Pub fare. It conjures up images of mushy grey peas straight from the can and soggy, freezer-to-fryer fish and chips doesn’t it? I certainly have never seen a thoughtfully sourced, seasonal vegetable crudite or beautiful local oysters on the menu at any pub I have ever been to before. Although, this is Sonoma, so I shouldn’t have been surprised when I first visited Murphy’s Irish Pub and dug into my first, of what would be many, orders of hand-battered pickles, which arrive fried to a state of golden, crispy perfection and immediately became a devotee of Chef Sarah Pinkin’s market-inspired twists on traditional pub grub.
Murphy’s kitchen, under the capable influence of chef Pinkin, offers a seasonally changing menu filled with delightfully tasty and fresh choices, crazy for a traditional pub. Sarah sources some of the restaurant’s produce from local farms, including Quarter Acre and Green String Farms. She keeps the menu simple, tweaking classic renditions of American and Irish bar food utilizing locally sourced produce in addition to grass-fed beef and sparklingly fresh seafood. I have forever been on the hunt for fish taco perfection and at Murphy’s the fresh, meaty cod is expertly battered in-house and is complete, crisp bliss. Each order – you can opt for one, two or three tacos – arrives with two generous, chubby chunks of glistening fish, sliced avocado, fresh pico de gallo and crunchy, shredded cabbage; and is truly a bargain. Thoughtful, fresh and forward-thinking for a traditional pub, no? Well, that’s Chef Pinkin’s passion, get to know more about this lovely, petite and super talented local chef below. Visit sonomapub.com for details on Murphy’s Menu, hours and the live music schedule.
Q&A with Sarah Pinkin
Kristin Jorgensen: What is your most vibrant food memory from childhood?
Sarah Pinkin: I remember my grandfather making big batches of chili and freezing it. It was always too spicy and my grandmother always griped about it. I also remember my grandmother making pork chops in a cast iron skillet with country gravy. It was one of the few things she cooked really well…she was not a great chef, haha!
KJ: Was there one pivotal moment that made you want to be a chef?
SP: Nobody really cooked in my house growing up. We ate a lot of canned and frozen foods, so I started cooking in my early teens. I’ll admit I wasn’t very good, but I really enjoyed cooking for everyone. That’s when I knew I could do it forever! It’s still a running joke in my family that I’m a chef.
KJ: The restaurant business is crazy stressful, what do you to blow off steam?
SP: I’m a total gym rat. I usually work out four to five times a week. It’s the only time when no one is asking for anything – both at home and the restaurant! It also helps me be more level headed and calm when things get crazy!
KJ: On death row….what’s your “Last Supper?”
SP: A Portuguese steak dinner. A juicy rib eye cooked medium rare with an olive oil fried egg on top. French fries, white rice and a green salad typically accompany it as well. Super simple, but sooooooo good. My kind of comfort food!
KJ: Dream foodie trip…what is it?
SP: At the moment I would love to do the Mediterranean/North Africa. Especially Turkey, Morocco, Spain and Greece. I love the freshness and simplicity of these regions.
KJ: What was your most dramatic kitchen disaster?
SP: Five years ago or so I catered a sit down dinner for 600 people. I totally thought we were prepared, but when the food timeline was cut shorter and quite a few staff members didn’t show up things went a little sour. Never again will I do an event of that size!!
KJ: Your most memorable meal?
SP: When I was nineteen I went to Beijing to visit my brother in school. He took me to this crazy district on the outskirts of the city for dinner. It was very, very poor, had no running water and limited electricity. This neighborhood was where new immigrants from all parts of China moved when they first arrived in Beijing. Because China is so vast and borders so many different countries there’s a huge diversity in people. The food we had and people we met were beyond interesting, I’ll never forget it!
KJ: What foodie thing/spot does Sonoma most need?
SP: We really, really need a good Vietnamese place. Somewhere to get delicious Pho.
KJ: I know you guys just had a baby…tell me about how you hope to positively influence her palate?
SP: We actually have two now. Olivia is three and Sawyer is 21 months. Olivia really likes to cook with me and Sawyer really likes to eat. While I’m chopping veggies every night for dinner they both taste/snack on the mis en place. They don’t always like everything, but they do know what everything is. I also don’t cook separate kids meals. Whatever we eat for dinner they eat too.
KJ: Tell us about your training.
SP: I went to the California Culinary Academy in San Francisco. After that I worked at Globe for a few years, then Zuppa, followed by a stint in corporate dining. I ran a catering company/take out place with my former partner (who still runs it), Split Pea Seduction, for a few years then moved up to Sonoma. When I first arrived I opened Mondo then left after six months and have happily been the chef at Murphy’s for the past four years!
Baja-Style Fish Tacos
Recipe inspired by Murphy’s Irish Pub
Serves 4
1 quart vegetable oil
12 to 16 fresh corn tortillas
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons salt
1 cup beer (not dark)
1 pound cod fillet, cut into 3 by 1 inch strips
Accompaniments: shredded cabbage, Mexican crema, avocado slices, chopped or sliced radish, and lime wedges
Preheat oven to 350°F. Heat 1 inch oil in a 10-inch heavy pot (2 to 3 inches deep) over moderate heat until a deep-fat thermometer registers 360°F. Meanwhile, separate tortillas and make 2 stacks of 6 to 8. Wrap each stack in foil and heat in oven 12 to 15 minutes. While tortillas warm, stir together flour and salt in a large bowl, then stir in beer (batter will be thick). Gently stir fish into batter to coat. Lift each piece of fish out of batter, wiping any excess off on side of bowl, and fry fish in batches, turning once or twice, until golden, 4 to 5 minutes. Drain on paper towels. Increase oil temperature to 375°F and refry fish in batches, turning once or twice, until golden brown and crisp, about 1 minute. Drain on paper towels. Assemble tacos with warm tortillas, fish, and accompaniments. Serve immediately.
Kristin Jorgensen is one of Sonoma’s most passionate, food obsessed residents. In this weekly column, she covers all the delicious happenings, foodie events and restaurants in Sonoma, the rest of Wine Country and beyond. Find her blogging daily as the Cook at thecardiganandcook.com or via email at foodandwine@sonomasun.com.
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