Adventure in dining

Stepping through the door and out of the sloshy puddles on the street, I am relieved to find myself standing in the soft golden glow of little stained glass lamps and staring at the opposite wall at a sign claiming: “You can tell an Irishman, but you can’t tell him much.”

Located on East Rutherford Street in the quaint downtown of Landrum, SC, the Hare & Hound Pub reflects the influence of a traditional Irish pub. The dark wood, high-backed booths line every available wall, lending some privacy to their occupants but also giving a sense of community with the other diners and those chatting at the bar.

It’s all about ambiance, right?
My husband and I sat in a booth in a corner by one of the front windows. The lamp at the end of our table was flanked by salt and pepper shakers and a bottle of ketchup sporting the pub’s name. The glow of the small lights was just enough to make me feel at home but still be able to read my menu. Each wall was draped with vintage-looking banners and beer advertisements, many of them in foreign languages. A sign on the wall across the room cautioned: “Please mind your children, or they will be given an espresso and a free puppy.” Over the low buzz of the small early-lunch crowd, the girl who had seated us cooed “hello” to incoming customers in her quiet, high voice. “It’s a perfect spot for a rainy day like today,” said customer Ethel Greer, who was visiting from Atlanta, GA.

…And good food too?
After perusing the menu, we chose mozzarella cheese sticks as an appetizer. They reminded me of a flower, spread in a circle around a container of marinara sauce at the center of the plate.

Then it was on to the main course—lunch. My husband chose the Hare & Hound burger, featured on the Sandwiches menu as: “eight ounces of certified Angus beef chargrilled and served on a kaiser with lettuce, tomato and mayo.” I decided on something a little less adventurous—the chicken strip basket. My basket featured lightly breaded chicken strips, french fries and a sweet honey mustard dipping sauce. Though the sauce was a little sweet for me, the chicken was perfectly crispy and went along quite well with the smoky barbeque sauce on my husband’s plate.

The grand finale
The pub’s menu describes the Chocolate Bomb as “an individual bundt cake covered in chocolate and served warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and chocolate sauce.” Once that first spoonful had crossed the threshold of my mouth though, I realized the description didn’t quite do it justice. The name, however, is very fitting. It was like a chocolate explosion in my mouth with warm chocolate sauce spilling from all sides of the soft chocolate cake and set off by the coolness of the vanilla ice cream. “I come here pretty often, and most of the time, I can’t make it out the door without ordering a Chocolate Bomb, usually to share with my mom,” said local frequenter Emily Gray.