Murphy's on the Green is such a fixture of downtown Hanover, it almost seems silly to post a review, but I am here for all the vegans and vegetarians who enjoy the dark and cozy atmosphere of a pub or who are tagging along with their omnivorous companions and can sometimes feel left out. This is a comfortable, casual venue serving up classic pub fare, sometimes with a surprising and delightful twist, that has something for everyone. Recommendations are always advisable unless you go at an off time (i.e. very early). We went for an early dinner on Easter Sunday because we don't care for the traditional foods of the holiday, although they did offer a ham dinner which one of our companions selected and said was great (the mashed potatoes were particularly noteworthy, and the roasted carrots were very fresh).
We were greeted at the door by our friendly and super sweet server, who also did double duty at the bar and could speak intelligently about the offerings, which helped us make personalized choices.
For dinner, I enjoyed the beet salad and their house-made chickpea burger smash style. The beet salad was satisfying and the chickpea burger was served on a soft brioche and held together well, which made savoring the subtle flavors much easier! Neither of my dishes was heavily salted, flavored or spiced; they were the way they would be if I took the care to make them at home. For travelers, this might come as a welcome relief! I chose their fries for my side, and they were delicious!
My husband had their wings and the lobster risotto, the latter of which I was unable to snap a photo of because it disappeared rather quickly. Of course, it was the standard risotto serving size (big plate, tiny scoop).
The cocktails were fresh and delightful. The desserts were a little split. I chose the brownie sundae and found the brownie itself kind of dry and flavorless, which sounds bad to say, but it's done by design as the dish is punched up with a not-too-large (appreciated) scoop of good vanilla ice cream and drizzled sauces on top. If you love a deep, dark, rich, chewy brownie, keep this in mind, because this was light and not the fudgy, total sugar bomb you might be expecting. They featured a Crème Brûlée-egg, which was a festive spin on crème brûlée designed to taste like the famed Cadbury Crème Egg, which both the people who had it said it in fact did, and one said it was the best crème brûlée he had ever tasted. read more