McKennas>>>>Brown Street Pub

[#1MetsFan]

Do you live in the big house on the corner that used to be a butcher shop? I should introduce myself sometime, if that's you. I live on the other side of the laundromat.

[Big Irish]

I will certainly call the cops next time I see them. Would have this time, but the cop car had them scattering within a minute of me noticing them.

I am friendly with some of the local policemen. If I see them when I'm out and about I'll mention that you're having problems with that corner. Hopefully they'll take more of an interest in who's there and what they're doing.

[eobrien]

I am friendly with some of the local policemen. If I see them when I'm out and about I'll mention that you're having problems with that corner. Hopefully they'll take more of an interest in who's there and what they're doing.

Yeah if you don't mind, just let them know to keep an eye out. I'll also see if I can get in touch with the new owner of the laundromat once that sale is finalized.

Do you live in the big house on the corner that used to be a butcher shop? I should introduce myself sometime, if that's you. I live on the other side of the laundromat.

Yep, that's me. Definitely feel free to say hello.

[loveisnoise]

Did they get their bell rating yet? I can't wait to see how LaBan reviews their bacon quesadillas and takeout drug menu!

[#1MetsFan]

I hear the drugs are to die for.

[#1MetsFan]

So the pool table is back. Does this mean that the Brown Street Pub experiment is officially over, and we can call it McKenna's again?

[FMT]

So the pool table is back. Does this mean that the Brown Street Pub experiment is officially over, and we can call it McKenna's again?

Ah, I was in there the other night to watch football and the Orioles game. I've still never set foot in the back "dining room" but I guess it's back to being the pool room again. I had a few Belgian drafts and a few pretty good microbrew drafts - good prices, most of the other patrons were drinking Coors/Miller Lite. I think that he's still pushing for this place to move forward to fit in in the new yuppier version of Fairmount and I think that he's got some traction but it will take a while. Until then, every neighborhood needs a good blue collar bar.

The food there is basic bar fare, but good. Surprisingly good. The pub fries are delicious.

[#1MetsFan]

It's funny. We were actually going to give the place a try for lunch on Sunday. Walked over and discovered they no longer have tables, so we didn't even bother going in. Went to London's instead.

(There were 6 of us, so the bar tables wouldn't have worked.)

[RonMcNasty]

So the pool table is back. Does this mean that the Brown Street Pub experiment is officially over, and we can call it McKenna's again?

I was there a little while ago and a patron punched through the front window.

Also, I learned that the owner owns a strip club near Kensington and Allegheny.

Just thought I'd share these two little factoids.

[drala]

Makes sense. The bartender that was there when I went is exceptionally pretty...and had quite a gaggle of patrons around her...

[ElsieG]

Does the McKenna family still own Brown Street Pub? I lived on the same block as the late Mrs. McKenna, and endured a horror story when the family moved her to a nursing home but neglected to rehouse her animals (several cats and a dog), which were all left to die in the house during a hot summer in the '90s. I would NEVER patronize any business they own or manage.

[FMT]

There was a lady standing outside the playground on Saturday trying to push people into signing some sort of petition against the Brown Street Pub. Anybody know the scoop here? What's this petition intended to do?

[Topperoni]

I know a little, but the issue is that a resident, or several, have issue with BSP patrons moving their party to the Bucknell side of the Laundromat, and the loud, drunken, nitwittery that ensues until morning.. Also, Brown ST homes are getting the beginnings of flower pot vandalism (so what do roofers, hipsters, and college brah types have against foliage????). I have also heard issues with the loud, late karaoke (although I love hearing it-makes me sound like Mario Lanza by comparison).

That's about all that I have gleaned.

[#1MetsFan]

They're trying to get McKenna's to take responsibility for the behavior of its patrons -- to keep its customers inside the bar (and not hanging out around the corner), to keep the doors shut so the noise stays inside, to keep the empties (that includes pint glasses, as well as bottles of all sizes) inside the bar and not throughout the neighborhood sidewalks, to stop serving to clearly intoxicated patrons who then proceed to get back in their cars and drive home, etc. I signed.

[Jim19130]

I think the bar is marginally better than it used to be. But the food isn't really anything to rave about. This bar is more for the "neighborhood types" who have lived in the neighborhood for years and who don't make six-figure incomes. It's for those in the neighborhood who don't to spend $5 or $6 for a pint of beer. I actually sort of like the bar, though the staff and clientele aren't overly welcoming even to someone who's lived in the neighborhood for 20 years but who didn't grow up here (ie ME).

To me, the kind of people who go in this bar are the kind who make Fairmount "diverse." Not every bar in the Fairmount/Spring Garden neighborhood has to cater to what we used to call "yuppies" or X/Y generation people. I don't want to see every bar in the neighborhood offer specialty chicken wings presented all perfectly lined up in a row on a trendy looking plate with a sauce containing some exotic Asian ingredients. We can leave Rembrandts and other places in the 'hood for that (that's another issue I have with Rembrandt's, for example, and why I don't go there much anymore). At Brown Street, you get the kind of wings that most of us expect for a reasonable price. The problem with so many of the bars in the neighborhood is that they're all trying to be so "hip" to cater to hipsters, many of whom don't even live in the neighborhood.

That said, let's not go overboard with the quality of Brown Street. It has relatively inexpensive beer, and it's food is pedestrian. Regular bar food can have a good quality without being "fuffy" and overly trendy. For example, the wings at Brown Street are greasy and limp--any cook should know that if you raise the temp of the oil, the wings will be crispier. They taste OK as is, but they could be improved with better cooking technique. It's simply a cooking quality issue.

I'd say stick to the basics at Brown Street and improve the cooking, and this bar will have a place in a neighborhood which is fast becoming less diverse for a variety of reasons.

[Catman]

This bar has been a nuisance for a long time

[FMT]

They're trying to get McKenna's to take responsibility for the behavior of its patrons -- to keep its customers inside the bar (and not hanging out around the corner), to keep the doors shut so the noise stays inside, to keep the empties (that includes pint glasses, as well as bottles of all sizes) inside the bar and not throughout the neighborhood sidewalks, to stop serving to clearly intoxicated patrons who then proceed to get back in their cars and drive home, etc. I signed.

Well that sounds pretty reasonable. Somebody at the park said they were trying to close it down. I occasiionally patronize the bar, they've got a nice bottle selection for takeout which is all that I usually do and a pretty good draft selection at a good price. Sounds like I should be happy that I don't live a half a block closer. I've gotta say, I generally like the patrons too. It's a much less "bro" crowd than the other neighborhood bars.

I remember one FCA meeting a few years back when somebody stood up and started complaining about all of the noise from Rembrandts around closing time. My wife and I just shrugged our shoulders and wondered who would buy a house next to a bar and then complain about noise from a bar. People on the back side of The Philadelphian complain all the time about noise from Bishops (when they aren't complaining about other things). But it sounds like there may be some deeper issues here with McKennas. I assume that you've spoken directly to the bar's owner?

I doubt that neighborhood roofers are vandalizing flower pots, the crowd in there for karaoke is wild and very diverse. It's completely packed in there on those nights and I can understand how it would be too loud.

[Panniculus]

I don't want to see every bar in the neighborhood offer specialty chicken wings presented all perfectly lined up in a row on a trendy looking plate with a sauce containing some exotic Asian ingredients.

I just tell them to throw some wings on a napkin and I'll pick the hairs off myself. No need to get all fancy with a plate, or ketchup in a bottle. What do they think this is, the Algonquin?

[Big Irish]

The guy who actually had a rep as a chef left Rembrandt's a while ago, hence the return of the pool table. Now you have a short order cook and I'd be willing to bet that the food is mostly sourced from Sysco now.

So, yeah, the experiment is over. Karaoke & a DJ every weekend. The Karaoke guy has quite a following and with the weather warming up more people will wander outside, the doors will be open, and the sound will travel. It could be a long summer for the neighbors.

[Koufax]

Ewwww. Bad karaoke. Bad food? Wonder what kinda crowd it is? Is there some sort of city noise ordinance?