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View Matt Denny's Ale House Menu
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Restaurant: Matt Denny’s Ale House
Restaurant
Where: 145 E. Huntington Dr., Arcadia
Phone: (626) 446-1077
Reservations: Not required
Cocktails: Yes
Service: Full table service
Atmosphere: Casual
Outdoor Dining: Yes
Credit Cards: All major
Kid’s Menu: Yes
Senior Discount: No
Food to Go: Yes
Catering Menu: Yes and banquets too
Price Range: $3.95 - $24.95 |
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Halibut Bites appetizer |
Burger of the Day |
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Chicken Tenders Sandwich |
Creme
Brulee |
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Mud
Pie |
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A Look At San
Gabriel Valley Restaurants by SanGabrielValleyMenus.com
Matt Denny’s Ale House Restaurant – It’s All Good
By Bill Coburn
About two years ago, I spotlighted Matt Denny’s Ale
House Restaurant, at 145 E. Huntington Dr. in Arcadia, and mentioned that it is
one of my favorite places to eat. The food and service are consistently good.
I have eaten there dozens of times, and would recommend it to anyone who enjoys
quality food, reasonable prices, and a friendly atmosphere.
I wrote those words in December of 2005, more than
10 months ago. And they are all still true. We’ve enjoyed some good meals at
Matt’s several times since, and yesterday, we decided to go back for some lunch,
so that we could spotlight it again this week. As always, the food was good,
the service friendly and efficient. That’s a mark of a good restaurant that’s
going to last, consistency and quality in food and service. Matt’s opened
nearly 8 years ago, on January eleventh, so they are definitely on the path to
longevity.
I decided to have the Chicken Tenders Sandwich, on
the Lunch Special Menu. I added cheese, and skipped the tomatoes, so it wasn’t
quite as described on the menu, but it was definitely a great sandwich. When I
used to work in the restaurant business, I would regularly order the chicken
tenders appetizer, and ask the chef to put it on a bun with some lettuce and
mayo and cheese. Matt’s adds red onions, which frankly I wouldn’t have thought
of putting on the sandwich, but it added a lot. A few weeks ago, I wrote about
a shaved prime rib sandwich I had at Nikki C’s, and mentioned that I didn’t
understand why more restaurants don’t put it on the menu. Well I feel the same
way about the chicken tenders sandwich. The restaurant has all the ingredients,
why not put the item on the menu? I think it would be a very popular item, and
it certainly costs nothing to add it to the menu. I’m glad Matt’s has it, and
really enjoyed the sandwich, in large part because Matt’s has some of the better
chicken tenders I’ve had. The batter is light and not overly crisp, which is a
turn-off for me. The one thing I’d do different is include the cheese on the
sandwich, but since I saw on the menu that there was no cheese, I just requested
it.
Another item on the Lunch Specials menu is the
Burger of the Day, which on the day of our visit was a bacon burger with blue
cheese crumbles. Now Matt’s burgers have always been good when we’ve ordered
them in the past, seasoned well, cooked to order, served on a nice fresh bun
with mayo, thousand island, lettuce, tomatoes and onions, and served with your
choice of fries, coleslaw, Santa Maria style beans, fresh fruit or a side of
salad. Actually, I was offered those choices with my chicken sandwich, but
forgot to mention it. I had the fresh fruit, Katie ordered fries with her
burger. But I would like to mention that one of the things I like about Matt’s
is that you can order a side of salad as your side order. Not too many places
offer that, but Matt’s does. And they come with these great, soft rolls, what I
remember from my New Jersey childhood as a “snowflake” roll. Really tasty. As
I said, Matt’s burgers are always good, and Katie tells me this one was no
exception. Juicy, and with an abundance of blue cheese crumbles and lots of
bacon.
Matt’s has some pretty good desserts, too. I
haven’t tried very many of them, because the first time I had dessert there, I
ordered the crème brulet, and have rarely ordered anything else since. But
Tuesday, we ordered the Mud Pie, and it was huge. I’m not a big fan of coffee
or mocha flavored ice creams (Katie loves them, but not me), but this was an
excellent Mud Pie. Slightly different than described on the menu, but really
good anyway. I was surprised that when Katie was full, I kept eating until
after every bite was gone. And the crème brulee was also it’s usual excellent
self. In fact, I was kind of thinking it might have been the best I’ve ever
had.
Besides good food, Matt’s serves a variety of beers,
as one might expect in an alehouse, and they have a full liquor license so you
can enjoy a cocktail with your meal if you would prefer. There are 28 draft
beers and 17 bottled beers, and some really good wines, as well.
Matt Denny’s also is great for sports enthusiasts.
Pretty much any table you sit at has a view of one or more TVs, but the volume
in the dining room is pretty low or off, so as not to interrupt those not
interested in the sports. There is a covered patio, with siding and heaters to
allow outside dining even in the winter. And a couple of 32” TVs outside, as
well.
There’s also usually something special going on or
about to happen at Matt’s. Owner Matt McSweeny has a monthly newsletter, a
birthday club, a VIP club that offers you up to $20/month in Matt Denny’s gift
certificates, St. Patrick’s Day parties, a Mother’s Day brunch, an annual golf
tournament, Oktoberfest events with an oompah band, and much, much more.
You can view Matt’s menu, check out their catering,
and take a pictorial tour of the restaurant at
www.mattdennys.com. As I said, I recommend this place for a nice night
out. It’s not always quiet (after all, it’s an Irish alehouse with an emphasis
on sports), but it is always good.
Bill
Coburn is owner of SanGabrielValleyMenus.com, a restaurant website featuring
dozens of restaurants’ menus, as well as downloadable coupons. He has nearly
20 years experience in the restaurant business, and has been eating for much
longer than that. |
