Hints for the Hibernian Holiday
Local pubs go beyond pints and potatoes
By Kimberly M. Stolz |
|
Being Irish, I get a wee bit irritated by the always-with-a-pint-in-me-hands stereotype that grows to a deafening roar each March. Ireland has given much more to the world besides Guinness and Jameson. Look at the pillars of literature produced by the Emerald Isle - James Joyce, Oscar Wilde, William Butler Yeats. Drinkers all, but they'd have to be to get through dinner. The fare of Ireland is often viewed as the gum on the shoe of international cuisine. Putting baked beans on a breakfast plate doesn't make you a favorite in the eyes, or the stomachs, of non-natives.
Rustic simplicity: Corned Beef Hash at O'Shaughnessy's.
Photo: Chris Casella
Put in context, the heavy food of Ireland, served alongside a draught of stout, makes sense, even here in the 'New World.' Landing at Ellis Island only to be greeted by "Irish need not apply" signs, the immigrants flooded into Ohio during the late 1700s and 1800s. Many worked on the canals up North, or railroads here in Columbus. Most were Catholic, and treated poorly by the local Protestants. The anti-Irish American Party, depicted in all its savage glory in Scorsese's Gangs of New York, even had an incendiary faction here in C-bus. Backbreaking work and bigotry: sounds like a recipe for pint swilling if ever there was one.
With St. Patrick's Day around the corner, witness the swilling in all its green-outfitted glory at a local pub. Instead of filling the pot o'gold of a chain, drop your dollars at locally-owned O'Shaughnessy's Public House or the Dublin Village Tavern. O'Shaughnessy's is in the Arena District maze, while DVT occupies a spot on the old Dublin drag.
At O'Shaughnessy's, quaff your draught surrounded by Ireland-crafted dark wood decor, while gazing at historical ephemera highlighting local Irish history. To fill your belly, try Meghan's Rarebit ($8.95). Sharp Irish Cheddar, Bass Ale, and spring onions (the ingredient that distinguishes the Irish version from it's more famous cousin, the Welsh Rarebit) are melted together into a lake of creamy, biting goodness to be sopped up with sourdough toast points. And what's an Irish lass to do without corned beef? O'Shaughnessy's serves a Corned Beef Hash ($13.95), complete with two over-easy eggs for shiny moisture, that is tasty in its rustic simplicity.
Brick walls and jovial barkeeps give a visit to the Dublin Village Tavern a neighborhood feel. The unique Chi-rish appetizer, the Irish Egg Roll ($4.75), stars corned beef, sauerkraut, and Swiss; the whole thing is deep-fried, with Russian dressing for dipping. Hints of Hibernian flavors appear on the menu, like Guinness BBQ burgers ($8.95) and Corned Beef Cabbage Casserole ($11.95). And then there's the Irish Car Bomb Brownie - served with a Guinness and Jameson-spiked caramel sauce, brought to the table by a sketchy guy in a ski mask. (Not really.)
As you succumb to stereotypes on March 17th, lift a glass to the toiling Irish ghosts of the past.
Perhaps even find echo with the words of William Butler Yeats: "The problem with some people is that when they aren't drunk, they're sober."
For details on all things St. Patrick, or if you are interested in becoming an active member of the local Irish community, check out the Shamrock Club of Columbus:
60 W Castle Rd.
(614) 491-4449
www.shamrockclubofcolumbus.com
Originally Published: March 1, 2010
