Rí Rá Irish Pub and Restaurant, Arlington, Va.

Ah, such a busy week—with the next two promising to be even busier—with lots and lots of meetings and events. One pleasant event was a business lunch I had to have with one of the undergraduate student leaders from the main campus, who came down to Clarendon to discuss some joint ventures. We ventured out towards a strip of Wilson Boulevard with three fairly new eateries and chose the Irish place, Rí Rá Irish Pub and Restaurant, which has been open about a month now.

I guess Rí Rá, like many of the places in Clarendon, makes its money at night with the crowds of young professionals who live in the endless apartment towers in the neighborhood, because we went in at the height of the lunch rush about 12:30 and there were only three or four other occupied tables in the large dining room. I've yet to see any advertising about the place, though, and only knew of its existence and opening because of walking past it on the way to other places.

That large dining room is dominated by an enormous bar stretching across the length of the room. Naturally, the decor in the place is dark, wood paneled, and "Irish pub" looking.

We opted to share an appetizer recommended by our waitress, some little Irish potato cakes made from mashed potatoes, cheddar cheese, and scallions formed into bite sized nuggets and then deep fried. They came with a little ramekin of sour cream. They were different and had a good flavor, though the softness of the mashed potatoes made them fork food rather than finger food.

Once we ordered, my guest got a corned beef reuben sandwich with sauerkraut, Swiss cheese, and rye bread, accompanied by fries. I had the fish and chips, which were classic Irish pub fare: deep fried and oily. The chips, though, were "French fries" instead of the thicker-cut "chips." I was pleased, however, that they brought the traditional bottle of malt vinegar with the fish instead of tartar sauce.

While I wasn't particularly over impressed with the meal to that point, they redeemed themselves with the desserts. I was brought a tall, skinny glass filled with a rich milk chocolate mousse spiked with Bailey's Irish cream and garnished with a squirt of whipped cream. My guest had an even more impressive dessert: the Ultimate Guinness Sundae. The sundae started with a big, warm square of "blondie" brownie topped with a huge ball of—get this—Guinness beer-flavored ice cream, then it was sprinkled with spiced walnuts, drizzled with both chocolate and caramel sauces, and topped with clouds of whipped cream. He liked it a lot and reported that the ice cream really tasted like Guinness. Now, my question is, how would a twenty-year-old know what Guinness tastes like?

Rí Rá is a small mid-Atlantic chain with about eight restaurants. It will be interesting to see how they develop in their new Arlington location.