A good bar burger will always get people talking. The one at Duke Walter’s inside Finn McCool’s Irish pub fits that bill. But somehow, those were the salads I kept hearing about first.
There is a good wedge salad with big chunks of sour blue cheese in ranch dressing, and the Caesar with a legitimate snap of anchovy dressing.
The Wedge Salad with Blue Cheese from Duke Walter’s Tavern Kitchen pairs with Guinness at Finn McCool’s Irish Pub in New Orleans. (Staff photo by Ian McNulty, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune)
Then there’s one with golden roasted beets and cauliflower, a vinaigrette with a hint of spice, thinly sliced red onion for a sharp crunch, more blue cheese and herbs for contrast for the funky and fresh, and shiny peanuts in chile oil for the ultimate flavor.
Roasted beets and cauliflower combine with funky, fresh, and bright flavors for a salad from Duke Walter’s pub kitchen inside Finn McCool’s Irish Pub in New Orleans. (Staff photo by Ian McNulty, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune)
An unusual find from bar food that still serves as drinking food, this one fits all Duke Walter’s place.
The pub bistro kitchen in this de facto Irish Embassy has seen a number of indie concepts over the years. The Codfather name (though short-lived) will be remembered by some, for his intelligence and also his excellent thickness and chips.
The kitchen is now Duke Walter’s, and it’s the best pub food Finn McCool’s has seen in years.
Ronnie New (front) and Elliott Guthrie run Duke Walter’s Tavern Kitchen inside Finn McCool’s Irish Pub in New Orleans. (Staff photo by Ian McNulty, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune)
It was opened in February by Eliot Guthrie and Ronnie New. Guthrie runs Congregation Coffee Roasters in Algiers, and New was cooking at Congregation Cafe before they shared the new kitchen.
Duke’s fries with cheese sauce and onion gravy are made in Duke Walter’s pub kitchen at Finn McCool’s Irish Pub in New Orleans. (Staff photo by Ian McNulty, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune)
The aim is to ‘present pub food well’ and given the venue should include some Irish anchors. Many of the people working in this pub are expats and a large number from Ireland. Guthrie knew that they would be harsh critics of bar food served as pub food.
Alaskan cod under a crispy beer crust is the base for sumptuous fish and chips from Duke Walter’s, the kitchen inside Finn McCool’s Irish Pub in New Orleans. (Staff photo by Ian McNulty, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune)
Fish and chips are made with Alaskan cod in a beer batter that is puffy and crunchy with crisp pieces around the edges. Taste its golden crunch and flake the soft fish as one. Malt vinegar is provided, which is a necessity.
The mashed sausage from Duke Walter’s pub kitchen pairs with a well-poured Guinness stout at Finn McCool’s Irish Pub in New Orleans. (Staff photo by Ian McNulty, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune)
The sausage and mash is a picture of the heart – a wide bowl with fries and a pair of thick pork rings, scented with nutmeg and mace. Guthrie, who was a butcher earlier in his career, makes his own sausages.
The burger follows the classic style of Duke Walter’s pub cuisine at Finn McCool’s Irish Pub in New Orleans. (Staff photo by Ian McNulty, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune)
The bar burger is top notch, and the combination of white and American cheese elevates it more than you’d think such a simple move would. The fried chicken sandwich has a thick layer of spicy, earthy hot sauce with a hint of curry, and a cooling layer of cilantro crunches on top.
A fried chicken sandwich is dipped in curry oil in Duke Walter’s pub kitchen inside Finn McCool’s Irish Pub in New Orleans. (Staff photo by Ian McNulty, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune)
The fish sandwich republishes cod as a motif on certain fast-food chain menu standards (perhaps reclaiming it), with a blanket of American cheese, tartar sauce, and pickles.
A filet mignon sandwich made with cod, American cheese, pickles and tartar sauce in Duke Walter’s tavern kitchen inside Finn McCool’s Irish Pub in New Orleans. (Staff photo by Ian McNulty, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune)
Martin’s potato donuts are the base for it all, and they’re exponentially better than your average bar food.
Pretzel bites are served with cheese sauce and Creole mustard in Duke Walter’s pub kitchen inside Finn McCool’s Irish Pub in New Orleans. (Staff photo by Ian McNulty, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune)
Garlic crusted bread bites disappear quickly and there is sausage wrapped in bacon and smothered in spices in the kitchen.
The bacon-topped Danger Dog is on the menu at Duke Walter’s Tavern Kitchen inside Finn McCool’s Irish Pub in New Orleans. (Staff photo by Ian McNulty, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune)
As Duke Walter develops, Guthrie and New expect to add some breakfast items, which might seem necessary in a pub that opens early for live broadcasts of away games.
Duke Walter’s Restaurant inside Finn McCool’s Irish Pub in New Orleans is named after its beloved pet dogs. (Staff photo by Ian McNulty, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune)
And appropriate for a pub where some dogs qualify as regulars (outdoors only), the Duke Walter name is a tribute to beloved dogs. Duke was Guthrie’s late Lab, and Walter is New’s much-lived terrier.
Note that Duke Walter’s will be getting a holiday menu on March 17, designed for the large numbers of green-dressed revelers who usually visit. The fish and chips and sausage mash are off (as are the salads), as are specials like shepherd’s pie, Guinness beef stew, and beef and cabbage.
Duke Walter at Finn McCall’s Irish Pub
3701 Bank Street, (504) 486-9080
Kitchen hours: Monday to Friday. noon – 10 pm; sat. And a sun. 11 am – 10 pm
