A Restaurant Review

This past weekend, I tried Brigid's Cross, a new, Celtic-themed restaurant in (or at least near) Las Cruces. (I say "near" because it was out on the edge of nowhere, and we passed another town's post office on the way there, but Las Cruces's city limits are so strange, we might have ended up back in town.)

My dining companion for the evening was a good friend passing through town. Since the restaurant is new and since it's Celtic-themed and since he has been to Ireland twice and I to Scotland once, I figured we were more than worthy of testing this restaurant -- more than most of the desert rats around here.

We each ordered a beer: a Smithwyck's for him and a Smithwyck's black and tan for me. My friend ordered a half dozen oysters for an appetizer, and I had the French onion soup. (Okay, so now it's a Euro-Celtic themed restaurant.) The oysters were satisfactory, except one of them tasted fishy. (I, as a non-seafood eater, expected this, but I was told that it should not have been so.) The French onion soup was served with diced green onions on top (not standard fare in my extensive, French onion soup rating experience), and the flavor was uneven, tasting sweet in one spoonful and peppery in another. I would rate it satisfactory (certainly not worth going out of your way for), and the melted cheese on top didn't even drip over the rim of the crock, another minor negative in my book. I hope to go back again to sample the Scotch eggs and see if they are worthwhile.

My companion ordered the shepherd's pie. He was delighted to see that it was made with ground lamb instead of ground beef and was very pleased with the flavor. I tried a spoonful and definitely would recommend it.

I, the non-seafood eater, ordered the fish (cod) and chips. Two of the three pieces of fish were rubbery, indicating that they were overcooked, but they were served flaming hot. There was little or no fish flavor. The chips were overcooked (most were browned and dry). I was not given any malt vinegar to dash onto my serving, nor did I ask (most desert rat restaurant staff will go "Huh?" when asked for it). On the right day, I'm sure this entree could be excellent.

For dessert, my friend recommends a pass on the creme brulee. He believed it was encrusted before serving but prepared hours (or more) before, as it was watery on the bottom. My chocolate tart was very unpleasant (it tasted like an ashtray), but we think it was the fault of the chocolate manufacturer for over-roasting the beans, and not the fault of the restaurant. The baseball-sized scoop of vanilla ice cream on top had an average flavor (neither generic nor gourmet) and was crystallized in parts.

I do have one suggestion for the chef: I don't care if you're in Las Cruces and expect average desert rats as your patrons; green chile doesn't belong in Celtic food! (How many cultures can you add before it ceases being a Celtic restaurant?) Overall, the selections on the menu were generally appropriate for the style of restaurant, but the menu itself needs help. There was only one misspelling ("chesse" instead of "cheese"), but the flowery descriptions of the choices sounded strange. (Hint: a "brick" of duck might be accurate, but not appealing.) The beer list was wildly inaccurate, and I suggested that, when it was sent to the printer, perhaps the printer thought "crap brews" was a typo and lumped everything from that category in with the "craft brews".

The service was average for college-town staff but below standard for that expected by typical diners. Our waitress checked on us fairly often, but my soup should have been served at the same time as the oysters, and we waited a long time for the appetizers. (Maybe the kitchen was backed up.) The hostess appeared to not want to be working that evening, but she smiled at other customers. (I guess my friend and I just are not young enough and handsome enough any more.)

The ambience was nice, and considering that the establishment was newly built and not fit into an existing space, they must have spent a packet on the furnishings. The dark-wooded bar was very fitting, and our portion of the restaurant had copper on the ceiling, which might have been real. There is a separate, glass-enclosed room for patrons who wish to smoke (and I saw one of our city councilors in there, enjoying his cigar). The wooden chairs were pleasant enough at first, for their capacity to encourage good posture, but by the end of our meal, I was sliding around, trying to find a position that was comfortable -- or at least not like last week's bicycle seat.

I probably will return at some point, but I will take more money with me. Two beers, two appetizers, two entrees, and two desserts cost $52 plus change. I had just enough in my pocket for my half (Dutch treat, if you will) and my share of the tip. It's definitely not a weekly hang out with your buddies establishment, but it was a pleasant enough place, and I wouldn't mind going back on occasion.

Slainte!