Keg and Lantern--Profile and Review

It has been quite a while since the Irish were the largest demographic in Greenpoint. They arrived in the area first at the tail end of the 19th century. By the turn of the century, the Poles, who in many ways have come to define the neighborhood, began to arrive. As the mixing of these two cultures has been going on for a century now it should not strike one as too strange that an Irish pub, with traditional pub fare and a smattering of Polish dishes would open up on Nassau at Manhattan Avenue. There, your fish and chips meets kielbasa, and Polish beers are served next to Guinness.
Husband and wife team Kieran Breen and Lindsey deMaintenon-Breen opened the pub in September, converting the former café into a bar in a whirlwind renovation lasting all of one week. The bar now boasts a spacious interior with plenty of room to hang out and grab a bite inside, or weather permitting in the backyard beer garden. I’ve noted in the past the difficulty of finding any late night nosh in the vicinity of Manhattan Avenue, and pub goers will be happy to know that the kitchen here is open until 2 a.m.
The beer list is extensive with a number of great selections on tap, with a relatively extensive menu to go with it.
To start with an appetizer, try the crab cakes. I’m often wary of crab cakes, but these were crisp and not overly bready or gummy. Or try the chicken cheese quesadilla with sour cream and guacamole.
For entrees I decided to choose the bangers and mash from the list of classic pub fare. Bangers and mash is an Anglo/Irish dish made with sausage and mashed potatoes, and traditionally covers in onion gravy. It came to us in a starfish array, five Irish sausages with a scoop of mashed potatoes in the middle. Like many dishes from that area of the world it is hearty and filling if not packing a huge flavor punch.
The Rib eye steak, one of the most popular items on the menu, was good and served with steamed mixed vegetables and great French fries.

There are three desert options to satisfy the sweet tooth: tiramisu, cheesecake and a fruit trifle.
In all, the food at Keg and Lantern is an eclectic mix of American bar, Irish pub, and new American fare. It’s hearty, it’s filling, and won’t break with bank with most entrees coming in under $10.
I can’t help but think back to the fusion of Irish and Polish. What about taking the combination further. What about bangers and mash made with kielbasa for example? A little creative mixing could make Irish and Polish even more delish.

An Irish Pub in Polish Greenpoint: Keg and Lantern
By Juliet Linderman

Nestled in the middle of Nassau Avenue sits Keg and Lantern, a brand new pub-style bar and restaurant, just six weeks old. Offering an extensive menu—including mandatory pub fare such as burgers, bangers and mash and fried potato skins—the modest bar/restaurant is quaint and unassuming, while bringing a uniquely authentic Irish flavor to a characteristically Polish neighborhood.

“We bought a Polish café on Sept. 7th, and we opened one week later,” explained Linsey deMaintenon-Breen, one half of the husband-wife team that owns and operates Keg and Lantern. Her husband, Ciaran Breen, is originally from Ireland, and wanted to open a traditional Irish bar in Greenpoint, where the couple has lived for three years. Though they demolished nearly all remnants of the café Keg and Lantern replaced, they made a conscious decision to re-hire all of the staff employed there—four polish women—in order to maintain a friendly, neighborhood feel. In addition, the Breens decided to keep all of the Polish beers previously offered on tap, and make a conscious effort to welcome Polish patrons who frequented the café before Keg and Lantern moved in.

“We like the diversity,” deMaintenon-Breen said. “We want it to be for the whole neighborhood.”

From a business standpoint, the venture hasn’t been an easy one—there are no investors, no financial backers, it remains the grassroots effort of a two-person team—though the Breens are enjoying every minute of it.

“Honestly, I’ve been working 20-hour days for the last few weeks,” deMaintenon-Breen admitted, her warm smile never faltering. “But, I really want to relish the first few weeks of opening my own bar, because I’ll never have this again and it’s pretty special.”

Keg and Lantern is located at 97 Nassau Avenue and Manhattan Avenue. They are currently open for lunch and dinner, and have nightly drink specials.