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.
