For me, the word "saloon" always conjures up movie images of the Wild West. The handsome, clean-cut sheriff strolls into the local saloon, sporting a shiny star on his vest. The bad guy always wears a big black hat pulled down over his forehead. The friendly barkeep wears garters on his long-sleeved shirt and never misses when he slides a beer down the bar. A bevy of beauties adorns the room.
South Philly’s longtime popular Mick Daniel’s Saloon doesn’t fit the profile, but it does serve a mean dinner plate — with such un-saloon-like choices as onion soup, mussels, stuffed shrimp and chicken Parmesan. Even better, everything is half price on Tuesdays and Fridays.
Mick Daniel’s, deep in the heart of Mummer land, has two dining areas near the long, friendly bar. Every seat was taken on a recent Tuesday (though I provided the full prices of each item we sampled). A regular, sipping a Miller, told us we could have dinner at the bar.
We met Mary, the friendly and experienced barkeep, who mixed up a perfect martini and dry Rob Roy for us. They were served in Frank Sinatra rocks glasses and cost just $3.25 each. (A Frank Sinatra rocks glass is a small Old Fashion glass, by the way.)
Our server brought us a loaf of Italian bread topped with sesame seeds. I was pretty sure it came from Sarcone’s. We dove into a basket of freshly made jalapeño poppers ($4.50) — fried but not a bit greasy — which we both enjoyed. They packed the right amount of hot punch.
My mussels in white sauce ($5.95) were dry and scrawny. There were about a dozen of them, some with sand. The sauce at the bottom of the wooden bowl was delicious, however, so I dipped my bread and enjoyed.
House salad comes with dinner. We each received a small wooden bowl that contained about three or four pieces of iceberg lettuce and a quarter of a tomato. You get a choice of dressing.
My husband Edward tucked into a platter of fried shrimp, scallops and flounder ($12.95), each item a grease-free golden brown. Dinner came with cocktail sauce mixed with horseradish. Edward loves tartar sauce, but Mick Daniel’s does not supply it. Hot French fries and ordinary commercial cole slaw also came with the dinner.
My chicken Parmesan ($11.95) tasted just like nonna’s. I received a large boneless chicken breast that had been pounded thin. It was coated in tasty crumbs and fried to perfection, then topped with mozzarella and a bit of sauce and run under the broiler until the cheese melted. A nice-sized portion of linguine, also sauced properly, arrived with dinner.
Since it was half-price Tuesday, our check came to $20, including two beers.
I had to return to this charming neighborhood pub for another dinner. This time we arrived on a Thursday, which is crab night. You get three crabs for $5.
We were fortunate to sit in the dining area, where I had a view of the open kitchen. Our lovely young server brought me a bottle of Yuengling Lager and Edward a draft of Miller. Both came to $3.25.
The house salads she brought us looked nothing like the ones we received on half-price Tuesday. They were a hefty toss of crisp iceberg lettuce and fresh tomato wedges. I particularly liked the ranch dressing. Neither Edward nor I minded that she forgot to bring us a loaf of bread.
Onion rings ($3.50) were freshly fried and only required a shake of salt. French onion soup ($3.25) arrived so piping hot, I continued eating my salad until it cooled down a bit. It arrived in a big hot crock. I suspect the beef stock came from a can, but it wasn’t salty until I got down to the bottom of the crock. A slice of Italian bread, coated in mozzarella, floated in the center of the soup. It was run under the broiler, allowing the cheese to melt properly.
A thin fillet of stuffed flounder ($11.95) sat atop a good-sized mound of lump crabmeat that had been nicely seasoned and run under the broiler. The fish arrived on a sizzling metal plate. The crabmeat was on the salty side, though the fish was perfectly cooked.
A small dish of frozen mixed vegetables and "parsleyed potatoes," as the waitress described them, came on the side. The potatoes obviously came from a can and were cold. Edward cut each in half and placed them on his sizzling plate to warm them.
My fried shrimp dinner ($11.95) was quite tasty. I received six medium shrimp that had been coated in crumbs and nicely fried. Like all the fried fish we sampled at Mick Daniel’s, there was not one speck of grease. I received the same potatoes and a dish of slaw.
Overall, Mick Daniel’s Saloon is a fine neighborhood meeting place that offers good food at good prices. I wish we had one in my neighborhood.
Two tips of the toque to Mick Daniel’s Saloon.
Mick Daniel’s Saloon
Second Street and Snyder Avenue
215-334-0942
Cash only
Too narrow for a wheelchair
