O’Griffs is a micro brewery and Irish pub right in the heart of downtown Quincy, Il.

We saw O’Griffs ad in the Herald-Whig’s ‘The Menu,’ and decided to come try a home brewed beer.  Our waitress let us try a few samples of some of their more popular beers, Papa Bears Pale Ale, Gems IPA, and Haleigh’s Honey Brown.  I admittedly don’t know a whole lot about beer, but liked the flavor of the IPA and decided on that one.  It wasn’t too dark, but wasn’t light either, and had a nice distinct and crisp flavor.  We had a tall 23oz glass of it, which was just enough for the slightest buzz (we were walking) while still keeping your wits about you.

We didn’t even get a chance to open the menu because they had a special on the ribs that was just too good to pass up.  The space was really nice, right across from WashingtonPark, comfortable seating, and a relaxed atmosphere.  The place was nearly empty, and as the rule of thumb goes, the busier a place is the better the food, but I think there’s something about Quincy because all my favorite places so far have been the less busy ones.

We had a pleasant salad first course, which was a standard issue iceberg with ranch dressing, but was a perfect fit for the atmosphere and the food.  The ribs were a full rack of meaty goodness, smothered in a thick sweet BBQ sauce.  The meat was so tender you could eat the ribs by pulling the meat right off the bone with your fork, and my dinner mate did just that, but I myself prefer the traditional way of getting right in there with my hands and feeling sticky for hours afterwards.  With the ribs was a perfectly round and straight-from-the-oven dinner roll which was fluffy and delicious, especially after smearing some of the whipped butter on each bite.  For my side I picked the house potatoes, sautéed with some dark caramelized peppers and onions, which was just outta this world.  I am a sucker for anything oniony, especially when they’ve been cooked down and the natural sugars start to coat the outside, and these were a perfect compliment to the fried Irish potato that they came with.

The meal was a crazy amount of food for the price, and was one of those meals where you end up getting exactly what you didn’t know you wanted without even trying.  To be fair, pork ribs are something that’s hard to do wrong, and I probably could have gotten a comparable meal at a BBQ chain, but the beer was truly unique and worth a visit in itself, and the whole experience was just perfectly satisfying.