Sunday, April 6, 2008

AND I MEAN "SHIT-HOLE" IN THE NICEST WAY POSSIBLE


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Apologies to Maureen, in Buttevant, Co. Cork, Ireland.
This is me leaving Maureen's, and as you can see, it's not a "shit-hole" (a flippant, rude americanism I regret now, especially now, as I reveal the name of the establishment I enjoyed myself at, in a country where such kindness was showed me).
As Siobhan pointed out in her reply to my last post, it's quite old
and charming, with a fireplace dating back to 1798. It's no frills, "like
going to your grandmothers", as Siobhan puts it, but it is extremely
charming. And the food was pretty darned good.
(Just look at my satisfied puss as I exit the place....)

Sorry, Maureen! Next time I come, I'm ordering dessert!

Saturday, April 5, 2008

HARBOR BAR AND BRASSERIE, WEEHAWKEN, NJ

I'll confess. 
I don't have every meal with Paul, Jim and Sal.
Sometimes I eat out with my fiancee, Siobhan.
Siobhan is great to eat with. She is a great eater.
She and I just got back from a two week trip to her native Ireland, and we ate very well there. In fact, two of the best meals I've had in the past year, I ate in Ireland. One was in Waterford City, at a place called BODEGA, on Patrick street. Irish food with a French flair. Absolutely outstanding. I mean, good, like, you should go to Ireland just to get a meal this good-good. The next was in a shit hole, or almost the equivalent, with the simplest, most delightful lunch I've had in recent memory. A slab of ham. A slab of chicken. A boiled egg, white lettuce and a slab of mayonaise. No, god, I swear, it was freaking good. If you do make the trip to Ireland just to go to Bodega in Waterford, try and get to this shit hole between Mallow and Cork.

But, really, who wants to read pleasant restaurant reviews?
Tonight, Siobhan and I had a dog of a meal. Not a dog, maybe, but just so-so, and expensive so-so, which kind of makes it a dog. And expensive, even though we had a "2 meals for the price of one" coupon. Expensive food at a joint in Weehawken, New Jersey for crying out loud!
The place is called the Harbor Bar, it's in the Sheraton on the Hudson. Nice enough setting, but housed in the sort of new and shiny that makes up so much of the Jersey side of the river.
Anyway, the service was nice enough (our waiter seemed new and shiny himself). The booze was okay, although I ordered something horribly red, and sweet. But that was my fault. Siobhan liked the appetizer, mozzerella with red pepper. I dunno, though. The pepper was simply pimento out of a jar. I dunno.
I had the pork chop, Siobhan the tuna burger. 
My chop was fine enough. Siobhan ate through half of her burger before putting it down, a little sourly. When I asked if I could have a bite, she warned me as I put it in my mouth that there was something off about it."It's a little too...FISHY" we both declared at the same time. Weird, though. How exactly do you make tuna too "fishy". 
The fries were good enough.
My coffee was good too.
The "fruit crumble" was quite lousy; essentially a peach cobbler with peaches not quite ripe enough, "crumble" closer to "crunchy" served with, Siobhan swears, Key Food brand ice cream.
We didn't finish the dessert. 

WE DIDN'T FINISH THE DESSERT.

Now, that's weird for Siobhan and I.
Anyway, it cost about $80 bucks.
I dunno. If I was you, I wouldn't go there.
Why'd you want to pay Manhattan prices in Weehawken?