St. Patrick's Day Feasting and Toasting

by Chris Becicka

Other than “It’s the quiet pigs that eat the meal,” which is about more than eating, Irish proverbs, blessings, toasts and truths lead to the conclusion that the Irish care passionately about God, music, love, drink, nature and the hard reality of existence. Not Food.

As one local Irish maven—who prefers not to be named—said, “You know, I don’t think being Irish is about the food.” That said, Irish food is more than just potatoes and stout, as I discovered last year on a trip to Ireland, where I went to several wonderful restaurants. I also enjoyed some excellent pub meals. (At least I’m pretty sure I did—that was the trip during which I tried every Irish whiskey I could. Different story.)

So, where does one go for a great Irish meal in Kansas City?

First, keep in mind that it may not be such a good idea to try finding a great Irish meal on St. Patrick’s Day, when drinking, not eating, is the order of the day. Plus, it’ll be Saturday night. The only thing Irish restaurants and bars have to do that night is open their doors and the hordes will pour in. It might be fun, however, to go to Walsh’s Corner Cocktails, 85th and Wornall, where Pat Walsh is serving corned beef and cabbage and where there’s an Irish band for the night. This is a bar in the truest sense and it’s been around for 29 years.

For a taste of even older traditions, try Kelly’s Westport Inn (if you’re young and you love pizza), and O’Malley’s 1842 Pub over in Weston, which serves fish and chips, beef and Guinness, bangers and mash, and Irish stew to Irish tunes and rhythms of notable bands all night long.

But my favorite is the relatively new Gaf Pub and Grille at 7122 Wornall. An extensive bar with high tables and stools, black and russet walls, the place feels like the pubs I visited in Ireland, though it’s larger and had no gang of smokers outside its doors. Glass partitions between the tables help dampen noise level.

We stayed in the bar to eat and stuck to traditional Irish fare on the very eclectic menu. I had a lamb shank in a yummy gravy. The meat floated off the bone with a light tug. My portly companion had the shepherd’s pie—a combo of ground beef, veggies, gravy, all smothered with mashed potatoes, which easily won his heart, if not the low-cholesterol award. At least it wasn’t fried, though the fish and chips I had the next day were, and they were fabulous. I can’t wait to try the rest of the menu.

Besides the famous Browne’s Market where hundreds go for breakfast on St. Patrick’s Day, there’s also Eddie Delahunt’s Café & on 45th and State Line, opening at 7 a.m., with toasted sandwiches, scones, Irish music, great coffees and teas. O’Dowd’s Little Dublin, both Zona Rosa and  Plaza locations, also opens at 7 a.m. with an Irish breakfast that includes the boxty (a stuffed Irish potato pancake). Both have an abbreviated menu for the day which does include traditional fare, and at Zona Rosa, four mostly Irish bands begin at 1 p.m.

There are other Irish restaurants in town, including Governor Stumpy’s in Kansas City, Missouri, W.J. McBrides in Overland Park and Village West, O’Neil’s Restaurant and Pub on 95th Street. Rather than eating, however, I think in preparation for the next St. Patrick’s holiday, I’m going to spend the entire wintery February by drinking Irish coffees everywhere I go. I figure it’s the perfect winter drink—with the four major food groups: caffeine, alcohol, sugar and fat. And I’ll toast whoever’s there with my favorite Irish toast: 

Here’s to me, and here’s to you,

And here’s to love and laughter.

I'll be true as long as you,

And not one moment after.