Cook McDoogal's Irish Pub * corner of Sycamore & Main, downtown Kokomo"Scott Pitcher told me (and he did) I could stop in and check it out," got me a preview of Kokomo's only Irish Pub today.
All I can say is WOW! Pitcher's handiwork in restaurants has never been anything to sneeze at (where did we get that expression?) but he outdid himself on this one.
The bones of this old building didn't hurt either, nor the charming downtown corner location. When they opened up the dropped ceiling it revealed the original late 1800's tin. I can't imagine how much money it would have taken to add the vibe that this gem does, and it had been there tho whole time-- these hundred years. Wow.
The pub is laid out in snugs (seating areas). Each snug is designed to give you a different experience since each snug is unique. I can easily imaging people saying, "Oh, next time let's try to sit over there!"
I couldn't believe how much was done with recycled material; ancient wood beans to vintage elegant light fixtures. The amount of native storied wood in this space is unbelievable. And to top it off, there are various pieces of locally-crafted opalescent glass that fits into this ancient wood like it's always been there.
The "Pub" part of this equation is for real. twelve import beers are on tap! Guinness, Harp, Strongbow and Murphy's to name just four! See related blog post.
It's refreshing in this challenging economy to see the downtown with its recent face lift and now a very cool "Broad Ripple-like" experience like this making a run. Way to go Kokomo & McDoogal's!
They plan to open this Tuesday. It's non-smoking and you must be 21 to enter.
Related CNN article
