I have to tell you all about my trip to Ireland . . . it was fabulous!! I’m going to focus on the food in this post and will do another one on the Irish countryside and possibly a third on the towns we visited. But first the food!

I had not really thought about the fact that Ireland is basically a big island and therefore most of the major cities seaports. This in itself was a pleasure since I live in land-locked Kansas City. I love being by the ocean, listening to the surf, and always being able to catch a nice breeze. The weather was just the right temperature for sightseeing and was perfect for sampling all the different seafood chowders made with really fresh seafood. The first chowder we tried, pictured above, was enjoyed in the little seaside town of Howth at the end of the high speed train line out of Dublin. This is where our bed & breakfast was located, Anne’s of Howth. This chowder was absolutely loaded with seafood caught that day and had just a touch of fresh dill which brightened the flavor of the very creamy broth. Eaten with fresh whole grain Irish soda bread and a pint of Guinness it made a meal in itself. We tried two other seafood chowders over the course of our trip each with its own particular and unique twist. One had fresh mussels in the shell which added an additional light layer of ocean delight to the flavor. The third one we tried was flavored with star anise. The star anise was quite unexpected but added a delightful flavor. If good fresh seafood was available in Kansas City, I would sure be experimenting with recipes to duplicate what we had in Ireland!

After spending a couple of days in the Dublin metro area, we headed across Ireland to the Dingle Peninsula. There we stayed at the Milestone Bed & Breakfast in Dingle. The proprietors, Barbara and Michael, were fabulous hosts and treated everyone like honored guests going out of there way to share tips for sightseeing and eating on the peninsula. Their traditional Irish breakfast was fantastic, especially Michael’s Irish soda bread. Babara shared the recipes for white and whole grain soda bread as well as Guinness brisket so watch for those recipes in future posts. Included in the breakfast along with the soda bread, were eggs cooked to order, bacon, sausage, broiled tomato, an assortment of fruit juices and cereals, fresh fruit salad, stewed rhubarb, and coffee and tea. We always left for sightseeing well fortified to meet the day. I highly recommend staying at the Milestone if you’re making a trip to Dingle!!

While in Dingle we ate a several pubs where I had the best fish & chips and crab cakes that I’ve ever had! One of the special restaurants we enjoyed was “Out of the Blue” which was a small place right on the main street that runs along the harbor front. I had the grilled monk fish and Ken enjoyed the seafood chowder with star anise. The monk fish was cooked through just right so it was still very moist and flavorful. The little side dish of freshly grated carrots with poppy seeds and toasted sesame oil was really delightful and one that I hope to duplicate at home. It is a great example of a very simple combination of fresh flavors that creates a winning and fresh little side dish!

Last of all, one of the things I like to do is check out restaurant chains the countries I’m visiting even though we have those chains at home. They always offer menu items that aren’t found on the menus here in the US. We also simply need a diet coke with ice every now and then as well! At any rate, we tried the cheese crisps with sweet chili dipping sauce which we have not seen on the menu at Kansas City area McDonald’s. They were actually quite good and a nice little snack with our diet coke!

Stay tuned for the next installment of our trip to Ireland!

Osteria Marco on Larimer Street downtown Denver

One of the great things about traveling is getting to dine in local or regional eateries that you don’t have where you live. When I was recently in Denver I had the pleasure of eating at a small neighborhood restaurant, Bang, and a large downtown restaurant, Osteria Marco. My niece also took me to a local spice shop, Savory Spice, which was delightful and from which I purchased three seasoning blends so I could take a little of Denver home with me!

Let me begin with Osteria Marco. It is located in the LoDo area of downtown at 1453 Larimer St. It’s an Italian place where they make all their own cheeses and meats. I was there with a group of 10 which can be a challenge. Since we had reservations the size of our group was no problem at all. They had our table set up and ready for us when we all arrived. Since they make their own cheeses, I had to try a cheese appetizer so my SIL and I shared an order of ricotta cheese that was wrapped in a layer of fresh mozzarella which we spread on house-made garlic bread. It was a great way to start our meal and we loved it! I ordered my own salad which was a wilted spinach salad with a creamy goat cheese dressing . . . can I just say YUM! I, then, shared a rapini and Italian sausage pizza with my daughter. The house-made Italian sausage was nice and spicy with that wonderful taste of fennel which makes sausage Italian sausage. It had a thin crust and was baked in a wood-fired oven and was also fabulous. The atmosphere was relaxed and the service was good. We had a fun dinner before heading to the theatre to see Wicked! I highly recommend this moderately priced restaurant if you live in Denver or have the opportunity to visit!

Bang in the Highland neighborhood of Denver

Bang could not be more different than Osteria Marco . . . it’s literally a small, hole-in-the-wall neighborhood eatery. To gain entrance to the dining room one has to walk down the alley next to the restaurant and enter at the back. The front of the place is the kitchen so you can watch the cooks at work from the sidewalk out front. Bang is located at 3472 W. 32nd Ave. and is a delightfully cozy place with a small but yummy menu. I ate there for lunch and had calamari with house-made sweet chili dipping sauce. The calamari was lightly breaded and cooked just right so was very tender. For my entree, I stuck with seafood and had the shrimp po’ boy sandwich. Did I mention that all the sauces and condiments are house-made? The spicy sauce of the sandwich was great as was the catsup with the thin, crispy fries that were seasoned with chopped fresh herbs and salt. For dessert, my dining companions and I shared a big piece of gingerbread that had minced candied ginger in it and came with a generous serving of fresh whipped cream. My daughter and niece both had their BLT which had at least 8 slices of bacon on it and my daughter had a cup of creamy potato soup which had just a bit of zip to it in contrast to the creaminess of the soup. This was a fun and funky place to eat with marvelous food so give it a try the next time you’re in Denver!

Savory Spice Shop on Platte Street in Denver

Last of all, my niece took us to the Savory Spice Shop at 1537 Platte St. Just walking into the shop is a sensory experience . . . the aroma is fantastic from all the different spices and spice mixes that are available not just for smelling but for tasting as well! They have all the standard spices, of course, but also a bunch of house blends. Upon entering the shop, the staff encourage you to taste as many of the various blends as you wish by sprinkling some into your hand from the tester to taste and then brushing any that is remaining to the floor . . . how fun is that?!? After sampling a variety of blends, I settled on those my niece had originally recommended: Park Hill Maple & Spice Pepper, Team Sweet Mama’s Kansas City Rub, and Long’s Peak Pork Chop Spice. Let me say a few words about each blend . . . The Maple & Spice Pepper is an unusual blend of maple sugar, black pepper, coriander, turmeric, ginger, nutmeg, fenugreek, anise, cumin, cinnamon, and other spices. It is fantastic on pork, chicken, and vegetables like baked sweet potatoes and acorn squash. Mama’s Kansas City Rub is great on pork, ribs, and brisket and has a sweet tangy flavor. Last of all, the Pork Chop Spice works not just on chops but also chicken and has a smokey, salty flavor with undertones of garlic and mustard. If your feeling adventurous check the Savory Spice Shop website and order yourself some of these great spice blends!