St. Patrick's Day Eats

Litany of the Saints

by Amy Strauss

Shanachie owners Gerry Timlin and Ed Egan want diners to think of Irish food as more than just meat and potatoes. (Ireland's an island for Christ's sake—hello, fish.) As such, the duo, along with executive chef Brian Duffy, will spend St. Pat's serving authentic prix fixe meals. Dinner features a choice of shepherd's pie, corned beef and cabbage, fish and chips or salmon. Slainte!

All hail the charitable awakening. Venture into Fadó with 15 bucks and you'll score two Irish pints (your pick of three) and either a traditional breakfast of pork sausage, bacon rashers, eggs and pudding, or an Irish boxty (think potato pancakes meet a quesadilla). Proceeds benefit the Hibernian Hunger Project.

Tír Na Nóg may be the best place to practice saying, "Pionta Guinness, le do thoil" ("A pint of Guinness, please"), but on the eve of St. Pat's, runners-up Bushmills and Baileys will be the ones shining in the drunken spotlight. Grab a shot of each and prepare for a midnight toast while munching on oak-smoked salmon flatbread topped with citrus crème fraiche.

Springfield 'burbanites are teaming up with neighbors from Boyce's Pub, The Squeezebox Ale House and Ye Auld Casba Inn to turn the club into a massive beer garden. Swill options include Guinness, Murphy's and Beamish stouts; Smithwick's and Macardle's ales; Harp lager, and more. Blackthorn will perform throughout, while Irish dancers get jiggy between sets.

Since the orange, white and green flag flies high on a regular basis at New Deck, its chefs are offering an amped-up menu of Irish staples. Recipes include Irish pork sausages smothered in a savory onion sauce; and salty ham-and-cabbage concoctions.