December 19–26, 1996

food

McNally's Tavern

8634 Germantown Ave., 247-9736

THREE STARS: Excellent.

Price: Bargain. Nothing on the menu over $5.95. Great draft beer.

Modern, clean and comfy version of the old-time working men's bar — now working men and women — that attracts skilled workers, shop owners, academics and friendly non-aristocrats of all ages from the Chestnut Hill area. Mobbed during broadcasts of any local team, always polite and almost smoke-free. Run by Anne McNally, great-granddaughter of the founding matriarch. Home-cooked meats, fresh salads and famous sandwiches invented by her father Hugh, who still helps out. The Schmitter ($4.95), says Hugh, "starts with a cheesesteak. You take sliced salami and get it a little burnt, top it with the steak and cheese, fried onion, tomato, then flip it so everything melts together, put it on a kaiser roll with our special sauce." George Bernard Shaw ($4.95), named for Hugh's favorite writer, is a mix of Swiss, American and Provolone cheese, melted on top of green peppers, mushrooms, onions, tomatoes and lettuce. The Dickens ($5.95), another favorite author, is McNally's excellent roast turkey, with hot stuffing and a smear of cranberry sauce. The Caesar chicken salad ($5.95) is a better Caesar salad than I've had in many restaurants, topped with fresh and plump and well-grilled chicken. Soups ($2.25 a bowl) are made fresh each day, and McNally's now has its own beer locally brewed to its own specs.

(Reviewed in the issue of 11/8/96)

— Jim Quinn