Shamrockin'

Corned Beef at the Irish House.  Photo by renee b. photography.

On Sunday New Orleanians of all races, creeds, and colors will be donning their favorite green attire in celebration of the patron saint of Ireland. Copious amounts of potatoes, corned beef, and cabbage will be consumed. Over on Third Street between Magazine and Constance, roast beef will be the celebratory sustenance of choice. Old men will quench their thirst with glasses of emerald hued Bud Light - liquid courage to proposition the young lass standing next to them with four simple words: "Kiss me, I'm Irish."

About a half mile down the road on the corner of St. Charles and MLK, a true Irishmen will be wrapping up a week long celebration of his native culture. Chef Matt Murphy decided that his homeland deserved a week long celebration leading up to St. Patrick's Day, and so he has flooded this week's calendar with traditional Irish music, special whiskey tastings, Irish film screenings and more.

In this month's issue of OffBeat Magazine, we review the Irish House, Chef Matt's local take on the traditional Irish pub. The menu includes much of the stereotypical Irish fare that we associate with the Emerald Isle - corned beef, pot pie, and plenty of potatoes. But Chef Matt has also successfully incorporated local flavors into his menu with Irish twists - such as the boudin cake with colcannon and smoked tomato sauce.

Chef Matt welcomes all to the Irish House this week to raise a glass in celebration of his heritage. Your last name need not be O’Brien, Callaghan, Fitzpatrick, or Flanagan to take part in the festivities. You only need to be Irish in spirit... or simply enjoy a well-poured pint of Guinness.

The Irish House
1432 St. Charles Avenue
(504) 595-6755

Beware the Ides of March

Roast beef po-boy from Parasol's.

When the soothsayer uttered those fatefal words to Julius Caesar, I am 99% certain that the fortune teller was not speaking of the potential dangers of a debilitating hangover caused by overconsumption of green jello shots. But the same warning applies to those revelers who will be attending the Irish Channel Block Party which kicks off today around 10:00am, when the 1000 block of Third Street will be rife with revelers who refuse to believe that today is just another Thursday. Good luck to those brave enough to drink green beer all day long.


Of course, the two anchors of this celebration are Parasol's and Tracey's, two neighborhood bars forever linked by history, controversy, and roast beef po-boys. It's been a while since I partook in the Irish Channel Block Party, so I can't say which bar I would prefer to make my homebase for the block party today and parade on Saturday. But in comparing roast beef po-boys, I can say that Parasol's reigns supreme, with it's debris-style beef and thick gravy on toasted bread whose top layer has a smear of garlic butter and heavy dash of parsley flakes.



For those in search of a more tame and traditional celebration, I have a few suggestions as well. Chef Matt Murphy has dedicated an entire week to his heritage, and the festivities continue at The Irish House through Saturday. Lovers of corned beef might venture out to the Fair Grounds for an afternoon at the races and a lunch consisting of the only guaranteed winner at the track: the corned beef po-boy. The tender, thick-sliced corned beef are piled high on french bread which you are required to slather with plenty of Gulden's spicy brown mustard. Another suprise option for corned beef: Parkway Bakery, make sure to ordered it dressed with creole mustard.

May the luck of the Irish be with you and your March Madness brackets.

Lunch at The Irish House

When the announcement was made that Matt Murphy was leaving the Ritz Carlton, my immediate thought was: "So... are they going to rename the M Bistro?" (Considering that the hotel named it after him and all.) My next mental note was, "This guy definitely has too much ambition to fade into mediocrity. It will be interesting to see where he turns up next."

Turns out that next is the corner of St. Charles and MLK where the two story former home of Taqueros/Coyoacan/Stop 9 has undergone an extensive renovation to be reborn as The Irish House. Where once there was a cavernous, unadorned dining room there is now a refined yet welcoming space with Irish knickknacks of all sort covering the walls and dark woods with contrasting with large windows from which sunshine pours in. It's a great place to have lunch or a few pints and a bite after work (or stretch the former into the latter).

On my three visits thus far to The Irish House, each time the food and servce improved from the previous occassion. On the first visit, our server was very green but always smiling, which helped forgive the fact that we waited 45 minutes for our food from the time of ordering. Growing pains are to be expected, but it's tough to convince yourself to return for lunch when the majority of your time away from the office will be spent waiting on the food. On that day the Murphinator Po-Boy (below) came calling - cold roast beef topped with french fries and Crystal onion rings and served with a side of gravy. The long, thick cut fries and thin onion rings were the highlights of the sandwich, and the roast beef was above average quality. But the sandwich did not exactly come together. Had the roast beef been served hot, the po-boy would have been much improved. The side of coleslaw tomato salad tasted like a typical version with no discernible tomato component as advertised.

Such an experience does not exactly leave one with a desire to return, but (almost) everyone deserves a second chance. And The Irish House capitalized on those subsequent opportunities. Service exponentially improved, with our courses coming out at a brisk pace. The kitchen's execution was much more sharp - or perhaps I ordered better.

Chef Matt’s work with potatoes reinforces the stereotype that the Irish know best how to use them. Bacon and cheese croquettes (above) are crunchy fried balls of mashed potato topped with chive sour cream and a placed in a sweet onion marmalade that would be delicious spread on pieces of the complimentary house soda bread. Coarse and crumbly boudin is fried in a light batter and placed atop colcannon, a mash up of potato and softened cabbage, and then finished with a smoky tomato sauce. The Friday special of fish and chips brings long filets of cod in a tempura-like batter that is reminiscent of Houston’s chicken tenders (and I consider that a good thing). Fries are long, thick cut, not crispy but still worth ordering. Shepherd’s pie is a flawless rendition – a bottom layer of well seasoned ground beef with a few diced carrots and a green peas, those wonderful mashed potatoes in the middle, and a thin layer of cheese melted over the crock.

Although I have only been for lunch, The Irish House is a multi-faceted venture. The kitchen serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner beginning at 7am and ending at 10pm. While the downstairs dining room is reserved for seated service and bar patrons, apparently the upstairs area is a bit more lively with soccer matches early Saturday morning and live Irish music during the evening on Monday, Friday, and Saturday. And yes, Guinness and Harp are poured during all of the above.

The Irish House - Birdie
1432 St. Charles Ave.
(504) 595-6755
Kitchen open daily 7am till 10pm

T.G.I.F.

As the great philosopher Katherine von Perry once said, "Tis a blacked out blur, but thou art pretty sure it ruled." Fridays are the day you long for all week. No one ever makes plans for, say Tuesday, but run into someone on the street and you are bound to ask, "What are yall doing Friday; we should get together."

Well, Friday is here. And soon five p.m. will roll around and you will get a familiar itch to grab a drink or go to dinner. You know just something quiet. Before you know it, it is 3 in the morning and you are desperately pounding on the door of the soon to be Taco Bell on Claiborne demanding a Big Beef Chimichanga and 3 Mexican Pizzas. Hey, it happens. Thank God.

If you haven't been yet, today would be a nice time to check out The Irish House by Chef Matt Murphy. Situated on St. Charles, on a nice night, they open the windows wide to bring in the sounds of the rolling streetcar and passing folk. The walls are covered in Guinness and other Irish bric-a-brac and there is a warm, welcoming vibe. A solid selection of beers, whiskeys, and other libations anchors a physical dominating bar space. There are tables and a tv or two scattered throughout, solid food as well. All of the above makes for a pleasant way to ease into a long night at the Red Eye er, an Adult evening.

But perhaps the biggest reason you should go to The Irish House is because of the wings. Allow me a story. For one glorious summer, I lived down in the British Virgin Islands, filled dive tanks, and piloted boats around the various islands of what may be the prettiest place in the Western Hemisphere. This is when I was still "Pre Law". Anyway, the island was nuts for wings. The three Pusser's on the island each had a slightly different version. The one in Sopers Hole had the best with a tamarind rich, spicy sauce.

But all wings paled in comparison to those at the Bat Cave in Road Town Harbor. From 4 to 6 wings were .25 cents a piece and buckets of Caribs $5. As soon as the day would end, we piled into a maroon F-150 and drove the fifteen minutes through snaking roads which hugged the sea and clung to the mountains to get to Road Town. Once there we flat out destroyed some wings and drank beers under the setting sun.

The wings at Irish House, while not traditional, fit very closely to those hallowed wings from the now departed Bat Cave. They come in a thicker, smokier sauce which more aligns with barbecue sauce than the sauce that put Buffalo on the map. The garlic aioli, is just a tad too garlicky, which means it is right on point. While I may not be 20 anymore, a few dozen wings and a good dose of beer after a hard day's work can take me right back.

Have a great Friday, wherever you end up.