Guinness, kegs and eggs and St. Patrick’s Day specials at Connecticut restaurants
What do you get when you cross the Wearin’ o’ the Green and the Wearin’ o’ the Masks? You get St. Patrick’s Day 2021.
The annual festival of Irish culture is upon us, for the second year in a row without parades to celebrate as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. Local restaurants are stepping up with food specials on and around March 17.
Here are some specials. The list is not all-inclusive. Most places have drink specials, too. Check websites for takeout, dine-in and delivery options. These may change come March 19, when 100% dine-in capacity will be allowed.
Through March 17
Farley Mac’s, 1616 Hopmeadow St. in Simsbury, will serve Irish meals through March 17. These include Guinness beef stew, Reuben egg rolls, mussels, corned beef sandwich, bangers and mash, corned beef and cabbage. farleymacs.com.
Through March 21
Bear’s Smokehouse locations in Hartford, Windsor, New Haven and South Windsor will offer smoked corned beef through March 21. All locations except South Windsor will offer corned beef egg rolls for the same time period. bearsbbq.com.
Through March 31
Olive Bar + George’s Pizza, 9 School St. in Unionville, offers corned beef and cabbage dinners and corned beef Reubens all March. olivebarct.com.
Te Amo Tequila Bar & Tacos, 182 Temple St. in New Haven, will have corned beef tacos all month. teamotequilabar.com.
Barracuda Bistro & Bar, 1180 Chapel St. in New Haven, will have corned beef arepas all month. barracudanewhaven.com.
March 6, 11, 13, 18, 20, 25, 27
Union Kitchen, 43 LaSalle Road in West Hartford, will do a Taste of Ireland Pop-Up Thursdays and Saturdays in March from 4 p.m. to close. Selections include boxty, cheddar-and-Guinness dip, bangers and mash, cottage pie and cockles and mussels. unionkitchenct.com
March 10-17
TJ’s Burritos, 3 Turkey Hill Road in East Granby, will sell corned beef Reuben burritos, Irish Cream iced and hot lattes, chocolate Guinness cake, Irish cake and other pastries from March 10 to 17. tjsburritos.com.
March 11-19
Antonio’s Restaurant, 1185 Hopmeadow St. in Simsbury, offers a corned beef special meal from March 11 to 19, for $11.95 for an 8-ounce portion, $15.95 for a 16-ounce portion and $39.95 for a family portion. antoniosofsimsbury.com.
March 12-17
Wood N Taps in Hartford, Southington, Rocky Hill, Vernon, Wallingford, Hamden, Newington, Farmington and Enfield are offering a dinner of corned beef, cabbage, potatoes, honey-glazed carrots, Guinness gravy, salad, rolls and cookies. Dinners for two are carry-out and curbside pickup. Dinners for one are for carry-out, curbside pickup and dining-in. Hop Evolution Double IPA brew is part of the menu. A 4-pack is $14. Menu items are available March 12 to 17. woodntap.com.
March 12-21
Hops44, 625 Middle Turnpike in Storrs, will have corned beef eggrolls, corned beef sandwiches and corned beef dinner with potatoes, cabbage, carrots and Irish soda bread, as well as green handcrafted pretzels, March 12 to 21. hops44.com.
The Hub Wood Burning Pizza Bar, 72 Church St. in Naugatuck, will sell NORA cupcakes made with Irish stout, Irish whiskey and Irish cream liqueur from March 12 to 21. thehubpizzabar.com.
March 13
Dancers from SRL Irish Dance will perform at Connecticut Valley Brewing Company, 765 Sullivan Ave. in South Windsor, on March 13 at 2 and 4 p.m. Lizzie’s Curbside food truck will be at the brewery noon to 9 p.m. ctvalleybrewing.com.
March 13-17
Cake, Batter & Roll, 124 College St. in Middletown, will sell Guinness cupcakes with Baileys buttercream, green (vanilla) cupcakes and Irish soda bread March 13 to 17. cbrbakery.com.
March 14
The 1741 Pub & Grill at Lyman Orchards, 70 Lyman Road in Middlefield, has a St. Patrick’s Day brunch March 14 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Fiddler Liz Raymond will perform. Foods include shepherd’s pie, corned beef hash and eggs, bangers and mash with Irish brown sauce, and an English breakfast with eggs, baked beans, grilled tomatoes, biscuits and bacon. Reservations: 1741pubandgrill.com.
March 15-17
DISH ‘n Dat American Eatery, 144 Albany Turnpike in Canton, is offering a traditional corned beef dinner, $35 for two, $70 for four, $105 for six. Orders must be placed by March 14, and scheduled for pickup from March 15 to 17. Meal add-ons include Guinness beef stew, fried Reuben tater kegs and double chocolate Guinness cake. dishrestaurantgroup.com.
March 17
Twisted Italian Café, in Parkville Market at 1400 Park St. in Hartford, will sell Italian beer-braised corned beef Reubens on homemade rye bread with the restaurant’s crazy sauce on March 17. The restaurant is open from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. twisteditaliancafe.com.
The Half Door, 270 Sisson Ave. in Hartford, will offer a kegs-and-eggs brunch by reservation only on March 17 from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Each menu item will be $10 to $13. Reservations: bar@thehalfdoor.com.
Pasta Vita, with locations in South Windsor, Wethersfield, Avon, Darien and the Mohegan Sun, is offering a St. Patrick’s Day dinner for takeout on March 17. Meal options are corned beef and cabbage ($19.95 for two), Irish lamb stew ($29.95 for two) and shepherd’s pie ($12.95 for two). Also offering Irish soda bread and desserts. pastavita.com.
Chatterley’s Banquet Facility & Catering, at the Green Woods Country Club, 300 Torringford St. in Winsted, is offering a take-out traditional corned beef and cabbage dinner, with a creme de menthe brownie for dessert, on March 17, for pickup between 4 and 6 p.m. $16. Call to order at 860-806-8123. facebook.com/ChatterleysBanquetFacility.
Bond 124, 124 Main St. in Somers, will serve a “kegs and eggs” brunch from 8 a.m. to noon on March 17. A corned beef dinner will be served later, for $13.95. Live music throughout the day. facebook.com/bond124ct.
The New England Pasta Company, 300 West Main St. in Avon, is offering to-go Irish meals on March 17, to be ordered by March 13. The annual menu item is an apple cider-glazed corned beef dinner, with cabbage, potatoes, carrots, Guinness mustard, horseradish cream, Irish soda bread and Kerry Gold honey butter, for $30 for two and $55 for four. Other offerings are colcannon with leeks and kale, Irish soda bread, cheddar chive biscuits, parsnip soup, Guinness chocolate cake, cupcakes with Bailey’s buttercream, shamrock cookies and cheesecake bars. newenglandpastaco.com.
The Inishmor, 20 Main St. in Colchester, will serve an Irish breakfast on March 17 from 8 to 11 a.m. After that, Irish meals such as corned beef and cabbage, shepherd’s pie, fish and chips and bangers and mash will be served. If the weather is good enough for outdoor seating, the Clan Ross Pipe Band will perform from mid-afternoon to early evening. If the weather is inclement, one piper will perform indoors for a short while. theinishmorpub.com.
Harvest Cafe and Bakery, 1390 Hopmeadow St. in Simsbury, is offering St. Patrick’s Day to-go meals, to be ordered by March 10 and picked up on March 17 from 1 to 2 p.m. Warm-up instructions included. Entree choices are corned beef and cabbage ($75 for two), lamb stew with Guinness ($89 for two) and Irish whiskey roasted salmon ($80 for two). Each come with first courses, bread and dessert. The corned beef dinner, lamb stew and side dishes and desserts also are available a la carte. To order: harvestcafebakery.com.
Fork and Fire, 838 Farmington Ave. in Farmington, will sell corned beef pierogis on March 17, dine-in only. forkandfire.net.
March 17-19
O’Rourke’s Diner, 728 N Main St. in Middletown is offering takeout meals of corned beef, cabbage, roasted golden beets colcannon, soup and Irish bread. $19.95 per person. Can be picked up from March 17 to 19, by appointment. orourkestogo.com/product/corned-beef-cabbage-dinner-2021.
March 17-21
Fresca Tequila Bar & Grill, 232 New London Road in Colchester, will offer Reuben egg rolls and corned beef tacos from March 17 to 21. frescabarandgrill.com.
March 19-20
Noah Webster House & West Hartford Historical Society is offering to-go dinners of Irish Stout Steak Pie, Irish soda bread, a vegetable and dessert. Dinners must be ordered by March 15 and can be picked up at the museum at 227 S. Main St. on March 19 and 20 from 1 to 4 p.m. Accompanied by a virtual program on March 20 at 7 p.m. with The Mulcahy Academy of Irish Dance and Blue Skye Pipes & Drums. $60 for four to six people, $75 with four cans of New England Brewing Company beers. noahwebster.yapsody.com.
March 21
A Villa Louisa, 60 Villa Louisa Road in Bolton, has an all-you-can-eat St. Patrick’s Day brunch on March 21 from 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Items include toad in the hole, corned beef, corned beef hash, boiled cabbage, carrots, fish and chips, shepherd’s pie, colcannon mashed potatoes, Irish soda bread, sirloin with horseradish sauce, Bailey’s cheesecake, whiskey cake and one Irish coffee per person. $24.95 per person, $15.95 10 and younger. facebook.com/AVillaLouisa.
Susan Dunne can be reached at sdunne@courant.com.
