a great article on my home away from home: the half door

CHRIS GALLANT pours a Guinness the proper way at the Half Door on Sisson Avenue. (JOHN LONG)


Half Door Goes For Authenticity, 'Perfect Pour'
March 16, 2006 By LYNNE TUOHY, Courant Staff Writer

Shawn Skehan, co-owner of Half Door on Sisson Avenue in Hartford, said it takes more than Guinness on tap and an Irish flag out front to be an Irish pub."It's the feeling of being comfortable and at home and becoming a regular," said Skehan, who cut his teeth in the bar and restaurant business at this very location, in its former incarnation as the Cool Moose. He took it over nearly seven years ago.
The Half Door whispers comfort, from the cushions piled on a stone bench to the weathered booths and black-and-white photographs of Irish scenes. The bar rounds at one end to a circle, facilitating conversation. The pub is full of Irish knickknacks and artifacts from Ireland that friends and relatives have given Skehan, who has one set of Irish grandparents.He has yet to visit the island himself, but those who have tell him he has gotten it right......

the half door


A plate of Irish nachos at the Half Door on Sisson Avenue. (JOHN LONG)

(by the way, i've partaken of the irish nachos - sans bacon and cheese and they are STILL OUTSTANDING)