hopingtotravel

The bread pudding was wonderful.

Now, what not to have: Irish coffee. Apparently it really is a San Francisco drink. I was appalled that the Irish try to make it with instant coffee and those squirt bottle whip cream things.

Above post mentioned Kinsale. The soup at the Blue Haven was great.

sharona

The cheese in Ireland was a big surprise to me. It is absolutely delicious. The smoked salmon was good, too. Not too salty and just the right amount of smokiness.

If you are a whiskey drinker you should splurge on a Midleton Very Rare. I am definitely not a whiskey drinker but I can sip this without making a face. If you knew me you would understand that is a huge endorsement on my part! It is very smooth since it is distilled 3 times. Very nice but a bit on the expensive side.

flamingomonkey

I had fresh local salmon at a hotel, and roast leg of lamb from one of the local sheep at a pub. Both were fabulous. I also had some great Indian food there. And as mentioned, the full Irish breakfast is a great way to start the day.

12perfectdays

I am so glad I read this! I didn't know what I was going to drink in the pubs, figured on trying a Guiness but my stomach cannot tolerate any beer very well.

Oh, I am so happy to have something different to drink, thought I was going to have to drink sodas/water/tea with an occasional glass of wine.

So, you just order a cider? ( "Hi, Cider please&quot Is it a "hard" cider?

SiobhanP

Order a bulmers. Its the most common one in Ireland and sweeter than British Cider which is more sour. If you ask for cider they will probably give you Bulmers anyway. You can get it on draught or in a bottle and is usually served as a pint or a bottle with a glass of ice.

GreenDragon

Or ask for a half pint if you are not up to committing to the full pint

luvtravl

What wonderful information and suggestions! Can't wait!

Shadow

Some of my favorite foods in Ireland arerown Bread, lamb, mushy peas, soups, Irish sausages (I do NOT like American sausages at all), and (you will find this strange but,its very good comfort food)lasagne and chips (nice thick french fries!!). Also, the butter is wonderful in Ireland-and, I try not to eat too much of it here but slather the stuff on my brown bread in the morning over there.
Shadow

PamConlan

What a great print-out this is for my trip..just a few more questions..IS there alcohol in the cider, or is it like our apple cider with no alcohol??Also, I'd like a few ideas on any good Italian places for my picky, non-seafood eating hubby?? In Dublin, Burren area, Dingle, Kenmare, and Kinsale areas?? Thanks, Pam

Also, are the mussels ever cooked or just raw..I love seafood, but can't bear to think of eatin oysters or mussels RAW--ugh!! Just me, no offense.. but if they're cooked, I would try them..

chatham

Pam: yes there is alcohol in cider.
In Dingle down the street from Greenmount on John St. there is an Italian place.
In Kenmare on Main street there is an Italian place. I didn't try them but heard good things about both of them from other tourist.

chip

drink- I like Murphy's even more than Guiness...which is heavenly!
I think that the cider may have even more alcohol than beer. Guiness really isn't a high alcohol beer.
If you are a Bailey's Irish Cream fan...it has a slightly different taste than what we get here...better there, of course!
seems like most people were drinking guiness/murphy's or bulmers-cider is on tap or you can get in bottles and poor over ice
I tried several different whiskey...tullamore dew is my favorite, but not real popular there

food-I too enjoyed the mussels,usually in a butter/wine sauce. the steaks that we had were good, the best at the half door in dingle.

the desserts were wonderful...very fresh and the cream is, again, better in ireland! try the banoffee pie

fresh scones and brown bread are very good

when we were there, it seemed like the in thing was fried/baked brie with a sweet chutney of some sort...always good! it just seemed like it was on all of the menus as an appetizer

just fyi...fish and chips dosen't always mean fish and chips like here at home (US)...not necessarily battered and fried fish, I never saw it look the same twice (closest in dublin at Leo Burdock's...nice and greasy)
just a warning...you are truly in the land of the potato...not unusual to have 2 or 3 variations of potato in the same meal (got chicken on mashed potatoes with chips and a side of boiled red skins!)
we often shared one appetizer and meal so we would have room to share one dessert (we found portions to be filling)
slainte!

Danna

At one of our B&B's in Northern Ireland we had the lovliest fried bread with the breakfast. I don't know the name, but dreams are made of this!

amelia

In reading others' posts, realized what I left out...

Cheese--go for it. Very underrated country for FIRST-RATE cheese. Went to two cheese-tastings while there.

related to that...

Wine--They have been ahead of United States in knowing about Spanish and Australian wines. Trust their judgment!

Steak, etc--No, no, no. Not very successful, even at better places. It's not their thing. Believe me. They make up for it with handling of mussels/fish. Just enjoy.

PamConlan

Joan,
Thanks again for Italian restaurant info..I'm sure we'll try them, and will report in trip report..

And Chip,
All of your info is incredible--I'm prining this out to take with me..

And Amelia,
We love cheese, though eat it sparingly, but will definitely try some in Ireland.
I agree about the steaks--only in America for us..they don't look the same anywhere else, so we figure they can't taste the same..and when you can get them sooo good at home, why eat them anywhere else.. Pam

12perfectdays

Thanks everyone for the info on the Cider, I am happy! (will be happier after my 1st pint!)

I have a wine question. What is an inexpensive wine that I could buy in Ireland and share with others without wierd looks?

I like what I like and DH always jokes about getting me a paper bag. Oh no, not the Arbor Mist again! I am a White Zin girl and my favorites have created many laughs and much joking with friends. We will be staying at one place where we are welcome to bring own as they do not have a bar and just wanted to know what would be a good choice of something white and light if I wanted to share.

edhodge

In Dingle, you might try Novecento for Italian. Yum! I became a huge fan of the mussels in Ireland- they are usually served in some type of broth. They vary but my favorite was the garlic and cream.

allisonm

My favorites: salmon for any meal, mussels (have never gone wrong with them), brown bread, scones (Park House in Bunratty makes heavenly scones!), soup of the day (always creamed and delicious, with more brown bread!) and sole. (One fish was served whole, had to peel the skin back and cover those eyes! but yummy.) In Paudie's Hotel on main street in Dingle I had a lovely baked fish dish, hubby had lasagna. We seldom eat Irish beef because it tastes very different from what we are used to, always seems "off" to me. (Is that because they feed the cows differently?) I tried Kippers in Kinsale, won't do that again! We are fans of carvery lunches, and have had some really great ones, and some not so great. (Wonderful ones in Donegal Town, Waterford - I think the Holycross, maybe - and a lousy one in Cork.) I am sure it has put many pounds on me over the years, but I love boiled bacon and cabbage! As for drinks, my husband drinks Guinness, which I can't stand, so I drink Smithwicks or warm whisky or port. (We tend to go in the off season when it is cool, so those warm drinks are delicious!)

caroline_edinburgh

Pam : oysters are sometimes cooked but more often raw. I've never come across mussels served raw, anywhere. Pubs do sometimes have cooked & pickled mussels in a jar (without shells) - maybe they could be mistaken for raw ?

PamConlan

Thanks Caroline for clearing that up...I guess I'd better stick to my cooked fish & seafood, but if I happen upon cooked oysters, I'd try them..Pam

caroline_edinburgh

Pam, I used to eat raw oysters but after I was made extremely ill by them, twice, at the same place, I can't eat them any more. The last time I tried I ate one, at a place I'd always been fine at before, and was sick for 3 hours. So daren't even risk them cooked now

I have to admit that when I used to eat them (raw - never got round to trying them cooked), I thought they were OK but not fantastic : being young & pretentious, I may have convinced myself I liked them more than I did, since they are seen as a desirable luxury food So IMO you wouldn't be missing that much.

I'm sure there are infinite recipes for cooked oysters but the only well known one I can think of offhand is Oysters Rockefella which I think involves spinach - and maybe cream, brandy, ?

Anyway, have fun !