Fitzgerald's brings new life, hospitality to San Carlos Park location

karenFELDMAN cuisine@floridaweekly.com Strolling violins? Been there, done that.

Accordion players serenading patrons? Seen it.

But I experienced a first recently during dinner at Fitzgerald's in San Carlos Park. The Irish-themed pub had a five-piece bluegrass band making its way through the room, setting feet a'tappin' and hands a'clappin' with lively live music served up tableside. It proved great and unexpected fun.

Fitzgerald's, which has a Bonita Springs location and, until June 5, also operated one in Naples, recently took over the San Carlos Park building that once held upscale Andre's Steakhouse and later Carson's American Bistro. For whatever reasons, neither was able to make a go of it in that location.

Now comes Fitzgerald's, a casual bar and grill that caters to families looking for a moderately priced meal. There's a full measure of pub grub - onion rings, chicken fingers, hot dogs and burgers - as well as some Irish classics and a few other surprises thrown into the mix. Corned beef and cabbage, fish and chips as well as bangers and champ (sausage and potatoes) represent Ireland, while tequila lime barbecued baby back ribs, a New York strip steak and Porterhouse pork chop should satisfy the carnivorous crowd.

Monaghan mushrooms at Fitzgerald's The place also has something that you'd think every restaurant would stock in abundance, particularly during tough times: earnest hospitality. The manager greets new arrivals and seats them, asking if it's their first visit. If it is, he promises to remember them next time. He obviously passed the word on to our server who also worked hard to please us.

And then, of course, there were those personable bluegrass musicians - the American Folk Trio - who do their thing there Tuesdays and Saturdays - as well as a pair of musical friends who call themselves The Fleas. The five of them worked their guitar, acoustic bass, banjo, fiddle and mandolin while singing and schmoozing with the crowd. It quickly began to feel more like a party than a typical restaurant meal.

While bluegrass music may not seem like a good fit for an Irish joint, the fact that the restaurant serves barbecued ribs, chicken and such three nights a week (Mondays, Tuesdays and Saturdays) and the musicians appear on two of those nights, gave the unlikely pairing some context.

PHOTOS KAREN FELDMAN The five-piece bluegrass band making its way through Fitzgerald's. We began with the rings of Kerry (aka onion rings) and Monaghan mushrooms. The rings were slightly overdone and, while the onion itself was sweet, the beer batter possessed little flavor. They were also greasier than average. (Seeing that we'd eaten only a few, the server offered to take them off our bill. We declined.)

The mushrooms, on the other hand, had good flavor, with a crabby stuffing, all of which was then battered, fried and topped with a mild horseradish sauce. There were four of these on the plate and that was plenty for us to share, something our server had suggested when we ordered two appetizers.

Entrees were both good. The whiskey salmon was grilled then topped with a bourbon whiskey sauce, which was milder than the name suggests and complemented the fish nicely. The mashed potatoes were creamy and light, but a medley of vegetables was sodden and bland.

I found myself facing a massive farmhouse pie, one of the restaurant's most popular dishes, according to our server. It's a variation on shepherd's pie. This one occupies a large bowl containing tender chunks of braised beef, mingled with peas and carrots in a brown sauce, smothered in mashed potatoes and a cheddar-Monterey Jack cheese. It was large enough for two to share and I finished only about a third of it before admitting defeat.

We concluded our meal with a shared dessert of Irish whiskey pudding, just as the bluegrass group stopped at our table. The pudding resembled a pie slice, but had a creamy-chewy bread pudding consistency and a taste that was sweet but not cloying. The dessert went marvelously with the sweet, upbeat music of the trio, ending dinner on a high note - literally.

I'd been to this building when it was Andre's and recall that the dining room was on the dark side. The current management has banished such dreariness, creating a bright and cheerful casual atmosphere, where multiple generations of families feel comfortable gathering for a meal that won't break the bank.

There are the requisite beer signs, mirrors, wall hangings and such, along with a poster outlining "Murphy's Irish laws" and photos that lend an Irish lilt to the surroundings. (I especially liked one of a two shepherds guiding their flock of sheep along an old country road.) And, for diehard sports fans, there's a television mounted up high, volume turned off with closed captioning. On this night, the Preakness that was the event du jour.

Our server went out of his way to make sure we were comfortable, that the food was to our liking, that our water glasses were full and that life in general was fine. He was personable without being pushy and offered just a few suggestions regarding the menu, which turned out to be right on the money. The servers I observed at other tables appeared to be operating in the same manner.

In good times, it's hard enough to predict how a particular restaurant will fare. With the economic outlook as shaky as it is now, it's impossible. Still, Fitzgerald's has a warm and welcoming approach to hospitality that goes a long way toward attracting a following. It's in an area that isn't overloaded with good places to eat. And, while the food's not of the knock-your-socks-off variety, there are plenty of choices, classics with which people are familiar and hearty portions at moderate prices. You get a lot for your money at Fitzgerald's and that's not so easily found these days.