The Three Stags

If you are in London, and are near Lambeth and Kennington, check out a place called The Three Stags. It is an authentic English pub with a fine selection of beers on tap, and a good wine selection. It’s also a place to get a good meal at a good price. So good the owners call it a gastropub, an interesting term.

Okay. First, it’s a pub and what would a pub be without a nice selection of beer. They have a good selection of cask ales on tap, along with the prerequisite selection of tap beer.

Now then, the food. The three owners are all culinary people and they have a simple philosophy. They buy fresh food from local markets and they support the small producers. That food is turned into some nice dishes and the menu changes depending on what is available. They claim it is incredible food cooked with passion.

I had the pleasure of talking to Richard, one of the owners, when I was in London and found him to be a friendly guy who has a passion for the business. He told me that one of his goals was to serve not just good food, but fresh and environmentally sound food. Richard said they try to be conscious of their carbon footprint and recycle almost ninety percent of their rubbish. He also said half the fun is in creating new and exciting dishes to reflect what is available in the market.

Check out their website for more information, and the menu.

Ming Jie's House

Okay, I know the title is burgers and brews, but I have to tell you about this great Chinese restaurant we have here in Walden. The name is Ming Jie’s House and you can find it at 47 Main Street. We’ve been going there for years and never had a bad meal.

Ming Jie’s is what I consider gourmet Chinese at reasonable prices. Yeah, they have the traditional stuff like moo shoo pork, noodles, egg foo yung and all that, but try something different. I have a few favorites like the shrimp with bacon, dragon and phoenix, and the crispy shrimp with walnuts and chili sauce. That’s the one in the picture. My family likes the kung pao chicken, the broccoli in garlic sauce and my granddaughter thinks they make the best fried dumplings in the world. Being five she hasn’t seen too much of the world, but they are the best dumplings I’ve ever had.

Ming Jie’s is a family run, and oriented restaurant. They make you feel at home and we’ve gotten to know their children over the years as we’ve eaten there. The service is good, the food is great, and the prices are reasonable.

Sweeney's Walden

Okay, let’s start with a nice easy review of one of my favorite places, Sweeny’s in Walden. Sweeney’s burnt to the ground a few years ago, was rebuilt from the ground up, and is nice and warm in décor. One of the best things is that the rebuild was done after the clean air act and the place has no stale smell of smoke. In fact, it is spotlessly clean both inside and out.

The food is simple and the menu isn’t long, but there are some nice choices to be had, especially in the burgers. My favorite burger is the Spicy Buffalo Burger. It has hot sauce, bacon, and a blue cheese dressing. Order it with the onion rings, the best I’ve had, and you have a winning meal for only $8.95. For sandwiches, I like the Reuben as it is a real sandwich you can pick up with your hands. Nice lean meat. The Shepherd’s Pie is good too.

The beer selection is good, Guinness, Smithwicks, Harp, and a few others on tap, as well as a bottled selection. The service is good too, and friendly. I’ve never had a bad meal here and always feel welcome. During the day, Veronica will wait on you with her pleasant smile and Irish accent.

Check out their website at http://www.sweeneysirishpub.com/index.php