Dinner at Beckett's

The Arlington landscape is dotted with Irish pubs, both traditional and commercial. You can't hardly walk down Wilson or Clarendon Boulevards without being within stumbling distance of a Gaelic-named (or not) Irish establishment.

Arlington Nightlife and the Nightlife winglady-in-chief ventured all the way out to Shirlington (we promise it's still in Arlington), and had dinner at Samuel Beckett's Irish Gastro Pub tonight. Samuel Beckett was apparently a big deal in 20th century Ireland. We don't suggest you try to get here via the Metro. (Designated Driver, anyone?)

Nightlife enjoyed a Guinness and Sam's Lamb Burger. It was actually my first experience with lamb at a restaurant, and it was good. Rather than French fries, I opted for the broccolini, which was like a cross between broccoli and asparagus.  The winglady-in-chief got the Tipperary Tart (a leek quiche) and a wedge salad.

The selling point of this particular Irish restaurant is the decor on the inside. Unfortunately, the Nightlife crew sat outside to people watch. Beckett's is located in the middle of the Village of Shirlington commercial/residential mixed-use development, so there are plenty of people to look at.

The food was alright, but it didn't particularly differentiate itself from any of the other two dozen Irish bars in town. Why drive all the way to Shirlington when we can wander from O'Sullivan's to Ri Ra, Kitty O'Shea's, Four Courts, Sine', or any of the other Irish eateries in town?

Nevertheless, we'll probably be back. Both the food and service weren't bad, and there were other things on the menu that Nightlife wanted to try. We definitely suggest hitting it up and checking out all the shops in the Villages.

Check Beckett's out on Facebook.