When it comes to cooking, pedigree counts. Owner Tom O'Connell is a brother to Ireland's favorite celebrity chef, Darina Allen, famed for her "slow food" Ballymaloe Cookery School in Cork. Tom follows the family blueprint by showcasing locally produced meats and game that can be traced to their source (in many cases, an individual farm). Add to this a focus on fresh Irish produce and baked goods cooked in a unique wood-fire oven and you have the makings of a feast that is deliriously, quintessentially Irish. Spiced beef is prepared according to an old Cork recipe, salmon fillet is "hot smoked" by the restaurant itself, while Ashe's Annascaul Black Pudding is handmade on the Dingle peninsula. You can also try the spit-roasted duck or the monkfish in a lemon-and-garlic sauce—or an omelet made from organic eggs from free-range chickens, with peppers, zucchini, and a sweet chili sauce. A tremendous selection of fresh breads is on display in the open kitchen, which turns into a buffet for breakfast and lunch. The cheese board is a who's who of Irish farmhouse cheeses, including the Ferguson family's tangy Gubbeen. Serving as a cool backdrop, O'Connell's vast modern space is beautifully fitted out with sleek timber paneling and floor-to-ceiling windows.
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