Best Steak. Best Game. 2017

Best Steak 2018

Sligo steak

Cork butcher, Tom Durcan, turned up more than once in the the steak stakes in 2017, benefitting from the decision of the Globe to go local (after the takeover by Clayton) and by the return of the Oyster Tavern (a few yards from Tom's stall in the English Market). Best sauce was the Jameson at the Embassy in Sligo. The list is in no particular order.

Darwin's, Dublin. ..with an excellent Barolo jus

Embassy, Sligo... with Jameson Whiskey sauce

The Globe, at the Cork City Clayton Hotel... with a trio of sauces

The Cornstore, Cork... always good for steak!

The Oyster Tavern, Cork..outstanding flavour from the Durcan steak

The Ivory Tower, Cork, with a Peruvian touch

The Commons Inn, Cork ... Irish Hereford beef steaks are aged 35 days

Sage, Midleton, County Cork. Superb beef from Charlie Terry.

The Maestro at Radisson Blu, Little Island, Co. Cork. Outstanding fries & Portobello mushroom

Murrisk Pie

Best Game Dishes

The Tavern at Murrisk, Westport

Blairs Inn, Cloghroe, Co. Cork

Barnabrow, East Cork

Sligo's Embassy Steakhouse. Jameson Whiskey Sauce is a Must!

Sligo's Embassy Steakhouse

Where Jameson Whiskey Sauce is a Must!

When I told a bartender in a Sligo pub that I was heading to the Embassy Steakhouse for dinner, I got a tip. “You must have their Jameson Whiskey sauce. I used to work there and it is magnificent.” And it is!

Indeed, the building, with its five large arched windows by the Garavogue River, is itself eye-catching on the outside and the decor on the inside is also impressive. The menu is not confined to steak but the reason most people visit is to sample the chargrilled meat and that whiskey sauce.

Even CL, who loves her fish, picked the steak, an 8 ounce Hereford fillet. My choice was the 10 ounce Rib Eye. We both had the Jameson sauce, of course, and the steaks came with onion marmalade, sautéed green beans and grilled asparagus. And there were sides, salad and ratatouille. Indeed, you could have added sautéed king prawns for an extra fiver but we said no to that. As it happened we had enough on the plate, a very well cooked and presented plate of top quality meat and that magnificent sauce. Highly recommended.

You are not confined to steak. There are mains featuring fish and chicken and the starters give you ample opportunity to stay away from meat until the main event itself. Indeed, the starters are top notch as well.

My potted Mullaghmore crab, with seasonal salad leaves and sourdough toast, was an excellent opener. The fresh crab was exceptional, great flavour in that packed pot. CL meanwhile was enjoying the Pan-seared King prawns with lemon, chilli and garlic. 

Took a wee bit of a pause after the mains. The place was packed, it was packed all night. A hen party had two large tables and another two had a birthday party. There was a great buzz in the Embassy, a convivial one, happy voices.

We didn't get to hear the most distinctive voice in the place though. That, I’m told, belongs to Head Chef Marc Gabbidon and has been described “as a truly wondrous thing”. Marc is yet another of Sligo’s wanderers. He has “wandered in” from Jamaica, via East Coast US. In the US, while working in Connolly’s Irish Pub in NY City he met his now wife Karen. Eight years back, they moved to Sligo. Think I might have enjoyed that melodic voice but we certainly enjoyed the cooking!

And we did decide to share a dessert. Fabio is the man for the sweet stuff but we reluctantly decided to leave the Chocolate Indulgence Cake on this occasion and picked and shared Fabio’s Ice-cream Selection, a trio of house-made Italian style ice-creams. A safe choice but quite delicious also.

The Embassy Steakhouse, with an excellent wine bar, is a chic and comfortable place for a night out. Service is very friendly here but very much on the ball as well. So if you like your steak and are in the Sligo area, you know where to go!

See also: Lough Gill Brewery
 Strandhill Food Festival
Sligo Cafés
Clo's Chocolates
The Swagman Rocks
Rugantino

Variety is the spice of life at The Cornstore.

Variety is the spice of life at The Cornstore.

60-day steak

The ever-popular Cornstore specialise in great steaks, quality seafood, and fabulous cocktails. But within, and outside of, that, they produce a stunning variety, enough to keep the punters returning time and again. Last Wednesday night was cold and showery but that didn't stop the customers visiting the Cornstore.

And with the ground floor full, there was quite a buzz about the place. Great place for groups of six or eight or more to dine but no shortage of couples either on the night. And, aside from the three “pillars” mentioned, you can get something to suit your palate (and your wallet) from a selection of menus: the Early Bird (two course for €25.00), a 3-course Gourmet menu for €35.00, and the A La Carte. And then they do lunch everyday, with brunch on Sundays.

And, of course, there are the specials. Not just one to two on a board. On Wednesday, for instance, there were two extra starters and four extra main courses. Indeed, it was from the specials that we choose most of our meal.

The staff here rarely stand still but at the same time, they are courteous, friendly and helpful. Great to be in out of the cold, studying those menus, the wine list (with lots of helpful hints), the cocktail list, the beer list, the whiskey lists. I could go on… 

Our drinks, in the end, were a glass of a gorgeous Colleita de Martis Albarino (what a finish, and perfect for the fish) and one of a smooth El Bar Malbec from Argentinian with ”an alluring nose and blackberry flavours” that lived up to the blurb as it mixed with the Brazilian style steak, Tango and Samba.

Cheese fritters

My starter pick from the specials list (don’t worry about boards, it comes with the menus) was the Duck spring rolls with spicy sesame hoisin dipping sauce. A pair of tasty beauties, nice little salad too.

CL was enjoying her generous Goats cheese fritters, red pepper, black olives, tomato, fig purée ad balsamic reduction. The superb accompaniments enhanced the cheese no end.

And then for the South America touch. My Picanha steak had been Dry aged for 60 days and was served Surf & Turf style with a Prawn skewer, a shrimp & cod mash, Prawn skewers and a Béarnaise sauce. They recommend medium for this cut which you may see on a video here. The beef was perfect and I must admit I was really delighted with the mash!

Sole

The beef came from the specials as did CL’s pick: the Poached Roulade of Lemon Sole, stuffed with mussel mousse on potato confit, samphire and sauce Veronique. Again, the fish was perfect, tender and moist and the stuffing was outstanding.

I’m sure the desserts would have been special as well but our two courses had already filled us and soon we were waddling over to Patrick Street to catch the bus home, happy out!

The Cornstore are always ready and willing to take part in special events in the city and will be one of the restaurants on the Gourmet Trail (23rd Sep) during the Oyster Festival the weekend after this. You can check what they doing and even win two tickets for the Trail here. 

Darwins - The Origin of the Steak

Darwins - The Origin of the Steak

Steak

 If you’re on the prowl in Dublin and looking for steak, then head to Darwins Restaurant in Aungier Street. While you’re waiting for your order, take a peak at those big guys on the wall, your ancestors, the origin of the species.

When that steak comes, you’ll straighten up immediately as the aromas waft up from that fillet. Indeed, you’ll have a good choice of cuts here: Dry-aged Strip loin (14oz); New York Strip loin steak (14oz); Rib eye steak on the bone (20oz); Rib eye off the bone (12oz - it was a big bone!); that Premium eye Fillet steak (10oz); and Centre cut T-bone steak (20oz).

Darwins have something of an advantage in that their steaks are sourced from their own in house butchers. “Before it’s delivered to you it is hand selected, aged to perfection and hand trimmed. It is then seasoned, seared and cooked to order over a very hot grill to seal in the flavour.”

Lamb

 All the steaks are served with a potato mash and there is a choice of sides including House Chips, skinny or chunky. And no shortage of sauces either. The usual suspects such as Pepper sauce, blue cheese sauce, garlic butter, Sauce béarnaise, and mushroom sauce are on the list but you’ll also see one or two rarer ones such as Barolo jus.

I had all that to pick as I went through the menu and my final combination was that Premium Eye Fillet with that excellent Barolo jus along with a side of the chunky chips. Steak heaven!

Steak is not the only meat they do well here. Wicklow Lamb is another speciality. You won't have as much choice as with the beef but do look out for this one: the Assiette of Wicklow lamb, half rack and eye fillet cuts, buttered mashed potato.

Deconstructed cherry cheesecake,
definitely destructed a few minutes later.  

This, their award winning lamb dish, is served with a Barolo and dark chocolate jus and it is served pink “but if you would like to alter the temperature just let us know”.

In fairness, they let you know in advance and you’ll see this temperature chart on the menu so do have a look and then you’ll know exactly what is coming up.

Blue: slowly warmed through, takes the longest to prepare

Rare: 52 °C very red cool centre

Medium rare: 55 °C very red, warm centre

Medium: 60 °C middle of the steak red, pink surrounding the centre Medium well: 65 °C pink in the centre of the meat, brown towards exterior

Well done: 71 °C cooked through tends to be without moisture.

My steak was medium and was perfect. CL asked for the lamb to be medium as well. Both were as ordered and each dish was a delight, washed down with Reserve de L’Aube, a fruity and easy-drinking Syrah/Merlot blend from the Languedoc. But they do have a good choice of wines and also a bunch of craft beers, mainly from O’Hara’s.

Darwins

80 Aungier Street 

Dublin 2

Tel: 01-4757511 

Fax: 01-4758942

Email: info@darwins.ie

Hours: Dinner: Monday – Saturday, 5pm – Late.

Closed Sundays and Bank Holidays.

Best Steaks & 3 Best non-Cork Restaurants 2016

Best Steaks 2016

Aubrac

Aubrac Steak at The Harbour Donegal Town

FX Buckley Exquisite Steak in Dublin City

West Cork Hereford steak at the Imperial Hotel's Pembroke Restaurant

Macroom buffalo steaks from Eoin O'Mahony English Market

Irish Piedmontese Beef from their stall at Cork Summer Show


Three Best Restaurants Outside of Cork 2016

I've dined around the country this year, including Donegal, Limerick, Kerry, Meath, Dublin, Waterford, Wexford, Louth, Galway, Mayo and so on and these, in no particular order, are the three non Cork restaurants that I enjoyed the most.
I'll be on the road again in 2017. Any tips? cork.billy@gmail.com

Cistín Eile - Wexford

La Boheme

La Boheme - Waterford

Turbot at The Mews

The Mews - Kenmare

2016 Reviews - see also

Cafes by the side of the road.
Best Places to Stay
Best Hotel Dining Rooms
Meals with a difference
Best Wine Events

FX Buckley. Exquisite Steak in Dublin City

FX Buckley

Exquisite Steak in Dublin City

No shortage of beef here!

Ended up with James Joyce in Dublin the week before last.

Just name-dropping, really. I was in the FX Buckley Steakhouse in Pembroke Street, another Dublin institution, and had just finished an exquisite steak dish. No room for dessert but certainly room and inclination for their James Joyce cocktail made with Powers Pot Still Whiskey, Triple Sec, Rosso Vermouth and lime juice.

Francis Xavier Buckley opened his first butcher shop on Moore Street in 1930 and this soon became a well-known Dublin institution. Since then it was part of a natural progression to open their own steakhouses around the city and serve their famous beef from their butchers to your table. You’ll find them in Pembroke St.,  Crow St.,  Ryan's Parkgate St.,  Bull & Castle (near Dublin Castle) and at The Pub @ FXB Monkstown.

With large glass-fronted fridges behind me, I thought my 8 ounce fillet looked a bit lonely on the plate with its little pot of pepper sauce (30.00). Of course, I could have had ordered a larger size or more sides than just their Beef Dripping Chips. But is was perfect. Exquisitely so. Tender and full of flavour and big enough too, a succulent sufficiency. And those chips. Must be the best around!

Meanwhile, CL was tucking into her Six ounce medallions of fillet beef, served with spring onion mash, shallots, mushroom and red wine jus (23.00). With all the steak dishes, you can order extra sides.

The Irish “grass-fed heritage steaks” are normally Angus or Hereford but from time to time, they may have Dexter or Irish Moiled meat available. All will have been aged for 28 days by the time they reach your plate.

The only steak that features on the A La Carte starter list is the Fillet Steak tartare. There are some great choices here including Black Pudding Croquette; Carlingford Lough Oysters; Asparagus, poached egg and Hollandaise; Foie Gras and Duck liver Paté.

CL was delighted with her Kilkeel Harbour Scallops, served with a Buckley black-pudding, with crushed mint peas and hollandais (13.50). A terrific combination with, surprisingly, the peas playing a starring role.

My choice was the FX Buckley cured salmon blini, with chive crème fraîche and mustard honey dressing (9.50). Went through that one fairly quickly, I can tell you, very tasty indeed.

What to drink? We had been at a wine-tasting that afternoon so settled on beer in Buckley’s. The fact that they have their own ale helped. It was a nice one too though I preferred the large bottle of O’Hara’s Pale Ale. By the way, there is no shortage of wine here. It is a massive list with the reds in the majority, some very expensive, some very affordable.

And no shortage of cocktails either. When it came to making up my mind, I decided to stick with the locals and Mr Joyce. And I enjoyed his company very much indeed.

Super Steak at Electric Supper Club

Electric Supper Club

It is a high table with high backless stools. It can accommodate eight, more. Take a seat, lean in and chat. This table is made for conviviality. For drinking. For eating. And there are a bunch of these tables in the bar at Electric, all eminently suitable for their newly introduced Supper Club, three excellent courses for just twenty euro.

Wednesdays and Thursdays are try-out days at present and once Christmas is over, expect to see the Club operate every night. Eight of us gathered there last Wednesday to try it out. And each and every one enjoyed the get together, the chat, the drink and above all the food.

Electric is self-billed as the Theatre of Life, a billing well justified. This theatre has three stages, the bar, the restaurant and the fish-bar. Like any theatre, the sets change. And so it it is here on the Mall. More renovations are imminent and that lovely room that houses the Fish Bar will become even more important in the Electric Show. No lack of imagination from the directors here!

So okay, back to Wednesday night and our three acts. Starter was a Mixed Leaf Salad with Butternut Squash, Blue Cheese and House dressing. There are no choices here so how would the blue Cheese go down? Very well indeed at our table and the staff tell me that this is the constant reply. Just one little variation to the starter. In order to add a little crunch, it now includes some sliced almonds.

For now the main course is Chargrilled 8 ounce Irish feather blade steak, twice cooked Chips, Asian Slaw, and Electric Steak Sauce.  This is quite outstanding. The steak, marinated in cider, is incredibly tender (no bother to older teeth!), unbelievably flavoursome. The Slaw provides a healthy crunch, the chips an irresistible if less healthy munch. And that steak sauce is superb. I think they should start selling it on the street, at the markets.

The Chocolate Mousse may not have quite received the unanimous approval of the other courses - some people just don't like chocolate - but, for me, it was a sweet finalé to a lovely meal. Most of our gang were on the gorgeous Montepulciano, the house red, but with a bar at hand, you have a huge choice of libations.

The Supper Club idea has been “borrowed” from Electric’s Dublin off-shoot, Sober Lane D4. Looks like a winner, no matter the location!

Lunch, even a song, at the Cornstore

Lunch, even a song, at the Cornstore

Pork Rillettes

They go the extra yard for customers at Cork’s Cornstore. Dropped in there this week for a late-ish lunch as part of CL’s birthday celebrations. We were just starting on our coffees when the singing surprised us. Our waiter had started into Happy Birthday! And then backed it up with some gorgeous chocolate cake and a candle. Thanks a million, Cornstore.

We enjoyed the terrific lunch. Started off with their massive Atlantic Seafood Chowder. No shortage of fish in this well presented chowder, served with homemade brown bread. A pretty full bowl by the way and packed with flavours and textures of the sea.

CL’s Pork Rillettes was a continental style delight, not often seen in this part of the world. This was served with a matching chutney (plum, grape etc), salad and toasts. Her completely delicious mains was the Pan Seared Salmon with roast potatoes, pea puree, roast tomatoes and a bourride sauce.

The popular restaurant is well known for its aged beef so I couldn't resist going for the Aged Rib Eye Steak on onions with home cut chips and salad. The steak was moist and tender and one hundred per cent scrumptious, as always.

Our late lunch had turned into an early dinner.No room for dessert but we did manage to finish off that surprise chocolate cake before leaving with large smiles on our faces.

About the Cornstore

The Cornstore Restaurant offers delicious award-winning menus over 2 floors in a lively, Manhattan style surrounding. We specialise in premium Steaks & quality Seafood, award winning cocktails, new world beers & a vast wine selection.

Location

40a Cornmarket Street , Cork

Phone	(021) 427 4777
Email	cork@cornstore.com
Website	http://www.cornstore.com

Taste of the Week

Taste of the Week

Aged veal steak from O'Mahony Butchers, English Market

The English Market was the source of these gorgeous Aherla Farm veal steaks. O'Mahony Butchers had aged it for 28 days and it was absolutely superb, served with rösti and stir-fried vegetables.  Starter, by the way, was halloumi (below), made with buffalo milk from the Toonsbridge Dairy and bought at the Real Olive Stall. And just to make it a market hat trick, the apples for the dessert (Cinnamon flavoured Apple and Sultana Clafoutis) came from the Midleton Farmers Market. Buy local, fresh and fair. And enjoy!

Market Meal. Treat yourself.

Treat yourself to these!

 Market Meal #3


This was an easy one, almost cheating. The starter and dessert were more or less readymade while the main course came from the recently published Gimme the Recipe, an excellent book by Sheila Kiely.

Starter: Marinated Shiitake mushrooms (by Ballyhoura Mountain Mushrooms at Mahon Point Farmers Market) with salad.

Main Course: Stir-fry of Steak (O’Mahony Butcher, English Market), mushrooms and Purple Sprouting Broccoli. The broccoli came from the Ballintubber farmer stand at Mahon and was top class, really great value as were the salad leaves used in the starter.

Dessert: Chocolate and Raspberry pot, bought from Glenilen stall at Mahon.

Steamy wok and roll

If you haven’t tried the marinated oyster mushrooms from Ballyhoura, you should. This is one of the best new products on the scene in recent months and is now matched by their marinated Shiitake mushrooms (photo). Can be served very simply, with market salad and toasted Arbutus sourdough, as we did. I’m sure chefs around the country are thinking up some gorgeous dishes, to make the best of these beauties.

Beef and Mushroom stir-fry is the title that Sheila gives her dish, in which broccoli also plays a major role. We used Purple Sprouting Broccoli rather than the regular and it worked out very well indeed.

Got the steaks from Eoin O’Mahony and they were top notch. The little additions (honey from Waterfall Farms shop, ginger, sesame oil, soy sauce) all added to the flavour, familiar textures yet different on the taste buds.

Well done Sheila for that tasty combination. Again. Gimme the Recipe is proving to be a very useful book around this house, even if we don’t have to cater to a big gang anymore. But a little division cuts the meals down to size and we are gradually working our way through the book.

Also gradually working our way through that irresistible Glenilen cabinet at Mahon Market: yoghurts, butter, milk, and no shortage of dessert ideas. The cheesecakes and panna cottas are brilliant but we went for the Chocolate Pot on this occasion and they went down well, as does everything from this innovative West Cork farm.

Wine Match: since the steak had an oriental sauce, lighter than usual, I chanced the Monasterio de los Vinos 2011 Garnacha and Tempranillo blend. The label says it is intense, young, fresh and fruity. All that and more – it was a good match - and available at just €9.99 from stockists nationwide.