Funny how as St. Patrick's Day approaches, it forces aspiring pub owners to pick up the slack and get their doors open in time for the beer-centric holiday. For example, consider last week's timely opening of The Turf downtown.
Another new place just might be open for St. Patty's, too (at least that's the plan). It's a British pub called Shakespeare's, set to debut in the next couple weeks at Mesa's Dana Park Village Square, at the northwest corner of Baseline and Val Vista Drive. It's the spot formerly occupied by Molly Branigan's.
Owner Darren Hickman also owns Churchill's Pub & Grill in Chandler, and he tells me to expect a similar menu to Churchill's -- fish and chips, bangers and mash, cottage pie, Yorkshire pudding, Scotch eggs, and bread and butter pudding, to name just a few dishes.