Review: The Fillmore Pub in Plano

The hot ham and Swiss proved solid, traditional pub cuisine. It was melty, guilt-inducing and a perfect, simple start to drinking season. The spicy mustard was applied generously and added zest to what could have been too heavy an offering. A Black and Blue (Guinness and Blue Moon), Half and Half (Guinness and Stella) or Snakebite (Stella and Ace Pear) would all make fine companions. No greens, but the sandwich sharers at our table didn't seem to mind.

What we did mind were two cups of the potato leek soup. We were expecting, well, potatoes and leeks, but what we got was more like cheesy baked potato glug. It was mealy and pasty, tasting oddly of paper—as though too much potato flake, powdered milk, cornstarch or some other thickener were used. The crisps of bacon on top, along with the cheese flavoring, only added to the baked-potato effect. The soup went against what the pub does well: They make good, simple food, and this soup made simple potato leek soup unsuccessfully complicated.

But leave it to Guinness. The Guinness cheddar cheeseburger brought the night back around. The half-pound patty was perfectly cooked, juicy and with a good sear. The Guinness cheddar (a hearty cheese marbled with the stout) oozed across the beef and, damn, it created one helluva guilty pleasure. We absolutely needed every bit of lettuce, tomato and onion it had to dress it just so we didn't feel like barbarians. The added greenery slowed down the instinct to eat it as fast as possible. Trust me: Be lame and go with a light beer if ever you order that burger—especially if you keep a calorie diary.

The Fillmore Pub's proximity to the DART rail doesn't really matter if you're heading back to Big D much after midnight, but there are other bonuses. One is the neighboring playground to the station—it provides some calorie-burning romp time crucial after the Guinness burger. Another is the factor that after ingesting several pounds of pub fare and brew, one doesn't have to attempt a drive home—good for a food coma and a decent half-hour sobering-up session. And of course, there's the green factor.

The entire process, like the majority of the Fillmore's food and atmosphere, is simple and relaxed. Green and green, with some greens on the side.

1004 E. 15th St., Plano, 972-423-2400. Open 4 p.m.–2 a.m. Monday-Wednesday, 11:30 a.m.–2 a.m. Thursday–Sunday. $-$$