With Grafton Street Pub and chic lounge Crown Alley, Liam Fitzpatrick’s scores in its 2.0
“This might sound bad…” I ventured, chuckling, “but I rather like boozy drinks. I lean bitter over sweet.”
It’s easy to choose something off the menu in a place like Crown Alley — cool in its clandestinity, posh in every way, from the cushy seating to the colossal gin collection. But the hip leather apron donned by bar manager Ryan Remmington was writing a visual check I wanted to see cashed, So, I asked him to make me a drink.
And really, why wouldn’t I want to test the chops of the barkeeps behind this luxe little Lake Mary hideaway? Crown Alley, I surmised as Remmington set about his work, was a potential coup for locals who’d no longer need venture outside the neighborhood for a sexy speakeasy.
The drink he served sure made me wish I lived closer.
The Significant Other, a creation I’d later learn was created during Negroni Week by the venue’s other manager, Britton Lucas, was a delight, elegant and playful, gem-like in color amid perfect lighting with a single, glass-clear cube. Its green apple-infused Lillet Blanc, with Campari, Aquavit and gin, was a meld miraculous. Garnished with a delicate staircase of thin-sliced Granny Smith and a whispery tendril of fennel, the cocktail was as alluring to the eye as the nose as I moved in for a sip.
Perfection.
Lake Mary, you are so very lucky.
Both of these gents come with experience in Orlando’s craft-bar game. Remmington’s resume includes The Courtesy and The Ravenous Pig. Lucas, who was our server on my next visit, has logged time at The Bellhop and The Wellborn. Other staffers, too, have pedigrees.
Chef Daniel Sautter crafts the menu here. Fans of the now-shuttered Liam Fitzpatrick’s from across the street may know him. And almost everyone else here. Because Crown Alley resides inside the Grafton Street Pub, which is a Liam’s 2.0 of sorts.
“We moved here in early May,” General Manager Dominick Coloni tells me. The venue, a former Applebee’s, had been sitting dormant for some time while the team behind the family-owned Liam’s eyeballed it. “We were in our space since April of 2008 and the opportunity to have our own building and start from the ground up to create a new experience for our guests was appealing.”
Part of the new experience is Crown Alley, “which we wanted to have that upscale, refined, craft cocktail experience that you more often find in larger cities.”
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Crown Alley even offers a bit of themepark-ian whimsy, with a separate entrance and speakeasy sensibility that I thought about giving away here, but I’d rather let you mine the Internet for clues on how to access. It’s more fun that way.
My first venture inside actually bypassed the whole system.
We entered though Grafton Street’s main entrance, ambling through its Irish-pub ambience and inquiring as to the location of its sister behind the walls. As it happened, Remmington was headed in through an interior door and allowed us passage (it was 5 p.m., we were the first customers of the day) so it wouldn’t be until my next visit that I’d have to scavenge the secrets of entry.
Back to the food, though, which is a bit different on the swanky side. While Liam’s pub favorites have made the crossing, and even been given small upgrades, at Crown Alley, charcuterie and oysters and specials like bacon-wrapped scallops with balsamic pearls or salmon-caviar blinis with crème fraîche are the order. Both of these options, the scallops in particular, were lovely as were the boutique Mid-Atlantic bivalves on the raw menu that day.
We made the move post-snack and cocktail, however, to the simpler side of the joint, where the servers are friendly — and fetching.
“I think we’re the only women in here,” my companion offered at one point, noting the servers’ uniforms.
I’d been facing the wall and perusing the menu, so I hadn’t noticed, but sure, as with any solid and seasoned hospitality team, these capable staffers, affable in their short-hemmed finery, have undoubtedly helped Liam’s build its loyal legion of regulars.
On a subsequent trip there were plenty of beer-drinking lasses in the mix, a near 50-50 split, so to be fair, it may have been a coincidence.
“The old pub, primarily, was a more sports bar, men-driven place,” Coloni says, “but we’ve gained a lot more ladies who are comfortable coming in since we’ve moved. I think it’s partly an element of the food and decor being nicer and of course, Crown Alley.”
The food here on the pub side is solid, too. Wings were large and crispy ($16, next time I’d forgo the dry rub for a more trad Buffalo take or perhaps the curry). The server-lauded lamb sliders ($14 and formidable!) were tasty. Cut ’em in half and they’d make a nice app for four.
Lamb’s a common protein for an Irish pub, but the take here leans Greek with tzatziki and pickled onions. Along with the popular fare from the old place, Coloni says Sautter and the team looked to take pubby items and give them a bit of an upscale tilt. Much like the sliders, the gourmet grilled cheese ($16) leans in with a miso butter and chili-infused honey complementing imported Irish Cheddar and gruyere.
“We’ve just taken familiar favorites that you may have at home and elevated them to a new level,” says Coloni. But the Liam Loyalists who’ve followed (most of them, both Coloni and one of the servers told me) haven’t had to say goodbye to favorites like fish and chips, shepherd’s pie ($18) or French onion soup (cup, $7; bowl, $9)
While the pie was certainly hearty and well paired with a citrusy side salad to cut through all that richness, the cheese-laden soup was a pleasure on the patio. It’s something I’d look forward to when the weather truly breaks for the season. Next time, I’d love to see all that Swiss and gruyere draped over the sides for my crunchy, crackable, peelable pleasure.
Liam’s, with its impressive, 15-year run, has likely been a pub locals from elsewhere have yearned for, but for those keening for craft sips that won’t cost $60+ worth of Uber on a Saturday night, it’s Crown Alley that’s especially worth coveting.
If you go
Grafton Street Pub/Crown Alley: 7055 County Road 46A in Lake Mary, 407-936-3782; graftonstreetlakemary.com
Find me on Facebook, TikTok, Twitter or Instagram @amydroo or on the OSFoodie Instagram account @orlando.foodie. Email: amthompson@orlandosentinel.com, For more foodie fun, join the Let’s Eat, Orlando Facebook group.