Tasty treats

Classic burger/brew restaurant settles into South Anchorage

By Rachael Fisher
Daily News correspondent

Published: August 27th, 2009 09:29 PM
Last Modified: September 3rd, 2009 04:51 PM

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BOB HALLINEN / Anchorage Daily News

Mo's O'Brady's restaurant at 1501 Huffman Road, Suite 2001 serves up a huge variety of hamburgers and brews. But Mo's offers more than just burgers. Owner Maurice MacDonald says the prime dip is the best thing on the menu.

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Mo's O'Brady's is the southside reincarnation of the restaurant that was once an east Anchorage institution. It is still a friendly neighborhood hangout where families and friends meet for burgers and brew.

O'Brady's earned a solid local following in east Anchorage for many years before it lost its lease for the venue located off Tudor Road. So owner Maurice MacDonald began setting up shop again. He said the most difficult part of the transition was the financial squeeze caused by the high prices oil and metals were commanding at the time.

MacDonald said he rehired most of his employees when Mo's opened in the Carrs mall off Huffman Road in January '07. The menu remains mostly unchanged, prominently featuring a diverse array of burgers and beers. The new digs' seating capacity is 161.

Mo's has something for all hamburger fixations. Prefer turkey or veggies to beef? Wish your burger tasted more like pizza? Do you want it sweet or spicy? Whatever floats your burger boat, Mo's has it.

On a recent Saturday night a friend and I met at the bar. There were a few diners in the restaurant and even more patrons in the bar. Black ceiling panels, dark wood, neon beer signs and emerald green carpet created the ambiance of an Irish pub.

Panes of tinted glass separate the bar from the dining room. Flat-panel TVs and a dartboard hang on the walls. It feels friendly right away. The bartender says she will be right over with a smile. She skirts the bar and delivers menus to our table promptly. PBR is on special, $10 a pitcher she says.

We ordered a pitcher and the farmer's plate appetizer to start. The beer is served in a heavy glass pitcher with frosty mugs. The farmer's plate ($6.50) was delivered nicely chilled with long carrot sticks, mushrooms, tomato wedges, sliced reindeer sausage, chunks of broccoli florets and ranch dressing for dipping. Everything was fresh, and before we could finish our burgers arrived.

I had ordered the buffalo burger with cheddar ($10.70). The fresh patty was lean but still juicy. The usual spread of toppers plus a side of warm tangy barbecue sauce accompanied the burger.

The Texas chili burger ($10.50) my friend ordered was served open-faced, heaping with house-made chili. Diced onion and shredded cheese perched above the tasty mountain of beef and beans. Both our plates had generous stacks of thick steak fries.

As we ate I overheard the bartender chatting with regulars who were there for dinner before heading to the movies. Mo was sitting at the end of the bar talking up the "Bump" app for iPhones. A couple of 20-something women sat to our right, starting their night with a couple of beers and an order of fries. The woman sitting at the table to my left said, "That was a really, really good burger."

This is no cookie-cutter burger joint. There is only one Mo's O'Brady's; the Dimond Center O'Brady's is independently owned. MacDonald said the secret is fresh, never frozen, hamburger made three times a week for the restaurant. Wash it down with one of 16 draft or 60 bottled beers.

My next visit to Mo's was on a weekday for lunch. We arrived at 12:45 p.m. and the place had a little lunch rush going but there were still open tables to chose from. We decided to share the fresh potato chips, Chef O'Brady's salad and a crisp chicken filet sandwich.

The chips ($4.50) came out quickly and were so fresh they were almost too hot to eat. They were thin, crispy and sprinkled with seasoned salt. The onion dip that came with the order was creamy and so thick you could stand a chip in it.

The chef's salad ($12.50) was very hearty and piled high. Iceberg lettuce provided the foundation for a platform of roast beef, ham, turkey, white and yellow American cheeses, shredded cheddar, sliced egg, sprouts, tomatoes, mushrooms and chopped green peppers. The salad was big enough to share.

The crispy chicken filet sandwich ($9.50) got our attention as new fare featured on the table tents. We opted to add bacon and cheddar ($2). The breaded chicken was crisp as promised and the bacon strips were huge.

Mo's menu offers more than just burgers, the prime dip is the best thing on the menu according to MacDonald. He said the pot roast dinner and reuben sandwich are popular too.

Rediscover O'Brady's, it's geography may have changed but Mo's has still got game when it comes to burgers and brew.

• Got a restaurant tip, a new menu, a favorite dish or a chef change? Send an e-mail to play@adn.com.

Mo's O'Brady's

*** $$

Location: 1501 Huffman Road

Hours: 11 a.m. to midnight Monday-Saturday, noon to 10 p.m. Sunday

Phone: 338-1080 Want to rave or pan?

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