Feeling Irish in New York City

by Erik Olsen on

As you can
tell by his frequent posts on
the subject, Neil is much better versed than I am on everything Irish. He lived there for goodness sake. Myself,
I’ve just been there once, traveling from Northern Ireland to Dublin on the train, and then spending St. Patrick’s Day
in Dublin proper. Now you might think that Dublin would be the ideal place to celebrate St. Patty’s, but when I was
there, Dubliners explained to me that it’s really NOT that big a deal in Ireland, that it is mostly an American
holiday. Well, that may be true…and if it is, then you can bet the epicenter of celebration for St. Patrick’s Day
would be New York City. I have lived here for almost seven years now, and have done my share of St. Patty’s. So let me
clue you in on the best places in the city to go. Here are the top three I recommend:

First of all, head to
the Upper East Side. The UES has the largest concentration of Irish pubs this side of the Atlantic. One of my favorites
is Ryan’s Daughter on East 85th Street and First Avenue.
Then move on to Hooligans Tavern at Second Avenue between 93rd and 94th Streets. This is a loud, but cozy pub where the
Guinness flows like water and the food is greasy, but good. And finally, hop in a cab and head down to McSorley’s Ale House, ye oldest Irish pub
in operation in the city, some one-hundred forty-seven years. They brew their own beer, light and dark, and have
excellent pub food. 

So there you have it. Three great Irish pubs on your favorite Irish holiday.

Pouring Guinness: For Emergency Purposes Only!

by Neil Woodburn on

Today is St. Patrick’s Day.  Although we’ve already posted about this holiday’s most popular
lubricant, we are revisiting Guinness for a quick lesson on how to
pour this temperamental beer.  Believe it or not, there are special techniques involving the angle of the
glass, a patented two-part pour, and a few other tricks that actually affect the final taste of the beer.  After
the potato famine, a poorly poured Guinness is the single greatest tragedy in an Irishman’s life.

Since most of us will always be on the receiving end of the bar instead of the giving
end, there is a very good chance that you will never be in a position to master the artistry of the Guinness
pour.  But just in case things get rough tonight—as can often happen in Irish pubs on St. Patrick’s
Day—and your barkeep goes down with a bottle to the head or by inhaling too many Celtic pheromones, the show must
go on.  So read up in case you have to hop over the bar and assume his pouring duties.  The life you save may
be your own. 

 

Africa Travel: Nigeria

by Adrienne Wilson on

As I may have
mentioned once or twice in the past during my weeks long babbles on Trinidad & Tobago there is a rather large
population of Nigerians residing in the country. So I don’t get side tracked, the point I’m trying to make is you
needn’t go all the way to Nigeria to experience things like Iyan. Iyan also known as pounded yam is a favorite dish
among many Nigerians and served with a spicy stew which I sampled during my TT days. My first attempt with the odd
tasting play-doughish yam went well, though it takes a lot of getting used to. Quite frankly I couldn’t make much sense
about the popular Nigerian food my friend raved about with bright eyes.

However, I’m sure there is nothing
like good old Iyan direct from the lands of Lagos in Nigeria as my friend described. You’ll have to ask around for the
best places to sample the dish when and if you arrive. This post is more to get you curious about the food. To further
your searches check out these incredible shots of
Nigeria and other African countries from Betty Press. The way she captures this man and his pestle hard at work is
pretty awesome. If the photos inspire you to cook up some pounded yam start with this recipe found here.

Red Corner: Hanoi Culinary Tours

by Neil Woodburn on

Vietnam is the only country I’ve visited under communist rule (or the first few years of post-communist rule, for that matter) that had good food. Even China was disappointing. But Vietnam, with its French influence had wonderful food even 15 years ago when I was amongst the first Americans allowed back into the country after visas regulations were lifted.

At the time, I was quite surprised to see the streets of Hanoi filled, Parisian-style, with baguette-toting pedestrians, colorful markets bursting with fresh produce and street food wafting delicious smells into the air. This was simply not what I had come to expect from communism.

The culinary arts have done nothing but improve since then.

Telegraph Journalist Francisca Kellet takes us on a culinary tour of Hanoi that begins in one of the city’s amazing outdoor markets where, amongst the hundreds of strange items, she was able to only identify basil, dill, a few varieties of fish, and skinned dog carcasses. Mmmmm….

Kellet’s tour, booked through British-based Travel Indochina was an 11-day “Culinary Discovery Tour” through the markets and kitchens of Hanoi and Saigon. She includes a few restaurant recommendations as well as a couple of local cooking classes that are offered. No mention on whether “sweet and sour canine” is included in any of the lessons.

Gourmet Montreal

by Neil Woodburn on

It’s not so often a magazine dedicates an entire issue to a specific location.  It’s even rarer
when that magazine is Gourmet.  Yet this is what the publishers did for their March issue.  From the cover photo of an attractive couple
sipping coffee in a bakery (lose the yappy little dog and the photo is perfect) to the Canadian bacon croques-monsieur
recipe on the final page, I just simply loved this issue.  The editors nicely cover the wonderful restaurant
options in the city, “haute” hotels, Jewish food, the French influence, local scenery, apple cider, syrup,
and the amazing cobblestone streets of Old Montreal.

Sadly, most of the issue is not online.  There are a couple of exceptions, but otherwise you will have to find
it on newsstands.  So do yourself a favor and go out and pick up a copy.  This is one of those magazines that
is going to go straight into my travel file so I have it handy when planning a future trip to Montreal.  It is
indeed a miniature travel guide far more up-to-date and far more appealing than any travel book that’s out
there.