Tuesday, November 29, 2011


Art Fredette believes Bat Shea’s will be more than just an Irish pub, bar

The Troy Record, local news, sports and weather serving Troy and its surrounding communities

Serving Troy and its surrounding communities
TROY — It hasn’t even opened yet but Bat Shea’s Pub owner Art Fredette is buzzing with excitement as he prepares to present his new pub to the Troy Community.

To be clear, it is not just an Irish pub, nor is it just a bar. Fredette’s theme is meant to include the entire Celtic Nation when it comes to its food, which is something he said he really would like to focus on.

“The menu is going to try and have something from every one of the nations,” Fredette said. "We have the symbol of the six Celtic Nations on the wall."

Mike Troidle, the head chef at Bat Shea’s, said focusing on the entire region instead of just one country opens the door to explore various different dishes and provide a wide variety for its customers. He added he will be working with a lot of local and sustainable ingredients when preparing the food.

“It opens up a huge spectrum,” Troidle said. “It gives me so much room to play with. It’s so much more than corn beef and cabbage but it is on there in several different forms.”

Fredette said the area has several Irish bars in Troy and a German bar but not a pure Celtic bar. He is covering areas such as Wales, Isle of Man and Scotland. He refers to it as “an authentic Celtic pub with an old Troy flair.”

The name, Bat Shea, refers to an 1894 murder trial that took place in Troy, which led to the execution of Bartholomew “Bat” Shea, who Fredette holds as his hero, as he believes the man was innocent.

“The whole Bat Shea ties into to the old Troy thing,” Fredette said.

There will also be live entertainment available to patrons that will include Celtic-styled music, which will mostly be acoustic. Fredette said he wants to provide music to people that they will enjoy.

The beer selection will feature drafts such as Kilkenny Irish Cream Ale, McSorley’s Irish Pale Ale, Newcastle Brown Ale, Smithwick’s and Guiness. There will also be large selections of domestic beers as well as craft beers in bottles. A full wine list and liquor list will be available as well.
Fredette said the pub will be open in time for people to come through during the Victorian Stroll on Sunday, Dec. 4. The motivation to be open by then is because the event is one of the biggest the City of Troy puts on and because the people behind it have done a great job with it, he’d like to be a part of it.

“It really puts Troy at the forefront,” Fredette said. "They did it so well that Saratoga stole the idea."

Fredette stressed that Bat Shea’s is not going to be just a nightclub where people only get drunk at. He is aiming to make the bar a family-friendly one. He’s not looking for the Jersey Shore.

“It’s not just a bar,” Fredette said. “You can bring your kids here. You can bring grandma here. It’s a restaurant, first and foremost. The nightlife won’t start here until well after 9 p.m.”

Bat Shea's is located at 95 Ferry St.

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