Squatters Pub Brewery

Ed and I finally got to the Natural History Museum today. We had planned on having an early dinner afterwards, but we had made our way through the museum a bit more quickly than we thought we would (only because there was so much great stuff, after several hours we were tired), but that didn't stop us from going to Squatters Pub Brewery for a very early dinner. We shared the Brewhouse Hummus, and I had the Mesquite Chicken Salad. The meal was fantastic.

Flanagan's on Main

My husband and I had a late start today, so our first stop was to meander down Historic Main Street in Park City, Utah, where we stopped for lunch at Flanagan's on Main.

We shared spicy potatoes: whole new potatoes in spicy
wing sauce.

I had the fish and chips, which were outstanding.

Avenues Proper Restaurant & Publick House

I chaperoned my first dance tonight: The high school at which I teach had its junior prom at the Utah State Capitol in downtown Salt Lake City. Neither my husband nor I had gone to our own high school proms, and I was actually rather looking forward to going with my husband. (I'd had no interest in going while I was a high school student.)

some of the views inside the Capitol Building

Beforehand, though, we decided to stop to have dinner at Avenues Proper Restaurant & Publick House.

I started with a potato soup with bacon.

We both had the Proper Burger, which came with white
cheddar, tomato jam, crispy shallots, and bacon on a potato
bun, frites, and aioli. 

I forget what type of dessert my husband had, but it was fancy.

Maguire's Irish Pub

My husband and I are in the San Francisco Bay Area visiting my brother, sister-in-law, and 8 1/2-month-old nephew for said nephew's first Christmas. For the most part we've been eating at my brother's house, but today my husband and I decided to give our hosts some space; we wandered around downtown Petaluma, California, and had lunch at Maguire's Irish Pub.

I forget what these were called, but they were potato chips
with a creamy topping, tomatoes, green onions, and a
vinaigrette.

I had a bacon cheeseburger (although the bacon had been
temporarily forgotten about).

Blair's Bistro

It's fitting, somehow, that the last meal we have in Ireland is at the same place in which we had our first meal: Blair's Bistro, located within the Park Inn, a perhaps five-minute walk from Shannon Airport.

I started with chicken satay, which was rather oddly served
atop what tasted like lo mein. I'm not sure if this counts as
fusion food.

I also had the spaghetti and meatballs.

The Oliver St. John Gogarty Bar

Tonight was our last night in Dublin (in fact, it's our last night in Ireland altogether), so when my husband and I discovered that The Auld Dubliner serves traditional Irish fare, and has live music pretty much all day every day, we knew it was a good way to end our stay. (Ed especially had wanted to hear some traditional live Irish music at a pub, something we had previously failed to do.)

However, we din't actually wind up staying at The Auld Dubliner; the music being played was rather loud and a bit more contemporary than what was wanted, so we went next door to The Oliver St. John Gogarty Bar.

I started with some smoked salmon.

I also tried to Dublin Coddle, which was a type of stew with
sausage, potato, carrot, and barley.

And I ended with some strawberries and cream.

The Bull and Castle

Between bouts of sightseeing today, my husband and I stopped off for lunch at The Bull and Castle. They had an excellent selection of cocktails, beers, and other interesting-looking drinks, as well as a menu that looked fantastic, but we kept it fairly simple.

We started with wild mushrooms with truffle oil on brioche,
with pancetta.

We also each had a small Caesar salad.

And of course, I had the fish and chips.

The Market Bar

On our way from Belfast to Drogheda, my husband and I stopped for lunch at The Market Bar in Dundalk.

We started with wings.

I had the hot peppered beef baguette (steak strips in a
creamy onion, mushroom, and peppercorn sauce).

Of course the sandwich came with chips.

White's Tavern

My husband and I spent the day in Belfast, Northern Ireland, today. Not one for usually going strictly off the guidebook dining recommendations, we nevertheless, decided have lunch at White's Tavern, one of the oldest taverns in Belfast.

I started with s small caesar salad with chicken.

I also had some very good pork, leek, and stout sausages.

The Crown Liquor Saloon

My husband and I arrived in Belfast today; we'll be staying for two nights. While our hotel is on the upscale side and what looks like has a nice restaurant, we had heard about The Crown Liquor Saloon, a Victorian gin palace built in the 1880s. The Saloon was conveniently located a very short distance from our hotel.

starter: baked camembert 

starter: gin-cured salmon

We both had a steak and Guinness pie, which was really
excellent.

Gurns Milestone Pub

On our way from Co. Roscommon in Ireland to the Giant's Causeway in Northern Ireland, my husband and I stopped for lunch at Gurns Milestone Pub in Manorhamilton.

I started with the soup of the day - vegetable soup -
which came with brown bread. 

We both had the beer-battered fish and chips; the fish was
really excellent.

Grogan's of Glasson

We drove north today, leaving Co. Galway and heading to my parents' house, which borders Co. Roscommon and Co. Leitrim. We had gotten a late start, so we stopped off for lunch at Grogan's of Glasson, in Co. Westmeath.

I started with the smoked salmon platter with brown bread.

I also had a very good hot chicken baguette with chili mayo.

Collins Bar

For lunch today, my parents, husband, aunt, and I met up with my great aunt, who lives in Limerick City, for lunch. Great Aunt M. had made a reservation for us all at Collins Bar.

I started with a small chicken caesar salad.

My husband started with a chicken tempura salad.

I had some lovely ham with parsley sauce, fries, mashed potatoes,
and carrots, parsnips, and cabbage.

Blair's Bistro

After about 11 hours of flying (and three or four additional hours sitting around between flights), my husband and I finally made it to Ireland this morning; our hotel was perhaps 5-minute amble from the airport, and after a shower and a nap, we headed downstairs to the restaurant restaurant, Blair's Bar, for a (very) early dinner.

I started with some very good seafood chowder.

The chowder came with some excellent dark soda bread. 

We both got fish and chips, which came with mushy peas.
(You can't tell, but there were mashed potatoes served as well.
Somehow, it didn't surprise me that there were two types of
potatoes served.)

'Bout Time Pub & Grub

My husband and I had decided we would go to IHOP after Mass this morning, but this turned out to be a bad idea (Sunday lunchtime on Mother's Day). Everywhere else we walked by was equally packed, until we walked by 'Bout Time Pub & Grub, a 21-and-over bar that also serves bar food.

appetizer: Irish nachos: deep fried potato slices perfectly
seasoned and smothered with ranch dressing, shredded cheese
and crumbled bacon; topped with sour cream and parsley.

side salad

entree: the original chubby melt

(a ground chuck patty, sandwiched between two parmesan 

cheese crusted grilled cheese sandwiches; served with grilled onions)

Hoppers Grill & Brewing Pub

Today was a day in which my husband and I did Adult-Themed Things (tm): In the afternoon I had a mammogram, and after my husband came home from work, we scuttled on over to a lawyer to get our wills and medical power of attorney drawn up and taken care of.

I actually went into today not planning to cook dinner. I'd already recommended that we stop off somewhere on our way home from the lawyer's for dinner; my husband agreed, so we stopped off at the nearby Hoppers Grill & Brewing Pub.

Came with hot toasted bread!

I got black pepper parmesan fries.

My husband's appetizer was the brew cheese, which
included house-smoked gouda and gorgonzola cheeses.

My chicken caesar salad was good, although, oddly, it
came with penne pasta in it.

Red Rock Brewery

Last night my husband and I went to a spring concert to hear the Orchestra at Temple Square perform Mozart's overture to his opera The Magic Flute, Beethoven's Piano Concerto #4, and Dvorak's Symphony No. 8. (And then I realized that classical music, no matter how much I want it to be, just isn't my thing, so we left at intermission, before Dvorak could be performed. The Orchestra did a wonderful job - and the featured soloist, Mykola Suk, really was amazing, but I just wasn't into the performance tonight. It was a free concert, so we didn't feel we weren't getting our money's worth by not staying.)

In any case, afterwards, we found dinner at the Red Rock Brewery, which we'd been to before, but not in some time.

my appetizer: House Smoked Salmon
 (freshly cured and smoked salmon with toasted sourdough,
red onions, capers, and cream cheese)

my husband's appetizer: Bruschetta 

(slow oven-roasted tomatoes with fresh basil, 

served with walnut crushed goat cheese, a whole
roasted garlic, and Parmesan toasts)

I ordered the spaghetti, which came with house made
crushed San Marzano tomato sauce, Parmesan cheese,
and garlic bread.

I also ordered a side of the house made
Italian sausage and meatballs.

My husband ordered the French Onion Steak Sandwich
(sliced New York steak and caramelized onions
served on toasted sourdough bread topped with melted
Gruyere and mozzarella cheeses).

We both ordered the Kahlua chocolate cake, which came
with raspberry sauce; I ordered mine a la mode.

Queen Victoria Pub

While I was attending the last sessions of my conference, my mother went off to explore, and we met back at our hotel for lunch. We headed back to the Queen Victoria Pub to keep things easy on ourselves.

I started with the cock-a-leekie soup.

And I had a chicken caesar salad
(probably not especially British).