Old Oar House goes green The Daily Journal By JOEL LANDAU ″ Staff Writer ″ October 25, 2008 MILLVILLE -- A pioneer investor in the city's downtown is going back to his Irish roots. Restaurateur Brian Tomlin will hold a grand opening for the Old Oar House Irish Pub on High Street at 6 p.m. Saturday. He has reinvented his business by combinin  the Old Oar House Brewery and the Next Oar restaurant into an authentic Irish pub. Tomlin combined the two previously separate establishments in the past few weeks. The businesse stayed open, and crews painted and did work  overnight so they did not interfere with the customers. A classic bar with an outdoor beer garden re-main and a dining room, which seats 60 people, will be available for lunch and dinner. Tomlin said the room would be ideal for private parties and business lunches. The pub's new menu is a combination of the Oar House and Next Oar, and it includes entrees of varying prices. Previously, the Next Oar was only open on Friday and  Saturday nights. The newly themed Oar's kitchen will close at 10 p.m.,  but Kevin Killeen, the pub's new general manager,  said bar foods will be available until midnight. Tomlin originally conceived the idea of an Irish pub when he opened the establishment 10 years ago  High Street was full of boarded buildings, "and people  told us we were crazy" for starting the location, h said. The business was successful, but over the years  his initial desire was lost. "We became Americanized with plastic Bud Ligh  bottles," he said. "We became a bar." The new full menu will be available every day, and Tomlin said they will add Irish beers and food, including ham and cabbage, corned beef and cabbage, Shepard's pie and Irish stew, to their selections. He said he wants to bring in a local artist to paint a few murals in the bar. He is also asking people   bring in Irish items to display in the pub. Tomlin said his staff is re-energized by the change, which he hopes will draw interest from local residents. "It's been bad for everyone in this business," he said. "To set yourself apart is a good idea."