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After the combined July/August issue - which was also the 15th anniversary issue - was safely on its way to our readers, we dropped into the popular Penny Lane Pub at 41st and Main Street in Vancouver. The Penny Lane is a friendly, well-established neighbourhood pub that has been in operation for the past 12 years. Many of the patrons know one another and regularly drop in for lunch or dinner or to watch some of their favourite sports on the many televisions. The bartenders and servers also know the patrons and usually keep up a friendly banter. The day we visited the Penny Lane, Yvonne Dale who is originally from Newfoundland, was serving and chatting away with the patrons who were also enjoying her friendly Newfoundland humour. The Penny Lane prides itself on pulling a perfect pint and along with Guinness, Kilkenny and Alexander Keith's Ale, they serve all the usual Celtic beverages. The Lane is also one of the few establishments that serves Murphy's Irish Ale. Murphy's are based in Cork, Ireland. I spoke with owner Brian Hunter about Murphy's Ale and their daily lunch and dinner specials. He said, "Murphy's does reasonably well for us here at the Penny Lane. My background before I got into the pub side of the business was with Molson Canadian. I have a friend who is the Heineken representative and Murphy's is one of their brands. "So I decided to test market it at the pub and people who have been trying it are enjoying it. In fact, just lately we had a patron who drove all the way in from Abbotsford because he heard that we served Murphy's." The Penny Lane Pub also offers an excellent lunch menu and Brian said, "we have a regular lunch clientele and our soup and sandwich is a big seller. This is mainly because the lunch crowd needs to move through rather quickly and get back to work. "Our chef changes the sandwich special and homemade soup special every day. We also have a burger special every day, which could be chicken or beef or salmon, but it's always a hearty burger. We also feature steak on the week-ends. "One item that we started four years ago and can't stop, is our Monday night Grid Iron Steak. We have people who come in regularly especially for this steak. We called it Grid Iron because it was a feature for Monday night football. It's steak, vegetables and a baked potato for $6.95. On the weekend, we have a special of steak and eggs for $6.95, which is also a popular item. "Throughout the week we also have a wing special, pot stickers, prawns and perogies, so there's always a 35¢ item that you can come in and have. Really, the food has been a big bonus for us and it's really helped our business. Spiros our chef has just done a super job for us." Brian also opened the Penny Lane Spirits and Liquor Store on Victoria Drive in Vancouver a year ago, and despite some initial concerns in the neighbourhood, it has created little or no disruption to the area. Brian said, "We've had no complaints or concerns whatsoever about the store in the neighbourhood. In fact, the only problem that we have had was a break-in shortly after we opened. It was our fault because we hadn't finalized the security in our rear door but nothing was taken because the alarm went and the police attended right away. "Our business continues to grow both at the Penny Lane Spirits and the Pub and really it's been a great summer with all the hot weather for our business." Penny Lane Pub is located at 41st and Main Street in Vancouver, for more information call (604) 327-2522. The Penny Lane Spirits and Liquor Store is located at 6509 Victoria Drive (49th and Victoria) in Vancouver. For more information, call (604) 321-9189.
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