Hitting up the Big Three...O'Connell's Pub

So. I've eaten probably thousands of burgers in dozens of restaurants around the city. In my wanderings, I have found the top 3 burgers in the city. (I can't wait to take the challenge to Chicago at the end of next month for my weekend trip. We'll see if Chicago comes even CLOSE to the awesome which is St. Louis).


In all of my searching, these are my 3 favorite burgers:
3. Blueberry Hill - the 7 oz burger with bleu cheese, soft spread cheddar, and sauteed mushrooms. Brilliant! Such a complex taste.


2. O'Connell's Pub down on Shaw at Kingshighway. It is a very simple cheeseburger (I get mine with American and grilled onions), but man, they can make them juicy and they always make the best crispy buns.


1. Concord Grill - the #24 burger. Or the Garlic Burger. They are tied for first. They are both amazing and brilliant. Whoever is in the kitchen there...they make me happy every time.

So, I'm gonna hit the big three as soon as possible, so you have pictures of the AWESOME! These places set the bar in StL as far as I'm concerned.

Today I landed at O'Connell's Pub. This place is down at the corner of Kingshighway and Shaw - a few blocks from the botanical garden...maybe 15 minutes from Forest Park. I discovered this place one day when driving around in the city. In an effort to not eat my passenger, I pulled into the first place. Turns out O'Connell's was the greatest thing I could have found near the park (or so far. I mean, for a burger...I love Vitale's Bakery for cookies.)

Here we go:

How the Burger Stands Alone: The burger, frankly, is freakin amazing. O'Connell's doesn't have a lot of variety, but they're a pub. But the sheer amount of juicy joy that comes out of their burgers is amazing. LOOK at this thing. It's enormous. And somehow, just dripping with flavor and juice. The bun is so crispy that it adds the perfect crunch to complement it.

I always choose to get mine with grilled onions - O'Connell's really GETS how to do grilled onions. They come back so brown that they aren't just caramelized - they are practically caramel.

My biggest gripe about O'Connells burgers really is that there is nothing - complex about them. They have the art of burger cooking down to a science. But if you want anything beyond onions, mushrooms, swiss or American cheese...well, look at the menu.

But if this thing is standing on it's own legs, I STILL give their simple burger an 9.0.

How the Sides Add Up:  Hrm. Well...with my burger (oh no! I must be more vigilant about food pictures) I ordered fries, onion rings, and a salad. The fries are: appropriately crispy (not too thin and just fried potato, nor too thick. They're actually made correctly). But they don't really have salt or seasoning. The salad...I'd comment on it, but I never got my salad. *Sigh*.

The onion rings are great though. I think the chef must understand what onions are supposed to taste like. They are cooked on the right temperature so that the outside is a nice golden brown, yet the inside had enough time to cook so that the onion is soft enough to not come sliding out of the breading.  Simply great. If you have to decide, I'd go with the rings.

Overall, on the ones I actually got to taste, I give the sides a 7. The fries get a 6 and the rings get an 8. (The rings, again - are cooked great...but there isn't anything unique about them).


How the Service Stacks: There is going to be a random post about sitting at a bar versus sitting at a table. O'Connell's is the type of place you really should sit at the bar. The bar tenders here have been here forever. There are 2 that I particularly like, I wish I could remember names. The gentleman that was working this weekend was great (I was there on Sunday at around 2...who was it??? Anyone go to O'Connells? Maybe if I send this to Jack.)

They. Rock. My. Face. I am on a quest to discover all of St. Louis's secrets - and I asked the best restaurants around town to go exploring. The bartender was juggling busy waitresses and giving me a story of the history of St. Louis. He was telling me great restaurants, and telling me funny stories. There was a couple down the bar from us who was obviously having a very quiet, personal lunch - and he would very politely serve them and then leave them be. His awareness of his customers' moods was amazing.

He did forget my salad. *Shrugs* I didn't mind much, since he was so brilliant about everything else.

Meanwhile, I asked about when the antique store was open upstairs. He said, "Whenever Jack [the owner] is here." I do suppose they have official times...but Jack was at the end of the bar, watching the football game. He was awesome! He watched the end of the quarter (Poor Greenbay :( ) and then went upstairs - just to let me see the store. I've been in there a million times and never saw Jack's brilliant collection of Native American art (practical and visual art. Brilliant, I tell you).

I'm going to give the service a 9. Really, only because of the salad incident. These bartenders could give lessons about how to be kind to customers.


Atmospheric Conditions: My biggest bitch about O'Connell's is that it is dark. So dark that it blinds you like you just woke up to the sun when you go back outside. Other than that, it's really a nice place. The local fauna is an eclectic mix. You get 90 year olds that have probably been going to O'Connell's since it was in Gaslight - and you get hipsters. Almost everyone is friendly, but no one invades your privacy. It's warm - no matter what time of year it is; the heater is right above the entry door, keeping the cold out and the laughter in.

Mostly, the atmosphere is calm, laid back and friendly. You get occasional drunks, and sometimes you get hit on if you're single and sitting at the bar - but really, where doesn't that happen?

I rate the atmosphere at an 8, giving bonuses for friendly people and the feeling of safety the place has. It isn't over the top, it feels like I could be sitting in Ireland when I'm in there. Sweet!


Overall Awesome Meter: Ok. I'm sitting here trying to calculate the stupid 1-20 thing, and decided that it shouldn't be 1-20, it should just be you know, degrees of 1-10. Like what I'm going to give O'Connells. Ok. So, they scored an average of 8.25  when you factor all the scores together and divide. But...extra points! They get an extra bundle factored in. They get a little bump for location, a little bump for their bartenders awesome knowledge, and a little bump for their bar. I should have gone in more detail on Fitz'. Retrospect, dahlin. *sigh* 


So, I am awarding O'Connell's an extra 1 point total, because overall, I feel like the place is really about a 8.8. Brilliant!