Climbing Croagh Patrick & Westport

Croagh Patrick mountain near Westport, County Mayo is a pilgrimage site where Saint Patrick is said to have fasted for 40 days before driving the snakes out of Ireland.

On the last Sunday of July each year, over 15,000 pilgrims climb the mountain. Many do so in bare feet, a feat I found unimaginable when I saw how sharp the rocks were and how craggy the terrain was.

Croagh Patrick is 2,510 feet high, and a particularly steep climb at the top (I can personally attest to this!)

Croagh Patrick, looking especially foreboding!

View of rainbow from about 500 feet up

From about 1000 feet up

Final stretch to the top

Finally! At the summit

On a clear day, many islands off the coast of Co. Mayo are visible from the top of the mountain. Unfortunately, we were in the middle of a cloud at the summit. It cleared sporadically and we could catch a glimpse of the islands – but not one that showed up well in photos!

Visiting with some sheep on the way down

It took us 3 hours to climb up and down the mountain, and we were pretty pleased with our time. We used a steady pace, though I had to take a few short breaks as I neared the top.

After the climb, we headed into Westport for a coffee. This is picturesque town with lots of shops and pubs. It is a popular destination for stag and hen parties (known as bachelor and bachlorette parties in America!) I’d love to come back and spend a night here sometime.

Clock in the center of Westport

Street in Westport

Do you hike? What are your favorite spots?

Ice House Hotel, Ballina, Co. Mayo, Ireland

Our stop in Carrick-on-Shannon was en route Ballina, County Mayo on the west coast of Ireland. I’d heard about the Ice House Hotel when I lived in Ireland, but I’d never had a chance to visit, so I was excited to have the opportunity on this trip. The Ice House is located on the bank of the River Moy in Ballina, Mayo. The main part of the hotel is actually a preserved Ice House, which produced ice for fishermen in the 1800s. The hotel has been recently restored, and there are modern wings added to the original house, giving it an cozy, eclectic, and rambling feel.

Ice House Hotel exterior

View of the River Moy from the room

The Restaurant in the old part of the house

We were here for two nights, and had both breakfasts and one dinner in the hotel restaurant.

Breakfast was a buffet of fruit, cereals, meats, and cheeses, accompanied by a cooked breakfast of choice. The first day I had some fruit and the poached eggs with hollandaise sauce.

And GB’s Full Irish Breakfast:

Dinner began with some French white wine – there were many reasonably priced wines on the menu here at EUR 25/ bottle (approx USD 37). This may seem a bit high, but for Ireland, it counts as good value!

And included the following (pictures are blurred so I’m leaving most out!)

Curry bread with pesto to start – I’d never had curry bread and it was amazing. Does anyone have a curry bread recipe? I’d love to try and replicate it myself at home.

Amuse-bouche of Pumpkin soup

Seabass and mussels with a saffron creme sauce

Grapefruit sorbet

An Irish coffee for dessert – this one was done perfectly (yes it is possible to make a poor Irish coffee)!

GB had pheasant for the main course – and was pleased to find 3 pieces of lead shot in the game. They were extracted and photographed. This is good news as it means the pheasant was wild and hunted, not farmed.

It was a nice and relaxed meal overall, and as it was Sunday night when we were eating there, the restaurant was rather quiet and we were able to linger without being rushed at all. Yet another example of great food in Ireland!

The Oarsman, Carrick-on-Shannon, Ireland

En route from Dublin to Ballina, in the west of Ireland, we stopped off for lunch in Carrick-on-Shannon in County Leitrim. The Oarsman gastropub is run by two brothers and is part pub, part restaurant.

 

The Oarsman

From the outside, the pub is rather unassuming but once inside, there are all sorts of nooks and crannies – just as any cozy pub should have.

 

Oarsman interior

The restaurant is upstairs, but we decided to dine in the pub for lunch. The menu here was great – there were sandwiches, salads, main dishes, and a blackboard showing the day’s specials. I was spoiled for choice and this is not always the case for me with pub food! The food here is locally sourced and organic whenever possible. I chose a vegetable sandwich on brioche and when it appeared it was better than I could have imagined. It contained mushrooms, peppers, cheese, zucchini (known as courgette in Ireland) and onion, and it looked an tasted like it had been battered in egg and then toasted.

I chose a cherry beer to accompany this, which was very enjoyable – you may remember its cousin the raspberry beer from this post.

For dessert, GB ordered a rhubarb crumble with vanilla ginger creme, which I ate much of. The ginger in the creme complemented the ruhbarb nicely.

This disappeared pretty quickly – I even ate the almond garnish!

 

Happy after a delicious meal

Prices were very reasonable here, and food was delicious. It was nice to see a traditional pub with particularly good food. The restaurant website even shows the names of the butchers and farmers who supply the meat and produce served there. It is often the case in Ireland to see this on the menu in a restaurant or the supermarket, as they are very conscious of farm – to – fork  eating.

Are there any restaurants in your city that are particularly aware of this concept?

 

 

Dublin – Market Bar

Friday night was my first night back in Dublin since April, and I was excited to meet up with friends at Market Bar in Dublin’s city center.

Market Bar is located on Fade Street, just off of Grafton Street, the main shopping street in the city.

Outside MB

I’ve always liked this bar, and it is particularly good for groups. It serves tapas – style food, which is good for sharing, and has a decent wine list for a pub.

Some of the appetizers we ordered were Tortilla Espanola and a meat and cheese plate. Other offerings included a chickpea and chorizo stew, and nachos.

Meat & Cheese plate

Tortilla Espanola

The atmosphere here is lively and buzzy, with high ceilings and lots of tables of different heights scattered about.

There is also a restaurant section, set back towards the middle of the room. Service here is quick at both the bar and the tables, and prices here are reasonable. It was a very enjoyable evening catching up with friends and being back in town!

Do you have a favorite bar or restaurant in another city? Do you get to visit often?

Dublin – Ranelagh Village Market

A while back, I blogged about my old neighborhood in Dublin, Ranelagh. Since I’d moved back to Boston, I’d heard about a new addition to the neighborhood, Ranelagh Village Market, and I was excited to check it out last Friday when I was visiting. The market is tucked away off the main street of the village, and is comprised of two large rooms with vendor stalls and tables, as well as a deck for outdoor seating.  There is also an area of outdoor huts selling various cooked foods – crepes, kebabs, and rotisserie chicken were some of the outdoor offerings.

Entrance to the market

Outdoor food stalls

After browsing around a bit, I settled for a tomato basil soup and some Irish Brown Soda Bread – Irish Brown Bread is itself worth a trip to Ireland, It is heavy, thick, crumbly, and satisfying. It’s also made using whole grains, and is quite healthy!

 

Soup and Irish Brown Bread

I needed something to nibble after the soup, so we picked up some roasted honey pecans from one of the vendors. These were deliciously sticky, sweet, and buttery.

The market was a bit quiet on the Friday afternoon we were there, but I’d hope to see it busier at the weekends. It is a great addition to the neighborhood for a casual bite to eat – or to stock up on supplies for a dinner at home. There were vendors selling fruit & veg, different flavored pesto dips, cupcakes, homemade cookie dough, and even a butcher. If I hadn’t been traveling I would have stocked up!

 

 

Travel Tips

Hello from Ireland! I’m having a fabulous time here , and have been eating lots of delicious food – recaps soon!

My flight from Boston to Dublin on Thursday was my 31st flight this year, all of which were for personal travel, not work. It has been a busy year, and I’ve been lucky to have been able to visit a number of different countries – on both short and extended trips. (I need to get working on some carbon footprint offsets!) With so many trips over the past few years, I have pretty much got packing and the act of traveling down to a science. Here are some tips that have helped me along the way.

For flights, pack your own food

One of my favorite plane foods is an egg, cheese, and spinach sandwich on whole wheat, it is both light and nutritious. I love this as dinner on long haul from the US to Europe – I can eat at my leisure, and avoid the usual ‘chicken or beef’ options. This also allows me to sleep when I want instead of having to wait for the meal service and for my tray to be removed. It’s also healthier!

Limit booze

While it can be tempting to have a couple drinks on the plane (especially if upgraded to business where alcohol seems to flow like a river) limit it to 1 or 2 tops. You’ll feel better when you disembark, and the next day

Pack carry-on only

This is a breeze in summer months: accumulate small bottles from hotels and drugstores, fit all liquids into a plastic bag, and roll your lightweight clothes to fit into a small rolling suitcase. Not as easy in winter, but it can be do-able depending on the destination and activities you have planned. Wear your bulkiest stuff. I love my big Longchamp bag for a good sized carry-on ‘purse’ – I usually get by the 1 bag only rule with this and a rolling suitcase.

When something goes wrong, be helpful and nice

Recently when I was headed to Charleston, SC (via Philadelphia), I arrived at the airport to find my 6PM flight to Philadelphia had been canceled. It was a Friday evening, and I’d checked in advance and knew that this was the last flight to Philly of the night that would allow me to connect with the Charleston flight. I was directed to the long line of passengers who’d also had cancellations, and used my Blackberry to look up flights through other airports that would allow me to connect on to Charleston. I realized there was one through Washington DC in the next half hour.  When we got up to the desk, I nicely explained we were on the cancelled Philly flight but suggested that we could take the flight through DC (which left in 20 minutes at that point!) instead. I think they appreciated my calmness and willingness to help – as I was handed a Business Class boarding pass within seconds!

If you fly a lot, join FF programs, stick to an airline or an alliance (check out Oneworld or Star Alliance)

This can make your life seriously easier when traveling, and cut costs in the long term, as you will gain access to lounges (free snacks and a relaxing place to hang out – or blog ) before flights and build up points for free flights& upgrades – though usually after many paid trips.

What is your favorite travel tip?

In the Aer Lingus Lounge before the flight!

 

Boston Eats: Myers + Chang

On Sunday, I headed out to a blogger lunch at Myers + Chang in Boston’s South End. Myers+ Chang offer a Dim Sum menu on Sundays, and since there were 6 of us, we decided to take full advantage of the small dishes, and order 12 to share!

Myers + Chang is located on the corner of Washington & Berkley, and from the outside is fairly unassuming.

The inside is funky, with lots of natural light:

And a bar, perfect for anyone dining solo:

I couldn’t resist the China Star cocktail – made with prosecco, lychee, and blackcurrant. This was delicious, not overly sweet but a nice complement to the dishes that followed.

Of course, I was too busy chatting to take photos of everything (err, most things) we ate – but here are some images. You can find the menu here.

All was delicious, fresh, and none of the fried dishes (spring rolls, etc) were overly greasy. The suggested amount of 2 dishes per person made this a perfectly filling meal. The best part? The food total came to $11 per person.

Have you ever had dim sum? This was my second time. The first was about 4 years ago in Chinatown, and our table ordered chicken feet – complete with claws intact! Luckily, I didn’t see any of those on the menu here.

Boston Eats – The Other Side Cafe, Back Bay

The Other Side Cafe is tucked away on a sliver of road at the top of Newbury Street, just across Mass Ave. This eatery is a pleasant change from the other restaurants in Back Bay. The Other Side caters to both omnivores and vegetarians, and offers an extensive menu which includes many vegan options. The vibe is relaxed and eclectic, and there is an ample area of outdoor seating in season. I enjoyed lunch here on what I fear might be our last warm day of the year!

Outdoor Seating

I chose a Pumpkin Ale to start:

They were serving both lunch and brunch while we were there, so after perusing the menu, I chose the same thing I had last time – a California Wrap – sorry no picture, but it was a wheat wrap full of fresh shredded carrot, cucumber, tomato, sprouts, and their dill sauce, with havarti cheese. This is a pretty filling wrap – and good value at $9. It came with a side of potato chips – nothing special. I like this place for value, and the extensive menu with lots of vegetarian options. I don’t know how I’d feel about sitting inside, as it is a bit dark and loud (I think the walls are actually painted black?) but for casual outdoor dining in Back Bay it is definitely a winner.

Austrian Wines at Boston University

A few months ago, I tried a glass of a Gruner Vetliner, an Austrian white wine, at the Butcher Shop in Boston’s South End. It was a refreshing change from my usual white choices of Pinot Grigio or Sauvingnon Blanc, and since then I have sought out this particular type of wine. When I saw that Boston University was offering a one night seminar on Austrian whites (for $20!!), I knew I wanted to attend.

The course was taught by Bill Nesto, who is one of 300 certified Masters of Wine in the world. He is also a journalist, and I immediately liked his philosophy on wine from his opening words. He shared with the class that the way he likes to learn about wine is to go places that make wine, he described pouring over maps looking at different countries and regions before he was able to travel to them – and every time he tasted a wine, going back to the atlas to see where it was from. ”Wine is culture” he said – and from my brief forays into the wine world – I share these sentiments exactly.

As the class began, we took our seats behind 6 tasting glasses. The room was definitely a classroom-so this was more of a learning environment than some of the tastings in which I have taken part.

There were about 30 other people in the class. We began with a slide show on the history of Austrian wine, which included some pictures from Bill’s trip to Austria. When tasting time came, we tried two wines at a time, in order to compare/contrast, and followed up with a discussion of each and a few slides on their origins.

The wines we tasted were:

1. Hirsch, Gruner Veltiner, Lamm (Kamptal) $56 Estimated Retail

I knew I enjoyed Gruner before this class but this was very nice. This wine was not aged in oak barrels and the class described it as pleasant, rich, soft, lacking in edge, with notes of pear

2. Riesling, Domaine Wachau, Smaragd, Singerredel Vineyard (Wachau) 2001 $40 Estimated Retail

This came from a late harvested grape, and had a darker yellow, or golden color. This was also not aged in oak, and had a dried fruit/apricot aroma. Other descriptions were oily, pineapple, honey

3. Berger, Blauer Zweigelt, Leighen Vineyard (Kremstal) 2006 $30 Estimated Retail

The first of our Reds, this was a fruity tasting wine that was briefly aged in oak. The class described aromas of malted chocolate. I liked this very much but the consensus of the class seemed to be that it was lighter, weaker, and lacking depth

4. Prieler, Blaufrankisch, Johanneshohe Vineyard, (Bergenland) 2007 $25 Estimated Retail

I got quite a shock from this wine. The smell to me was nearly like spoiled milk, and it had a strong earthy, mushroomy (dirt-like?) taste. I couldn’t take more than two sips. Some people in the class did seem to enjoy it but I was nearly repelled by it!

5. Brundlmayer, Pinot Noir, “Cecile” (Kamptal) 2004 $50 Estimated Retail

This was a decent Pinot Noir, though perhaps a bit dry for my taste

6. Kracher, Cuvee Beerenauslese (Neusiedlersee) 2006 ($30 half bottle)

This dessert wine was paired with a piece of raisin cinnamon strudel, and the pairing was amazing. The flavors really complemented each other perfectly. The wine had notes of dried fruit, and ripe pineapple. As well as (this word is new to me) butritis which apparently means the grapes actually became a bit moldy at some point during the wine making process – any experts on this out there?

Question:

Are there wine classes in your area? Do you currently have a favorite particular region of wines? Besides liking Austria at the moment, I think Portugese wines are good value  - I switch regions often though!

Wine tasting in North Andover

Tonight, I was invited to a wine event at the recently opened Wine Connextion in North Andover, about 35 minutes north of Boston. I knew the event would include 5 wines paired with 5 seasonal matching foods but I had no idea what to expect.

The Wine Connextion aims to be a destination wine store – where people can go in, taste a few wines, and buy a bottle or a case of whatever they choose. The store offers good value by the bottle – and even better value by the case. They also have helpful cards behind all of the bottles, describing the flavor and intensity of the wines.

Sam Messina, owner

Sam Messina is part owner and is the wine director at the Wine Connextion. He was knowledgeable and down-to- earth. He also chose some amazing pairings for the night!

Some of my favorites were (taken directly from the menu):

Burgans Albarino: A Spanish white wine, served with aged parmesan, honey and walnuts

Trimbach Pinot Gris Reserves: A French White served with goat cheese and an artichoke tapenade

Castle Rock Pinot Noir: From California, served with aged Gouda

Trapiche Oak Cask Malbec: From Argentina, served with roasted fall vegetables

Burgans Albarino

Roasted Vegetables

Exploring the store

I really enjoyed this event. I met a few bloggers and some people who worked in the wine industry in Boston. There was good food, wine, and conversation. And I’d definitely pay a visit to the Wine Connextion again. The owners are knowledgeable and I have no doubt they would be able to steer me to the right wine for any occasion – and tell me what to serve it with!

Question:

Do you buy wine by the case? I haven’t before, but I might look into it!