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    Restaurant Review: The Three-Legged Mare

    It seems like the Irish Pub Scene was kinda big a few years back, in the days before Columbus discovered tacos, and Irish beer was bigger than homegrown variants. Irish Pubs are less ubiquitous now, but Three-Legged Mare still holds down the scene in the Arena district. And it has tacos.

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    The Mare is built in the eclectic tradition of Irish pubs, with a polished wood interior and random architectural features in nonfunctional places. It also has a crap-ton of televisions; jumbo screens, smaller screens, they’re everywhere for sporting events and daily entertainment. With elements of wear, the Mare has a bit of a dank-dive angle going for it, which is unusual for a district in which everything comes across as teflon-coated.

    3leggedinterior

    The menu has some notable European things. It is, for example, an excellent spot to score a Scotch Egg ($5.49 — pictured up at the top). While Scotland is not the same thing as Ireland, we’re giving it a pass because the egg is fabulous. An order yields an appropriately hard-boiled egg nested inside a sturdy shell of sausage coated in a barely-there fried shell. You’d think this would be a greasy, fatty combo. It’s not, or at least, it doesn’t come off that way. The meat shell comes across as sturdy and lean, appealingly flavorful and filling. There’s some fatty white sauce on the side for dipping, but personal preference is for the undipped original combo.

    Fish and Chips ($16.95) is solid too. An order yields crunchy, battered fish with good quality, flaky Haddock, not a trash tilapia, on top of a mountain of chips. The chips were a little tanner than expected, but they didn’t taste burnt in any way. A surprisingly likable dollop of coleslaw sits on the side. It’s tinged with the sting of horseradish, which seems like a shockingly good idea.

    fishnchips

    Other items are less lovable. There are Reuben Balls ($8.95), for example. They are surely an acquired taste. Certainly attractive, they arrive in perfectly shaped spherical fried shells. According to the menu, they’re made from corned beef, cream cheese, onions and sauerkraut. This sounds like a good idea, but the filling is completely homogenous; it’s all one texture. Mashed together, the elements end up undefinable and the combined ingredients create something reminiscent of butyric acid.

    balls

    The Corned Beef Rolls ($7.99) are aptly described as corned beef rolled in a boxty (a thin potato pancake). It ends up being an odd sort of messy sandwich wrap, not particularly potato-y. It’s topped with coleslaw, but this time the version is steeped in extra dressing and the fabulous horseradish zing is absent.

    cb roll

    A better showcase for the corned beef would be the Corned Beef Platter ($17.95). It really is a good quality meat. The house corned beef is appealingly, but not overwhelmingly, briny, tender and delicious. You can pair it with a couple of sides. Onion rings and more of the slaw (with the horseradish) will not disappoint.

    CB platter

    As mentioned, there are tacos on the menu. You will have to try those for yourself. And for locavores in the beer scene, its beer line-up does include Ohio favorites such as Rhinegeist. Mind your timing if you visit to get that Scotch Egg, wait times on orders are varied.

    The Three-Legged Mare is located at 401 N. Front St.

    For more information, visit www.threeleggedmare.com.

    All photos by Lauren Sega.

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    Miriam Bowers Abbott
    Miriam Bowers Abbotthttps://columbusunderground.com
    Miriam Bowers Abbott is a freelancer contributor to Columbus Underground who reviews restaurants, writes food-centric featurettes and occasionally pens other community journalism pieces.
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