Dining Out
11:30 a.m.-midnight Sundays-Thursdays; 11:30- a.m.-1 a.m. Fridays-Saturdays.
Starters, soups and salads, $4-$14; mains, $12-$19; desserts, $7.
936 Canton Street, Roswell, 770-518-2866.
Mac McGee opened its first Irish-style pub in January 2010 on Decatur Square. The second Mac McGee opened in March 2013 in historic Downtown Roswell. Like the original, the Roswell location features a made-from-scratch menu and well-curated beer and whiskey lists.
The look: As in Decatur, the ultra-bright red facade announces the entrance. The two-story former Pastis space boasts a New Orleans-style balcony overlooking Canton Street. Inside, vintage wood floors, luminous stained glass and myriad collectibles, knickknacks, and artwork create the look of a pub with a much longer history. Bars on both floors, along with snugs and nooks, make for plenty of places to belly-up or settle-in.
The scene: Depending on the time of day, the bar and dining rooms might draw lunch or dinner crowds, soccer fans gathered in front of big screen TVs, or late night revelers. One recent weekday afternoon, the entire place was surprisingly quiet, but perfectly pleasant, with doors and windows flung open to the warm sunshine and gentle breezes.
The menu: Call it pub grub with fine dining touches, starters and salads include the likes of calf's tongue with toasted baguette points and pickled mustard seed ($4), mussels meuniere with hand-cut chips ($13), and baby gem salad with bacon, tomato and Sweetgrass Dairy Asher Blue cheese ($12). Among the bigger bites, look for a hot smoked salmon sandwich with whipped fromage blanc and watercress salad on Guinness brown bread ($15), and steak, Vidalia onion, green garlic and mushroom pie with Guinness gravy ($12).
The drinks: The draft beer list runs the gamut from Irish and British session classics like Murphy's Stout ($6) and Well's Bombardier ($6) to more unusual pours like Weihenstephan Fresh Hop ($7), Rogue Brutal IPA ($6) and Boulevard Coffee Ale ($6). The fat binder that holds the whiskey list is certainly one of biggest around, with bourbon, scotch, small batch and even Japanese styles.
The extras: Find selected whiskey flights every week, and regularly scheduled tasting events with whiskey experts and ambassadors.
