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Photographs by Kevin A. Roberts
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A downtown standby for a generation, the Dooley burger has returned, now to Grand Center, a half-block north of the Fox Theatre, with Sean Dooley taking over for his dad, Alex. The younger Dooley is serving burgers, fries and some of their friends at Dooley's Beef N Brew House. A long bar is in place and many television sets, plus windows to watch the theater of the streets.
It's only been open three weeks, and there are some glitches to be corrected, but most of what we sampled was quite good, and a young waiter, friendly as a St. Bernard pup, could not have been more accommodating. He got the orders right, answered questions, blushed as he apologized for the limited wine selection (limited to a single Chardonnay) and dashed ahead of us to hold the front door and send us on our way to Billy Elliott. We don't think he recognized us, either.
The Dooley Burger, a six-ounce chunk of chopped beef, is available in several styles The basic burger is a good place to begin. It was juicy, with good quality meat, and medium-rare as requested. Ten different toppings are available (at left, with port wine cheese). A buffalo burger, known as Bill, showed deeply flavored bison meat to excellent advantage; equally important, it was a perfect medium-rare that remained moist. Bill shared his bun with cream cheese dotted with minced jalapeno that was a surprising winner.
Dooley understands barbecue sauce, importing it the six blocks from Pappy's and slathering it on the Big Pappy, the Chicken Pappy, and the Louie Wings.
Fishy Chippy is the name of the fish sandwich, two pieces of mild, nicely battered fried fish, topped by an equally mild slaw. Neither chips nor chippy back-talk alongside, but, yes, fries are available. Speaking of fries, a starter new to us was Irish Fries (at right), with thin, crisp potatoes topped with shredded corned beef, chopped green onions and cheese. Tasty. Excellent, even.
Service was enthusiasticas the tables filled for pre-performance dining and the new Dooley's is open late for post-show discussion. There's even a game room downstairs for the young and young at heart.
Dooley's Beef N Brew House 601 N. Grand Grand Center/Midtown 314-531-7600 Lunch and Dinner daily On Facebook: Dooley's Beef N Brew House
By Joe and Ann Pollack
