Woodhaven House, Irish Pub in Rego Park

Woodhaven House in Rego Park is a beautiful Irish pub. Yes, beautiful. Pubs and beauty normally don't go together in Queens, but Woodhaven House is a great exception. A neighborhood crowd, of all ages, including families, comes for dinner and stays for drinks (but thins out by late night).

The attention and care is obvious, not just in the dark wood bar, leather booths, and frosted, etched glass, but in the food and service. On busy Woodhaven Boulevard, WH is a good pit stop close to the Queens Center Mall.

In August 2003, Bloom's Irish Pub in Sunnyside burned down in the middle of the day. The center of Irish social life in Sunnyside and Woodside, Bloom's has yet to be replaced. At least one of the owners has made a new start with the recent opening of Woodhaven House. There's one key difference: the new neighborhood is Rego Park, not a hotbed of young Irish life in NYC, which diminishes the redhead factor and somewhat lowers the rate of Guinness consumption.

But all the other quality that marked Bloom's has been brought to Woodhaven House. The interior is beautiful. It's an Irish pub fantasy: polished dark wood, frosted and etched glass, black-and-white tile floors, leather seats, even a display case of Irish pottery. It's a pleasure to sit, admire the decor, and enjoy a drink. The Guinness pours smooth, and the stout's head remains once you've sucked up the last bit of heavenly brown liquid. But who would want to live on beer alone?

The food is excellent. Entrees start at $8 for a burger with the works and run $12 to $18 (steaks and seafood predominate). Try the charred bacon-wrapped scallops for an appetizer. The restaurant already does a steady dinner business with local residents, mostly families, but hasn't drawn the late-night crowds. It can be downright spacious on Friday at midnight. Woodhaven House is still getting established, but if this is first-night jitters, watch out. WH could easily become a Queens landmark.