Near the gravesite of famed Irish-American playwright Eugene O'Neill in Jamaica Plain is one of Boston's latest and finest additions to the pub scene, James's Gate. The name and the pub's facade refer to St. James's Gate in Dublin, site of Guinness Brewing company. Inside, large abstract paintings by local artists hang from the muted peach, green and gray walls, while the speakers pound out Laurie Anderson and other alternative music. The menu features shrimp and pancetta tossed with cappelini, free-range chicken dishes, and an extensive wine list. There are also fish and chips and the evening's special, lamb stew.

     About the time you've finished a wonderful meal, you begin to wonder if the place should really be considered an Irish pub. That's usually when Dublin-born owner Paul Byrne appears at your table to introduce himself and to escort you and your guests through the swinging door the the other half of the establishment. Here, flames burn high in the fireplace as Irish accents mingle at the long wooden bar where more than 20 beers, including Guinness and Murphy's, are served on draught. The floors are slate, and the beams and wainscoting come from a 300-year-old barn in nearby Acton. "Supposedly, George Washington slept there," says Byrne, who knows his way around a bar, having worked at many of the Irish pubs in town since arriving in the States in 1985. He wanted to create a pub that would complement the community of Jamaica Plain, one of the the artsiest neighborhoods in Boston.

     Thus, you can have dinner near the roaring fire with a fresh pint or with a glass of merlot below a painting of Andy Warhol. Either way, you won't be disappointed. The meat in the lamb stew is so lean and the tomato-based sauce so rich and tasty that you'll never want a soupy Irish stew again. And the heaping portions, like the braised half chicken that looks like a whole, could satiate the entire Irish national soccer team.

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