Reviews for Irish House, Mr. Gyro's, Milkfish, and More

The Blackened Out boys head to the Lower Garden District to review The Irish House for Off Beat Magazine just in time for St. Patrick's Day. Chef Matt Murphy's menu "includes much of the stereotypical Irish fare that we associate with the Emerald Isle? corned beef, pot pie, and plenty of potatoes. But Chef Matt has also successfully incorporated local flavors into his menu with Irish twists." Their suggestion, "the boudin cake with colcannon and smoked tomato sauce. [BlackenedOut, Offbeat]

Next up, Ian McNulty gets himself to the Greek restaurant Mr. Gyro's on Severn out in Metairie. The casual eatery is now located in a nicer stripmall as opposed to its last location, a former fast food joint, and though McNulty claims some "standards standards are dull," they do get the gyro right...

Given the name over the door, the gyro here had better be good?and it is. The lamb/beef blend has the right mix of crusty edge and peppery, soft texture. But it's the thick, puffy pita bread and the soup bowl-size side of lemony, creamy tzatziki sauce that really sets it off and makes it a Greek gyro.

McNulty finds "hearty Greek comfort food" works best when it comes to entrees, but vegetarian choices are few. Overall, Mr. Gyro's sounds quite fun, with a bar stocked full of Athenian beers and Greek wines, a cheese appetizer that is set afire tableside to the cheers of "Opa" and lots of conversation from Proprietor George Papapanagiotou and friends, often speaking "in Greek punctuated with 'Facebook,' 'Saints' and other words beyond translation." [Gambit]

Tom Fitzmorris gives THREE WHOLE STARS to Sandro's, "a small Italian cafe in an utterly ordinary strip mall on Veterans Boulevard" in Metairie this week. T-Fitz doles out a -1 for hipness, but Sandro's is still good enough to have a "loyal following... Something about this place makes its customers feel as if they have stumbled on a great little secret." T-Fitz picks the Fried Calamari as his number one dish, but wishes Sandro's offered more seafood entrees (which sounds strangely similar to last week's review of Ristorante Filippo). Also of note are the mussels, vegetable dishes and daily specials. T-Fitz room for improvement: "These guys should have moved to more pleasant quarters a decade ago." [City Business, subscription required]

Last but not least, The Advocate's resident carnivore Scott Gold finds "surprisingly delectable pork face" and more adventurous eats at Marigny pop up Milkfish. Owner/chef Christina Quackenbush? who was encourage by former bossman Adolfo Garcia to start her own pop ups at Rio Mar and a Mano? now serves Filipino specialties out of the laid back Who Dat Cafe (2401 Burgundry) and one day hopes to open a full brick-and-mortar restaurant. Now back to the pork face a.k.a. "sisig": at Milkfish, it's served "poached in garlic and citrus, then chopped up, with chicken livers and onions, a healthy portion of white rice and a sunny-side up egg." Gold describes the large portions of entrees as "comforting," and there is mention of incredible desserts such as the "halo halo," a Filipino snoball. [Advocate]

Milkfish at Who Dat Cafe [Photo: Yelp]

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