Irish eyes are smiling: New pub is rooted in Oak Harbor history

Jason Tritt, former co-owner of Rustica in Oak Harbor, always wanted to open an Irish pub.

“I love Irish bars, grew up going to Irish bars,” he said. “I got to travel in Europe when I was a kid, and I like the vibe and feel of an Irish bar.”

Barrington’s Irish Bar and Grill, a Rustica re-branding, recently opened at 670 S.E. Pioneer Way, and in fact, that’s what Rustica originally could have been.

Tritt worked in the restaurant business since he was 18, and over his years he’s worked in both pubs and Italian restaurants. When it was time to open Rustica in 2014, the market leaned Italian, he said.

Tritt and his longtime business partner, Mercedes Fulwiler, envisioned the attentive service of fine-dining with the casual atmosphere of Mom-and-Pop restaurants.

Their vision of a casual eatery went away, Tritt said. Rustica became more of a date spot, with people hunkered to their tables and not mingling much.

“Sometimes things evolve differently than you anticipate,” he said. “They’re going to evolve.”

As the time came to transition chefs, Tritt and Fulwiler saw the opportunity to return to their original vision. Even more, with Lava Louie’s rebranding and Kraken’s Cove recent opening, it’s how Tritt sees the downtown area heading—more of a vibrant nightlife with diverse social options.

This scene has declined since the late ‘80s and early ‘90s, Tritt said, when there was a variety of bars and restaurants downtown that made people want to stay in Oak Harbor.

Part of this vision is making downtown more Irish, he said.

“The Dutch claim (Oak Harbor),” he said. “It’s Oak Harbor. It’s Dutch. ‘Yeah, we run it.’ You’ve probably heard the term Dutch Mafia, all that kind of stuff. Well, the reality of it is, it’s not that. It’s Irish.”

Irish families settled in Oak Harbor in the 1850s, and Dutch families came 30 years later. Capt. Edward Barrington built a dock where Flintstone Park is now with a warehouse and the original Oak Harbor Tavern, which was eventually moved and then renovated into Kraken’s Cove.

“Him and his family and his wife’s family, they basically founded Oak Harbor,” he said. “He built a ship here in Oak Harbor, a schooner. It was actually called the Growler, incidentally. Isn’t that crazy?”

Barrington claimed the properties through Smith Park and started selling it to Irish families.

“Due to the Dutch coming in and being much more of an influence in the 1880s and the development of Oak Harbor moving forward, the Irish history kind of got pushed aside,” Tritt said. “The Arts Council had the forethought to put the statues up of him and his wife down there, which is awesome.”

When brainstorming the new pub, Tritt and Fulwiler ran the concept by Peggy Darst Townsdin, great-great-granddaughter of Edward Barrington, and received her blessing, Tritt said.

The transition to an Irish menu came naturally, he said. Flyer’s, another restaurant Tritt co-owns, has always served Irish food for Saint Patrick’s Day.

“Irish food is very straightforward,” he said. “It’s very simple. It’s comfort food, it’s filling comfort food. You can give people a lot of value with Irish foods. It’s just not expensive to make.”

Barrington’s serves scratch-made Irish fare — such as corned beef and cabbage and shepherd’s pie — with as many local ingredients as possible. Some ingredients are intentionally not local. Barrington’s fish and chips, for example, uses haddock, at Atlantic cod, which is what they eat in Ireland. In Washington, typically patrons find Pacific or Icelandic cod. Haddock is fattier and oilier with great flavor, Tritt said.

“The reason the Irish came here was Whidbey Island has a lot of the characteristics that Ireland has,” he said. “It’s very similar in terrain. It’s very similar in climate and stuff like that, so even the farmers, when they came here, they were able to do crops and stuff they’re familiar with, so that’s what we’re trying to do on the menu.”

In addition, there are some Pacific Northwest favorites, like calamari, and Rustica staples, like caramelized broccoli. The menu is rapidly evolving, Tritt said, soon to have lamb shank and steak.

He’s also interested in including staples in Irish pubs that haven’t made their way to American Irish food yet, like curries.

“I’m a research guy, so constantly looking for research for items that are not things that you would traditionally see,” Tritt said. “We’re trying to make the menu fun, just like we’re trying to make the atmosphere fun. ‘Fun’ is our operative word.”

So far, the Rustica regulars have adjusted to the transition well, Fulwiler said, save some sadness over a few food items.

For those folks, Tritt is updating the Flyer’s menu, he said. Soon they will reintroduce pizza and bring on Rustica’s five best-selling pastas.

At Barrington’s, kids are welcome during the day, musicians will play starting at 8 and the evening is reserved for those 21-and-over. The pub will host an Irish session every first and third Monday, where folks come in and jam casually with traditional Irish instruments. There’s no structure to this, Tritt said, so anyone can jump in and play.

Eventually, the front will be re-painted to look like a traditional European pub, Tritt said, something that could be in downtown Dublin. On the left wall, they will paint a mural of Captain Barrington’s Growler.

“It just feels different,” he said, “and it’s got much more happier.”

Saturday, June 22, Barrington’s will hold their official ribbon cutting at 2:30. The Shifty Sailors will be there to sing, and other bands will play throughout the day. Sláinte!