When an American couple came to visit us in the Burren last week, we asked them which of the local sights they wanted to see. Castles, dolmens, and hiking trails ranked lower on their wish list than the local seafood. First, they made reservations at Linnanne’s Lobster Bar and Moran’s…
by Caitriona Devery In spite of detailed directions via WhatsApp, we almost get lost on the way to Singing Frog Gardens in West Cork. Probably because I’m a terrible passenger-navigator. I get distracted looking out the windows. It would have been easier if we had the Eircode, but Alex, the…
by Caitriona Devery You may know wasabi as the bright green nose-burning paste often served in Japanese restaurants alongside soy sauce to accompany sushi. In fact, this substance is usually made from horseradish with green food dye and only a small amount of wasabi powder. The real deal, fresh wasabi,…
My passionate search for great pizza had already taken me across America, through much of Italy, and to Buenos Aires, Argentina and Punta Del Este, Uruguay by 1999. It was in that year that I did a controversial opinion piece about the Best Pizza in the World on America’s National…
Put the familiar eggs, sausage, beans and black pudding from a “full Irish breakfast” on a corn tortilla and you’ve got Bia Cantina’s “Bricfeasta Tacos” (There’s also a vegetarian version.) I loved the breakfast taco and the three Mexican-style salsas I got with it. The mild salsa was a guacamole,…
Hotel guests are invited to enjoy the amazing Full Irish Breakfast that’s served in the dining room of the Rostrevor Inn in County Down, Northern Ireland every morning. It includes the customary fried egg, rashers of bacon, sausages, black pudding, beans, tomato, mushrooms and toast, along with a square sort…
Corned beef and cabbage, the traditional St. Patrick’s Day dinner in the United States, is seldom seen in modern Ireland. I used to eat the iconic boiled dinner every year. The corned beef was boiled for an hour or so, depending on how big it was, and then the cabbage,…
Roast Grouse with blackberries and liver pate at Gregan’s Castle in the Burren was the most spectacular thing we put in our mouths in 2020. Chef Robbie McCauley hits it out of the park so often, we have come to expect a home run at every meal. And as if…
The Seafood Sharing Platter at the Seafood Cafe by Niall Sabongi is a spectaular array of cold seafood including prawns, scallops, oysters and brown crab with sauces and condiments. Though intended to feed a group, I could easily eat the whole thing myself. The cafe also features several exotic Bloody…
The luscious Lobster Salad starter at the Guinea Pig Restaurant features a half lobster split in half and served with an herbal green froth and sprigs of dill. The Guinea Pig is located in the swanky Dalkey neighborhood outside of Dublin, an area blessed with a gorgeous shoreline and picture-perfect…
