Prior posts in this thread gave me the impression that the entire lower level was shut down and walled off for construction, but that's not the case.
It's only the area next to the north escalators that's walled off for construction.
I went back to The Druid for dinner. The place was reasonably busy because of the Super Bowl, which I found to be devoid of interest. This time I had the Irish Beef Stew along with a pint of Guinness - highly recommended!