St. Patrick's Day Eating and Drinking Shortlist

Last week's Second Annual Corned Beef Cookoff – a benefit supporting families of the Fighting 69th soldiers in Iraq – was won for the second year in a row by the Upper East Side’s Neary’s Pub. (The Irish-American dish became popular in New York around the turn of the 19th century.) Neary’s will be dishing out the corned beef tonight, as will Murphy & Gonzalez, which tied for second place with Peter McManus Café, which will be packed today, starting at 8 a.m.

The city’s three P.J. Clarke's have bag pipers blasting all day and night and a menu with all the standard Irish-American staples: Shepherd’s pie, Irish beef stew, etc. Once the stomach is sufficiently lined, gregarious types can join the merry mob scene at the aforementioned Peter McManus, ye olde school Irish pub McSorley’s, or Failte Irish Whiskey bar on 2nd Avenue between 29th and 30th, which has a fireplace, pool table, over 15 different whiskeys, pub food, and, yes, green beer. Slightly less pandemonium may prevail at the Landmark Tavern, open since 1868, or Molly’s Pub in Gramercy, which also has a fireplace, pub food and a bit more refinement, but keeps it real with sawdust on the floor.

But enough about booze – what is up with New Yorkers still being denied the Shamrock Shake? The minty magic of this limited-edition McDonald’s shake has reached mythical proportions in New York City, where regional franchisees have voted against selling it for years. For anyone who’s not too proud to make a pilgrimage based around a dyed-green dessert, the Shamrock Shake website, though confusing, points to Shamrock-friendly locations on Long Island, Connecticut and New Jersey. Or just get a contact high off of this Reagan-era commercial.

Photo: Gillian Leigh.

Contact the author of this article or email tips@gothamist.com with further questions, comments or tips.

By John Del Signore in Food on March 17, 2008 11:44 AM

Comments [rss]

bxbrian

you guys just blew my miiiiiind

FrankMartin

There is one rule in his rulebook

Rule One: Disagree

Guest

I'd like to file a complaint about the guy who is complaining about the guy who is complaining about the complainers!

malasagna

@rulebook:

What is worst, the complainer or the guy who complains about complainers?

bxbrian

OMG I can haz bitter gothamizt commentar?

It only took about a second.

And how am I flattering you? You just seem super angry, not unlike many of the other people you're bashing.

Some people love the holiday, some people hate it. If you love it, say so! It just sounds so much sweeter than an undercutting, possibly insecure jab at other folks.

And if you do love it, I hope you're having a blast--or will at least have one after work. Sounds like you might need a drink!

Aveais Essex

Haha, excellent. You know how they say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery? On the interweb it's a bit different: spending time looking up people's old comments and then posting them in HTML is the sincerest form of flattery. Thanks homie!

And sorry, it's not a "line"...I just don't know how to better express the visceral experience of scanning comments from the biggest bunch of complainers around.

Whaaaaaaa!

bxbrian

@Rulebook

On January 30, 2008 10:53 AM in Taxi Rider Sexually Assaulted by Cab Driver, they said:

Whaaa! Bad things sometimes happen in a city of over 8 million people! Whaaaaaaaa I wanna go back to the Midwest!

Get some new lines, homie!

FrankMartin

Ahh the melodic tones of Danny Boy's first verse over and over and over again!

Can't wait til the PR day parade. Proof that being makes you nuts.

pissyrabbit

My grandfather from County Kerry used to call this St. Jackass Day. He would rant and rave about the stupid American Irish who never stepped foot in Ireland and their celebration of this stupid holiday over a saint that didn't exist.

It made me think that this is the equivalent of celebrating MLK Day with looting.

Ah I miss you Grandpa.

Aveais Essex

Whaaaaaa! I'm a big fucking baby and can't handle the little nuisances that come with city life. Whaaaa! Mommy please come save me from the street puke! snifflesniffle...occasional public drunkeness! Whaaaaaaaaaaaaa!

What a bunch of whiners.

petebfd

i'm going to take the path to new jersey, take a shit on the sidewalk and leave. i figure if all new yorkers do the same we'll be even.

joolean

I don't remember when they stopped selling the Shamrock Shake -- but I do remember that on St. Patrick's Day two years ago there was an actual river of green puke meandering down Canal St. from its source at the McDonald's on Lafayette.

Fritzdecat

I'm gonna have some Chinese food and a large Margarita...

Sláinte

amsci

Yay, a holiday that celebrates three of my favorite things; binge drinking, boiled cabbage and kelly green. Ugh. X-(

moocowtoo

What a beautiful evening to stay in and listen to all the ruckus fist fights and breaking glass down on the street below.

Tim N.

Saw the green bagels in Zaro's this morning. Just makes me proud to be Irish... that and the underaged clowns vomiting them up all over the Metro-North and the LIRR later.

Rocknrope

Ever since I was a wee lad, I've wanted to try the Shamrock shake every year the commercials rolled around in March. I'm gathering though, that the thought of having it is a lot better than the actual product.