sourdough bread.
The fish and chips at Timmy Nolan’s Tavern and Grili in Toluca Lake.
The mains were solid. The bangers in our Bangers and Mash were perfectly grilled, the mashed potatoes creamy and peas not mushy. A ramekin of thick gravy is served on the side but the dish is better off without it. The fish and chips, made with cod, may not be like the authentic versions found at other local pubs, but it’s standard fare and well-liked by the younger members of the party. Irish stew arrived in a bread bowl, and while the kitchen’s turning the bowl’s cut off top into cheese bread was a bit much, the beef, potato and carrot concoction was good. It packs a tiny bit of heat and we thought we could taste curry. After much discussion with the wait staff, who then queried the kitchen, we found out it was mostly red wine, A-1 sauce and tomato paste but no curry. We suspect information may have been withheld, or perhaps our taste buds failed us, but no matter, it did the job.
On a prior visit, there was an unfortunate order of linguine but also a very happy order of corned beef and cabbage, and that dish’s diner was so enamored that she spooned out every last drop. Our order of shepherd’s pie on that visit was perfectly respectable.
The service is relaxed, personable and sometimes unhurried, which is all good in a pub environment, but if you’re a stress beast this may not be your joint. The staff knows their bar offerings too. A request for a beer with a lemony finish turned into a suggestion of a Heffenweizen shandy, but after it was served, our waitress remembered the Muis, a more sour American wild ale style beer, that’s brewed locally in Carson. A taste was procured and the full glass of Heffenweizen was swiftly switched out for the Muis. After a few sips, the heat of the week melted away, the tweens chattered amiably, a game played on the screen above our heads, and downstairs the bar’s regulars sang along to Queen’s “Fat Bottomed Girls.” Timmy Nolan’s made everything all right.
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What: Timmy Nolan’s Tavern and Grill
Where: 10111 Riverside Drive, Toluca Lake
More info: (818) 985-3359, timmynolans.net
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ELISABETH GREENBAUM KASSON is a contributor to Marquee.