#2: Lobster and heritage tomatoes at Gregan’s Castle in Ballyvaughan- What a summer treat: Our local New Quay lobster perfectly cooked and served cold in a salad alongside Chef Robbie McCauley’s succulent homegrown tomatoes—with lettuce leaves underneath and sourdough toast on top. It was the perfect complement to the bubbly…
#3: Monkfish and broad beans in morel sauce at Suesy Street in Dublin These sensationally tender, impossibly juicy medallions of grilled monkfish wrapped in crispy Iberico ham were served over firm fresh broad beans and asparagus tips in a creamy morel mushroom sauce. What a dish! It was that amazing…
4: Arancini at U Liotru Sicilian Food in Galway- The Sicilian rice balls called arancini are the specialty at U Liotru Sicilian Food in Galway. There are many fillings available, ragu with meat is probably the most common. The swordfish, tomato and aubergine version that I tried is an off…
#5 Korean Pork Pizza at Dough Brothers in Galway- The weirdly wonderful “Pork Ji Sung” pizza at Dough Brothers Pizzeria in Galway is topped with Korean-style hot & sour pork, roasted soy & sesame kale, pickled ginger, and Japanese togarashi chiles and is best eaten with a cold lager. I’m guessing…
#6: Wild at the Cave’s Pork Belly Salad- After a rousing 18 holes at Doolin Pitch & Putt, my golf chums and I went looking for lunch at Doolin Cave, a local tourist attraction. As I was looking over the cafe menu of toasties, snacks and sandwiches, one entree, the…
#7: Alsatian Flammekueche from the Chez Louise pizza truck in Kilfenora- Last year, at #7 in the 2020 Top 10 Irish Dishes countdown, we had the Pizza Royal with ham, mushrooms and caramelized onions from the Chez Louise pizza truck. This year, at #7 in the countdown, we have another…
#8: Spicy Curry Bento Box at Osaka Ramen & Bento in Ennis- The Bento Box lunch special at Osaka restaurant in Ennis featured a hearty combination of spicy chicken curry, two pieces of sushi roll, a crispy chunk of tempura onion and green beans and a big scoop of rice….
#9: The Eire-Mex Bricfeasta Taco at Bia Cantina in Tullamore- 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 Taco” It’s even served with three Mexican-style salsas. The mild salsa was a guacamole, the medium was a…
Call me a meat junkie, but there’s something about a restaurant attached to a butcher shop that makes my heart race. I have come across quite a few butcher shops with steakhouses in my travels. F.X. Buckley Victualler & Grocer on Pembroke St in Central Dublin is a brilliant…
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…
