Manhattan, KS: Not Quite A Star, This Aggieville Pub Is Decent And Cheap

Keltic Star Public House

1215 Moro Street
Manhattan, KS 66502
Aggieville
Phone number: (785) 320-7456
Website: kelticstarmanhattanks.com
Prices: $$$$

Claiming to be a Welsh pub, Keltic Star offers traditional pub food (Cornish pasties, shepherd's pie, bangers and mash, curry, fish and chips, and lamb stew) as well as appetizers, sandwiches, burgers, and an assortment of drinks from the bar.

Located in Aggieville, an area of bars and restaurants near the Kansas State campus, it was "Funday Sunday" the night we were there, so tap beers were $2.50 for what they refer to as a "pint". A true Imperial (British) pint is a little over 19 ounces and, as we all know, a U.S. pint is 16 ounces. These were neither, being closer to 12 ounces than 16 or even 19, but for $2.50, who is to complain?

We started with a Welsh Rarebit ($6) which has nothing to do with rabbit as many people falsely assume. Coming on five small slices of baguette, the seasoned cheddar cheese was broiled then topped with a few slices of green onion. It was pretty good, but at $1.20 per piece, a tad overpriced, likely costing less than $1 to make (all five).

My wife ordered the Cornish Pasty ($8.50) which is not Welsh at all, but as the name implies it is a specialty of Cornwall, an area in the southwest of England. A pasty has a savory filling, in this case ground beef, potato, carrots, onion, and rutabaga. The dish came with choice of one side dish, so she chose mashed potatoes and gravy. There was also a small cup of brown gravy for dipping the pasty in. The pastry was flaky and the filling tasty, and having had pasties in the UK, I have to say fairly well done.

I decided on the Pub Platter ($14.95), a combination of small servings of shepherd's pie, pasty, banger and mash, and fish and chips. The shepherd's pie was very small but good, obviously made with traditional minced lamb, carrots, peas and topped with a dollop of mashed potatoes. The pasty, as I said before was flaky and good, as was the banger (sausage) and mash, coming with sautèed red cabbage and covered with brown gravy. Everything was good, except for the fish and chips which were very greasy, likely pre-fried, stored, then tossed in the deep fryer a second time right before serving. The fish was flaky and the batter crisp, but both the fish and the chips (fries) were soaked in oil as you can see in the photo below. Otherwise, everything was good and portions were just right as to be not too filling, but not leaving me hungry.

The place has somewhat of a pub feel with an obligatory red British phone booth and other decor you might find in an English or Welsh pub. The service was efficient and friendly. In all, not a bad meal.

CombatCritic Gives Keltic Star Public House 6 Bombs Out Of 10 ... More Bombs Are Better!

Six Bombs Equates To:

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Read Chris S.'s review of Keltic Star Public House on Yelp



Keltic Star Public House

Title: Manhattan, KS: Not Quite A Star, This Aggieville Pub Is Decent And Cheap

Key Words: Keltic Star Public House, Keltic, Celtic, star, public, house, pub, bar, Manhattan, Kansas, state, Kansas State, Aggieville, travel, value, restaurant, menu, review, Yelp, Zomato

Translation for Civilians: G2G = "Good To Go"

NYC, NY: "Wurst" Food On Three Most Recently Visited Continents

Lederhosen

39 Grove Street

New York, NY 10014

Between Bedford Street and Bleecker Street 

West Village

Phone: (212) 206-7691

Website: lederhosennyc.com

Prices: $$$$

I should have gotten the clue when all of the other restaurants and bars on the street were packed and Lederhosen only had five people inside beside the bartender/server. Unfortunately, I did not.

This was the "wurst" German food, make that WORST FOOD (if I dare call it that), I have eaten in a long, long time. The bartender warned me that the beer was sour, but so were the potato soup ($3), the schnitzel sandwich ($8), and the Jägerschnitzel ($19).

I have traveled extensively in Germany and Eastern Europe where schnitzel is a staple and have never tasted anything as disgusting as the Jägerschnitzel I was just barely was able to keep down tonight. On top of that, the accompanying fried potatoes were burnt to a crisp.

When I mentioned all of this to the server/bartender, we did not get as much as a "sorry" or an offer to make things right, only an unintelligible wisecrack from the obviously inebriated proprietor on the way out.

The only saving grace was the soft pretzel ($3) and mustard which was cheap and not bad, being the sole thing keeping this greasy spoon from ending up with a single bomb and a spot on my WALL OF SHAME.

CombatCritic Gives Lederhosen 2 Bombs Out Of 10 ... More Bombs Are Better!

Two Bombs Equates To

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Yelp - Elite '14/'15/'16

TripAdvisor - Top Contributor

Tabelog - Official Judge (Bronze)

Zomato - #1 Ranked Foodie





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Title: NYC, NY: "Wurst" Food On Three Most Recently Visited Continents

Key Words: Lederhosen, German, bar, West Village, west, village, Manhattan, NYC, New York City, New York, CombatCritic, TravelValue, travel, value, restaurant, menu, review, Yelp, TripAdvisor, Zomato

Translation for Civilians: Tango-Uniform = "Tits Up" 

NYC, NY: Massive Portions, Decent Food, BIG LIES Earn Sarge's A Spot On My WALL OF SHAME

Sarge’s Deli

548 3rd Avenue

New York, NY 10016

Between 37th Street and 36th Street

Midtown East, Murray Hill

Phone: (929) 267-4372

Website: sargesdeli.com

Prices: $$$$

I will be brief because a lack of integrity is a non-starter in my book, so the food is somewhat irrelevant.

We arrived at Sarge's a little after 6pm on Monday, May 30th, 2016 which happened to be Memorial Day. Many places around Manhattan were giving military ID holders freebies on Memorial Day out of gratitude for our service, a nice and much appreciated touch. So when I read the menu in Sarge's window (see photo above) and it said: "Dinner Special (5-9PM Everyday): Choice of Soup or Salad And Beverage (Coffee, Tea, Or Fountain Drink) - All For The Price Of The Entrée Alone", we decided to go in. After being seated, I asked our server (see photo below) about the special because I was contemplating ordering the meatloaf entree ($18.95). She told me: "It's Memorial Day, the offer isn't good on holidays". Rather than go outside and recheck the menu, I believed her, assuming I had misread the offer, ordering the meatloaf anyway. After paying the bill, I went outside and snapped a picture of the menu in question (see menu photo), proving that I was not hallucinating because it states: "5-9PM EVERYDAY" and "every day" means Monday-Friday, Saturday and Sunday, AND HOLIDAYS.

The meatloaf was massive and "OK", my wife's French Dip ($18.95) was expensive, but "decent", and the cheesecake ($6.95) large and "delicious", but our server's deception left a bad taste in my mouth. I could really care less about getting a free $7 soup or salad and a $2 beverage included with my meal (even though my blog is called "TravelValue"), but it is the principle and an inherent lack of integrity on the part of our server that spoiled this meal.

Beside the deception, her service was "abrupt" (it is a NYC kosher deli after all), but efficient and I gave her a 20% tip, something I regretted after reading the "Dinner Special" verbiage for the second time. I do not make a habit of rewarding liars. Deceptive waitress aside, they probably would have received 5 or 6 Bombs Out Of 10, but like our founding father George Washington, I cannot tell a lie ...

CombatCritic Gives Sarge's Deli 1 Bomb Out Of 10 And A Spot On My WALL OF SHAME ... More Bombs Are Better!

One Bomb Equates To:

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Yelp - Elite '14/'15/'16

TripAdvisor - Top Contributor

Tabelog - Official Judge (Bronze)

Zomato - #1 Ranked Foodie





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Title: NYC, NY: Massive Portions, Decent Food, BIG LIES Earn Sarge's A Spot On My WALL OF SHAME

Key Words: Sarge's Deli, Sarge's, sarge, deli, Manhattan, kosher, NYC, New York City, New York, CombatCritic, TravelValue, travel, value, restaurant, menu, review, Yelp, TripAdvisor, Zomato

Translation for Civilians: FUBAR = "Fucked Up Beyond All Repair"