A Day (and a Pub) to Remember

Valentine's Day 2018 was a memorable one for our family. That remarkable story can be viewed here.

But it was made even more special by our celebratory visit to a NYC pub named Féile that the kids picked out.

That Féile (and many others, including the legendary Foley's Pub, are a short walk from the Empire State Building (where our special event took place) was in close proximity to Penn Station factored heavily in their selection, as they had lots of gear from their special night at the Grand Hyatt to carry home on the train.

Irish pubs have a well-deserved reputation for hospitality, but Managers Loreen Turk and camera-shy Elizabeth Nelis went above and beyond for our group. They were aware of Brett and Alix's story, and went to great lengths to help make their day even more special. Féile, after all, means "celebration."

Multiple vases of hand-cut flowers graced our long table, flanked by also-complimentary bottles of Prosecco, accompanied food that everyone hailed as fabulous. Alix's mom Tammy--Italian by birth--sang the praises of a rigatoni pasta dish, Brett thought his falafel sandwich was incredible and at waiter Connor's suggestion, I had a phenomenal Cottage Pie. Judging by the throngs that began filling the bar after us, Feile's food is apparently no secret.

As expected, their extensive draft and bottled beer list offered multiple excellent choices for those of us predisposed toward the "Juice of the Barley." And that's not even counting the ciders.

In sum, our family would like to thank Féile, Loreen, Elizabeth and Connor for their efforts in putting the "icing" on an already fabulous "cake."

And, of course, I have to give a nod to my friend Shaun Clancy of Foley's, who was instrumental in helping Brett get through the darker days of his early battle with End Stage Kidney Disease. Foley's has long been The PubScout's go-to pub in the area, and that will assuredly not change.