I don't know that I'd ever have discovered Deansgate Kitchen on my own. After all, there were no Yelp reviews to guide me, the restaurant was about half a mile from my hotel, and I wandered past many other intriguing possibilities on my stroll to get there. But when I knew I'd have a free afternoon in Blackpool, I asked a friend for recommendations, and Deansgate was one of the three he provided.
First off, this was one of those places where it seems everybody knows your name. That is -- except for me, everyone there was a regular. I could tell from the way the servers were interacting with the customers that they'd all been there before. Repeat customers make for a good recommendation. But don't worry -- they were friendly to me as well, the strange Yank who happened to wander in out of the cold.
I ordered the Shepherd's Pie, which arrived hot, a cloud of steam rising when I pierced the top with my fork. It his the spot on a chilly Blackpool day.
As I sat there eating, listening in on all the gossip being bandied about, I almost felt as if I was part of the neighborhood. Looking around, I sort of wished I ordered the fish and chips, even though my Shepherd's Pie was tasty -- because the chips that came with my meal were good, and I suspected that the fish, which I saw many other customers eating, would have been good, too.
But that'll have to be for my next visit to Blackpool.
I'll be back, because the food was comforting and Deansgate Kitchen seemed authentic. The real deal. read more