Today I take my friend J out for a belated birthday brunch. His actual birthday was the day after I arrived to Dublin, when I was still in self-quarantine, and this was the first time we’ve been able to hang out. He’s open to most anything, so we take a look around at a few places just on the other side of the Liffey, but it looks like they all have long waits given the high demand for outdoor seating. I pull out my phone and find somewhere back on the southside that takes reservations, then decide to book a table at a place that still has availability, and so we head back that way.
It’s a nice day, partially sunny/cloudy, and lots of people are out. It might be the last weekend of its kind for awhile, given the high likelihood that Ireland will be facing tighter COVID-19 restrictions soon. The National Public Health Institute has once again made the recommendation to go to Level 5, which the government deigned to follow the first time around, probably as a concession to the many businesses that are suffering from being partially or fully shut down. Level 5 would basically require everyone to shelter-in-place except for absolute necessities.
Anyway, the place we end up for brunch is called “Fade Street Social Wood Fired Menu,” and it’s a little higher-end than I had expected. I thought the “wood fired” in their name meant they specialized in pizzas, which they do offer on their menu… but it’s the kind with crushed pistachios and cheeses/meats that you have to look up online to understand what they are. We arrive a little before their 12noon opening time, and it looks like only one other party has been seated. The outdoor tables are spaced single file along the side of the restaurant, much more social distant than most other cafes. The host is a dressed in a full suit and plastic face-shield instead of mask; he doesn’t seem impressed by our attire of jeans and hoodies, but we’re seated nevertheless. We order drinks, an Aperol spritz for me and a raspberry vodka/gin concoction for J, wondering if perhaps we should just do cocktails here then find another place for food, but at this point we’re committed. I order a sourdough “coppa” woodfired pizza with a puffed up crust, ham, fancy tomatoes and even fancier shaved hard cheese. J opts for the burger, which is not the usual backup menu option, but a towering masterpiece with two aged beef patties, Comté cheese, and a hefty bun along with a side of skinny fries paired with a truffled mayonnaise dipping sauce. Both choices are delicious! (J graciously shares a bite of his amazing burger with me.)
The Dublin food scene has really come of age over the years. Two blocks away there’s even a BBQ place called Pitt Bros and one of the Boojum burrito chain locations that I’d say is a step up from Chipolte but not quite as good as the the taquerias of SF. I’ve also seen multiple Thai places that I’ve been meaning to try for takeout. Hopefully, Dublin’s restaurants will be able to hang on through the tighter restrictions with support from the government and continued patronage from delivery and take-out (“collection”) orders.
On the topic of food, Irish beef has a distinctive flavor that tastes very different from American beef. Their cows are grass-fed, pasture raised, and spared the antibiotics and other franken-food practices commonplace in the U.S. Even the beef in the prepared meals I’ve ordered from SuperValu, such as Irish beef stew or cottage pie, has been quite delectable. I’m looking forward to treating myself to an Irish steak at some point, either prepared at home or perhaps out at a restaurant when that becomes possible again.
After stuffed from our very satisfying meal, J and I return to my apartment and sprawl out on the two couches in a food coma. Technically, such in-home visits are not in compliance with the recently “Level 3 enhanced) restrictions, but neither of us have been out in public much, so it seems like a reasonable risk. I’m sure that probably the majority of the Irish population are bending the rules, too. We watch a few streaming shows on TV, including the first few episodes of Derry Girls, which I had not seen yet. By the way, the pricey VPN router was very easy to set up last night and seems to be working perfectly — I’m able to access Hulu, Disney+ and other content directly through the AppleTV that had been blocked due to geographical restrictions previously. Hurray! I’m sure I’ll be getting my money’s worth from it in the coming weeks and months.
