Where can one go for some homemade corned beef and cabbage this St. Patty’s Day? Try new Pubhouse 19, an Irish Pub in Albertville.
You’ll recognize the location, it used to be Major’s, but in January, they closed for a day and transformed the spot from "franchise bar and grill" to a neighborhood Irish Pub.
New Irish quotes (hand-painted) frame the walls, along with features and spindles you wouldn’t expect to see in Albertville.
Co-owned by locals Chuck and Katie Huck, along with Justin Long of Maple Grove, the three purchased the restaurant as Majors in February 2010, with the intention of changing it and buying out of the franchise as soon as they could.
“I personally wanted to get out of the franchise so we could make our own guidelines and create our own menu.” Chuck said.
The three have completely re-vamped the menu and take great pride with their homemade qualities.
“The only things pre-made you’ll find here are the ketchup and the mustard. All of our food, sauces, and dressings are homemade, right here. I am adamantly against pre-made," Chuck said.
Chuck comes from a family of restaurateurs and has long had a love of food. Both his parents and his grandparents owned and ran bars and restaurants for over 30 years. He not only spent a lot of time at the restaurants but also as the oldest child was responsible for feeding his younger siblings.
Chuck’s wife, Katie, heads up the accounting portion of the business while Justin serves as a manager and it’s clear that Chuck is all about the food. The entire menu was created by him and he shares with a smile, his favorite and most popular dishes.
“We sell between 40-50 of our pulled pork sandwiches a day. The pork spends 22 hours being smoked beforehand. It’s really good,” he said. The restaurant also features: “Larry’s Hackensack Burger, a cross between a grilled cheese and burger served on two pieces of sourdough.”
In addition, they offer 10 different flavors of wings and homemade pizzas.
The new restaurant is still under a learning curve as they learn how to staff so that service is what it should be.
“We don’t want to overstaff but we also don’t want to be ill-prepared when we get a rush. That’s the toughest part right now,” Chuck said.
Even with the challenges though, Chuck is quick to say his long term goal.
“We want this to be a nice and affordable place in town to go eat.”
Pubhouse 19 is open from 11 a.m. to 2 a.m. every day. They have evening entertainment, either a DJ or band Wednesdays-Saturdays. Kids eat free every Monday night.
As for St. Patty’s Day Specials: Come in at 11 a.m. and start St. Patty’s Day off with a free beer. Enjoy either a corned beef and cabbage dinner or Chuck’s slow cooked Rueben in Guiness
