Monday, March 8, 2021

Dining NOW Guide. Final Update! This Week's Choices In Cork. Includes Mother's Day Offers.

Dining NOW Guide. This Week's Choices In Cork

(Contact me before 1.00pm Wed with a sentence or two, a pic and a link to menu, plan to update regularly)

Click and Collect. At Home. Takeout. Takeaway. 

Greenes Have Mother's Day and Patrick's Day Sorted


Pic v Pixabay

Mothers Day - 14th March:

The perfect Mothers Day gift available to order now! Our Mothers Day weekend menus are now available to view and order for collection & delivery. Beautifully selected menus, produced from the finest local ingredients. Burger boxes also available, perfect for the kids! Choose your menu, desserts, wines, cocktails and make it perfect for Mothers Day! Order soon to avoid disappointment! Vouchers are also available to purchase through our website to treat her in Greenes once we reopen.

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Mother's Day at Da Mirco

This weekend we are taking a break from travelling to a new destination in Italy and we will be running a special menu for Mothers day.

Three courses for two people for 50€ (add organic Giol Prosecco 20€)

Menu Includes the following:

ANTIPASTO - SELECTION OF CANÁPES

  • Involtini di Salmone con zucchine, limone e aneto (O'connell's Smoked Salmon Rolls with grilled courgette, lemon zest and dill)
  • Cannollo di bresaola e ricotta e mandorle (Cured beef bresaola IGP stuffed with ricotta and crushed almonds)
  • Crostini di olive taggiasche (crostini with Olives Taggiasche DOP tapenade)
  • Insalata caprese invernale (sun-dried tomatoes, capers and buffalo cherry mozzarella caprese salad)
  • Frittata ai funghi e tartufo ( frittata with truffle and porcini mushrooms)

PRIMO PIATTO - LASAGNETTE DI MARE Handmade Lasagna filled with fresh seafood (mussels, prawns, crabmeat and cod), and a light béchamel

DOLCE - CREMA MASCARPONE E LIMONCELLO Limoncello and mascarpone cream with sponge cake.

This menu is limited, so preorder fast at this link Da Mirco Click & Collect

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Celtic Ross have lots of Mother's Day Options.  


Gift Vouchers here. Foodie Treats here


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L'Atitude Heads to Alsace
We have chosen Pinot Blanc by Domaine Achillée as the star of this week's box. An incredible white wine made by one of the wineries where the younger generation is causing a stir. Jean and Pierre Dietrich took over the winery from their father Yves in 2016, and have been working biodynamically since. They make exceptional wines that are true to their terroir and this Pinot Blanc has been causing quite a stir since we introduced it in the shop. This week's tastes will include some of our Alsatian favourites. Email info@latitude51.ie by midday Thursday if you'd like to join our adventure. €50 box for 2 people. Collection Friday 12 Mar from 5 -6.30pm.


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The White Rabbit

Something different this weekend
Winking face
Mother's Day Special Slow-smoked Lamb, Kansas City style Wings and Pork Belly Cubes served with spicy Carolina green beans, potato salad, corn on the cob and red slaw. Inc Key Lime Pie for 2 and a bottle of wine. Strictly limited. Pre-order now.
@whiterabbitcork

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Mother's Day Menu from the fabulous Farmgate Café

Click here for details 


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New at The Met


Dinner is served...

Enjoy a dining experience at home with our new call & collect menus! Available to order from 5pm-9pm daily, featuring some of our menu favourites Call & Collect: 021 464 3700 #corkcity #corkrestaurant See menus online: themetropolehotel.ie/dining/menus/

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The Glass Curtain

We will be running a special menu for Mothers day over Friday, Saturday & Sunday night. There will be a choice of mains, along with starter, dessert and petit fours. As always, we urge you to set your alarms for 12pm on Monday to avoid disappointment when ordering. Check out the tempting menus here


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Just off the Marina roundabout, Sonny's sells coffee, salt beef reuben, salads & sweet things. Tuesday - Friday 10:00 -2:30. Order by 3pm for next day collection.
Check the menus here


This is a trial run!! (For future inclusions, please contact me before with a sentence or two, a pic and a link to menu)


Sunday, March 7, 2021

World Champion Beers From Rising Sons In Cork's Coal Quay*

A Quart of Ale± #42

On the craft journey.

World Champion Beers

From Rising Sons In Cork's Coal Quay*


Take 1: So there I was walking down Cork’s Parnell Place, after a quick bowl of soup in the corner shop. There was a guard walking 20 or 30 yards in front of me. Two fellows were approaching him, staggering. They got quite close to him. Too close. He caught each by the hair and banged their two heads together. 
One staggered to the left and managed to lean, half-sitting, on a window sill, the other to the right where he flopped to sit on the kerb.

Take 2: Just walking down Parnell Place having collected a Take Out (a very good one) from L’Atitude 51. I spotted three young men by a hatch at the Poor Relation. They were ordering food and drink to take away. Then I spied a few cans of beer on the counter so I joined the queue and got myself some Changeling and Dreamcatcher - I had been on the lookout for those ales.

Take 1 was at about 2.00 in the morning, more than fifty years ago. Was that late-opening corner shop called Keane’s? Take 2 was at about 6.00pm last Friday evening . The Poor Relation is owned by Cork Heritage Pubs who also have the Rising Sons Brewery under their considerable wing.

There, you may get delicious sandwiches made to order, coffee & cakes and more (including cans and growlers of their own Rising Sons beer) from 7.30am – 7.00pm Tuesday – Saturday & 12noon – 7.00pm on Sunday at the Poor Relation, pre-order here.


The brewery, in the Coal Quay, the heart of Cork City, has been mentioned in Lonely Planet: “This huge, warehouse-like, red-brick building houses an award-winning microbrewery. The industrial decor of exposed brick, riveted iron and gleaming copper brewing vessels recalls American West Coast brewpubs. It turns out 50 kegs a week, some of them full of its lip-smacking trademark stout, Mi Daza, and has a food menu that ranges from pizza to weekend brunch.”

At the Rising Sons counter a few years back

The building once housed the famous Guy and Company printers, who at one time printed all the cheque books in Ireland. “We shall soon be brewing a pils in memory of those who worked on this site; without any sense of irony it shall be called Bouncing Czech.” Haven’t seen that beer around though! They’ve some good names, a few with local connections such as Mi Daza and Sunbeam.



They say: All our beers are brewed in-house and are chemical and additive free. We brew small batches with the best of locally sourced ingredients (where available). And because they are brewed on-site, ( less than 10 feet away) and mostly consumed, within a square mile of the brewery, we can guarantee quality, consistency and only the freshest of beer. We bring creativity, passion and a dash of rock n roll, leading to extraordinary flavours in our sessionable beers.


The Changeling was voted best pale ale in the world up to 5% at the International beer challenge in 2018. The seasonal special Dreamcatcher won a world’s best at the World Beer Awards in 2019. Quite a vote of confidence for the crew in Rising Sons.

Poor Relation photo


Rising Sons Changeling 5K Pale Ale Special Edition 4.3%, 440ml can Poor Relation Cork


This American style pale ale has a gold/amber colour, lots of bubbles. White head fades quickly enough, no harm done though. Citrusy aromas and citrus too on the moderately hoppy plate, herbal notes too. Good balance. Nice bit of flavour and good dry finish. Very pleasant, very drinkable indeed and certainly sessionable.


They say: Voted best ale in the world up to 5% in 2018 at The International Beer Challenge. Hopped with Cascade and Mandarina Bavaria. Notes of orange, grapefruit and honey.


Rising Sons Dreamcatcher IPA 5.0%, 440ml can The Hatch at The Poor Relation


This Dreamcatcher IPA was voted World’s Best Golden Ale at The World Beer Awards in August 2019.


Colour is a deep golden amber. Fruity on the nose, apricot with some sweetness there too. Lovely harmony on the palate, hoppy enough but nothing extreme, could well be a gateway beer for those moving from mainstream as well as a satisfying drop for the more craft experienced. The latter will also be happy with the finish. 


Both Changeling and the Dreamcatcher IPA are the first of their beers to be canned and that has happened within the last few months. Oddly enough, there are no details of the excellent Dreamcatcher on their website.


* Pronounced kay (as in okay boy!).

Friday, March 5, 2021

Fota Gardens and Arboretum

 Fota Gardens and Arboretum

(Feb 2021)

 Ilex x beanii (holly)

Arboretum

Fern Tree







Monterey Cypress c. 1847


Lying water, after rains

Fern trees, and below




House and gardens


Bakestone (also above) is back for the season

attached to side wall of main house (to the right in pic below)


View from the gardens at the rear

Italian Garden


Black & White Fota





Regeneration Cycle by Liam O'Neill



Thursday, March 4, 2021

Cheers on beer, spirits and wine. #210403. With White Hag, Beara Distillery, Wine Australia, Ballykilcavan, Kinsale Mead, Rascals, Blackwater Distillery

Cheers on beer, spirits and wine. #210403. 

With White Hag, Beara Distillery, Wine Australia, Ballykilcavan, Kinsale Mead, Rascals, Blackwater Distillery



The White Hag Comes Up

 With A Magic Mist.  Juicy stuff


The ‘Juicy’ style was only recently recognised by the Beer Judge Certification Program in the United States, as a result of the emergence of more and more New England IPAs (NEIPAs). Juicy pale ales (also known as hazy pale ales) fit into the NEIPA category at an official level.

Magic Mist is highly aromatic with a soft bitterness that explodes with tropical notes of mango, citrus, and passionfruit, followed by subtle hints of orange and strawberries.


More here

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Beara Distillery



We here at Beara Distillery have been working tirelessly behind the scenes to perfect this black cask blend whiskey
A unique blend that we hope our loyal customers enjoy just as much as we do

It is now on the shelves of SuperValu Castletownbere and Kenmare and will expand to your local SuperValu and off-licences 


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Australian Wine


Australian Wine Discovered is a free wine education program offering flexible courses, tools and resources spanning over topics including key Australian regions, varieties and themes. Learn more: wineaus.co/edu


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Ballykilcavan Farm & Brewery Announce Joe O'Driscoll as Head Brewer.

Start of a new era today (1st Mar 2021) as Joe takes over as Head Brewer. I can't think of anyone who deserves it more. Since Joe joined us, he's brought a huge amount of passion, energy and creativity in his role as innovation brewer, so it's brilliant to know that the future of the brewery is in great hands.

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Kinsale Mead OnLine Talk and Tasting



Want to learn more about the story behind Kinsale Mead and the fascinating history of mead and honey? Join our online mead talk and tasting on Saturday March 13th at 8pm live from the meadery oak bar with Kate and Denis.
How does it work?
Order your tasting kit before end Sunday March 7th at https://www.kinsalemeadco.ie/product/online-talk-tasting-m/ We will email your tasting link and ship your tasting kit to your door so you can sip along with the Mead Makers live online from the comfort of your sofa. Details here.

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One of your favourite beers is making a return 🍺

Thanks to Rascals!

Well it’s certainly looking like bag o’cans weather out there this week. Mind you, lads going round in shorts and flip-flops? Ah come on. You’ll catch your death.
Here are some new beers to fill your bag with: Betty's dry-hopped New Zealand 4.5% Helles lager and Bruce's hazy New Zealand 6.2% IPA. The former is a bright lager with a crisp, refreshing finish, offering gooseberry and lime flavours and aromas. The latter is a full-bodied IPA with ripe tropical fruit, citrus peel flavours and a perfectly balanced sweetness.

You can get a full case of 12, a mixed case of 12, or even mix either with one of your fave Rascals core beers in a box of 12 or 24. We’ve even put Bruce and Betty into 5L mini kegs. You’ve options galore! €1 from every order in March will be donated to My Lovely Horse Rescue. You can read more about the initiative here.

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Blackwater Distillery 


Irish Mammies are the salt of the earth so why not treat your mother to a bottle of Blackwater Gin. To celebrate this Mother's Day Sun 14th March we are treating your amazing mother to a FREE box of decadent Lily O'Brien's chocolates with every bottle of gin purchased*. Check out our E-Store to avail of this fantastic offer.