Skosh Monahan's Steakhouse & Irish Pub

We were shopping in Costa Mesa and decided to try Skosh Monahan's with an online coupon. Since we were in an Irish bar, we decided that we’d go along with the Irish Theme.

Dennis ordered the Steak of Lamb ($19.00). At first we thought that there were regular mashed potatoes underneath the steak but we were wrong! Instead, there were flaky potatoes underneath, something I haven’t really eaten before at any restaurant! The flaky potatoes had a tiny bit of firmness but were tender to eat. Dennis mentioned that there was a slight butter taste in each layer. The green beans were standard, though a little bit undercooked and somewhat oily. I find that green beans at most places are usually a bit oily. As for the main course, our order was actually burnt on the outside. The lamb wasn’t that tender inside either, probably due to the outside being burnt. The sauce on the lamb was overly sweet, kind of like the sweet onion teriyaki sauce. The potatoes were our favorite, or perhaps the only, part of the dish. It wasn’t too good of a choice, at least the way it was made that night.

I ordered the Irish Lamb Stew ($11.00). I thought the sauce of the stew had a rich saucy tomato flavor and went well with the lamb. The meat itself was probably average to good, although I don’t eat it often enough to know more. The mashed potatoes were absolutely delicious and the gravy was also excellent and unlike any I’ve eaten! It complimented the potatoes well. I’ve never liked cole slaw so Dennis got to review that; he said it was average.

Since it was a sports bar, we could hear the football game in the background but that didn’t bother us. The lighting was a little dim which made it harder to read the menu. Our waitress was friendly enough but we didn’t see much of her. The food also took an excessive amount of time to reach us. Before we got our bill, we mentioned that the lamb was burnt but that we didn’t reorder because we didn’t want to wait. We passed a $20 off coupon from here to the waitress. When our bill came, we were surprised that gratuity was already added! For a $30 meal with a $20 off coupon, we paid over $15, which meant an included gratuity of 18%. I have never seen that done for a mere party of 2! Is it because we were in a bar? Is it due to the use of the coupon? (though we know to properly tip with a coupon). Was the waitress worried about her tip because the lamb was burnt? I believe we should have been able to decide on our own tip, between 10-20%. Has anyone had this happen to them before?