Thursday, July 21, 2011

DUBLIN

BARS & NIGHTCLUBS
Bernard Shaw – 11-12 South Richmond Street; 011-353-85-712-8342; bodytonicmusic.com/bshaw; order mojito.
Brazen Head – 20 Lower Bridge Street (Merchants Quay); 011-353-1-677-9549; brazenhead.com; Ireland’s oldest pub, dating back to 1198; meeting place for historic rebels; brass-filled, lantern-lit pub that hosts live music evert night.
Flowing Tide – 9 Lower Abbey Street; 011-353-1-874-4108; across road from Abbey Theatre; legends such as Gabriel Byrne, Siobhan McKenna, and Cyril Cusack have been known to drop by after show; authentic old world décor, including rare stone cut external façade, stained glass windows, and frieze over bar.
Grogans Castle Lounge & Pub – 15 South William Street; 011-353-1-677-9320; groganspub.ie; eclectic; bit run down around edges but proper local pub, not heavily frequented by tourists; crowd includes local writers and artists, as well as people who just live around corner.
Horseshoe Bar – 27 St. Stephen’s Green (at Shelbourne Hotel); 011-353-1-663-4500; theshelbourne.com; recently renovated.
Kehoe’s – 9 Anne Street; 011-353-1-677-8312; tiny traditional bar best during day when not too crowded; old-fashioned character, with chatty regulars; settle in for pint or 2 in comfortable snugs (small private rooms).
McDaids – 3 Harry Street; 011-353-1-679-4395; among Brendan Behan’s favorite hangouts; still has literary bentgood atmosphere.
Panti Bar – 8 Capel Street; 011-353-1-874-0710; pantibar.com; famous for drag queens.
Porterhouse Temple Bar – 16-18 Parliament Street; 011-353-1-679-8847; porterhousebrewco.com; 1 of Dublin’s few microbreweries; try Wrassle’s XXXX (based on County Cork recipe from 1900s).
Stag’s Head – 1 Dame Court; 011-353-1-679-3687; thestagshead.ie; Victorian, beautiful, lots of mahogany; James Joyce favorite.
The Vaults – Harbourmaster Place; 011-353-1-605-4700; thevaults.ie; four rooms lined with thick stone walls (in old bank); some of Dublin’s; best soul and R&B.
Westbury – 2 Balfe Street; 011-353-1-679-1122; doylecollection.com/hotels/the-westbury-hotel; sleek ’30s-inspired cocktail bar & brasserie with terrace seating.



HOTELS
Aberdeen Lodge Hotel – 53-55 Park Avenue; 011-353-1-283-8155; halpinsprivatehotels.com; best value; best breakfast in Dublin.
Brooks Hotel – 59-63 Drury Street; 011-353-1-670-4000; brookshotel.ie; quiet and central with compact rooms.
Camden Court Hotel – Lower Camden Street; 011-353-1-475-9666; camdencourthotel.com; little out of way but Temple Bar only 15 minutes by foot; quiet, diverse neighborhood; affordable.
Clarence – 6-8 Wellington Quay; 011-353-1-407-0800; theclarence.ie; owned by Bono and Edge; 49-room hotel occupies landmark 1852 building facing Liffey River in Temple Bar district.
Dylan – Eastmoreland Place; 011-353-1-660-3000; dylan.ie; stylish boutique ranging from funky to Art Deco to modern; heated floors in bathroom.
Fitzwilliam Hotel – Saint Stephen’s Green; 011-353-1-478-7000; fitzwilliamhotel.com; unbeatable location with sweeping views over Green; Michelin-starred restaurant; contemporary design by Terence Conran; attentive staff, big, comfortable beds; 2 restaurants and bar; ask for room on upper floors.
Hampton Hotel – 19-29 Morehampton Road (Donnybrook); 011-353-1-668-0995; hamptonhotel.ie.
Merrion Hotel – 21-24 Upper Merrion Street; 011-353-1-603-0700; merrionhotel.com; gold standard.
Morrison – Lower Ormond Quay; 011-353-1-887-2400; morrisonhotel.ie.
Number 31 – 31 Leeson Close; 011-353-1-676-5011; number31.ie; charming guesthouse 10-minute walk from Stephen’s Green; superb breakfasts.
Shelbourne – 27 St. Stephen’s Green; 011-353-1-663-4500; marriott.com; “grand dame”; recently renovated; owned by Marriott.
Westbury – 2 Balfe Street; 011-353-1-679-1122; doylecollection.com/hotels/the-westbury-hotel; minute walk from Grafton Street, 5-minute walk from Little Museum & 11-minute walk from Dublin Castle; swanky, luxe, airy rooms have custom wool carpets, chic furnishings & pillow-top mattresses; free Wi-Fi, flat-screen TVs & Nespresso machines, plus marble bathrooms with heated floors & designer toiletries; bright, polished restaurant serves modern fare; sleek ’30s-inspired cocktail bar & brasserie with terrace seating; fitness center.



RESTAURANTS
Alexis Bar & Grill – 17/18 Patricks Street (Dun Laoghaire); 011-353-1-280-8872; alexis.ie; named after Alexis Soyer, great Victorian chef who made his name at London’s Reform Club, which helped feed starving Irish during late 1840s Great Famine; French-Irish.
Aqua – 1 West Pier; 011-353-1-832-0690; aqua.ie; ocean view on 3 sides; seafood.
Bentley’s Oyster Bar – 22 St. Stephen’s Green; 011-353-1-638-3939; bentleysdublin.com; seafood and traditional Irish food.
Bewley’s Grafton Street Café – 78/79 Grafton Street; 011-353-1-672-7720; bewleys.com; best coffee, cakes, and desserts in Dublin.
Caviston’s – 59 Glasthule Road (Sandycove); 011-353-1-280-9120; cavistons.com; slightly Bohemian with emphasis on fresh produce; owned by true character.
Chapter 1 – 18/19 Parnell Square; 011-353-1-873-2266; chapteronerestaurant.com; located in Georgian mansion’s basement, beneath Dublin Writers Museum; 1 Michelin star.
Dax – 23 Upper Pembroke Street; 011-353-1-676-1494; dax.ie; French classic fare.
L’Ecrivain – 109a Lower Baggot Street; 011-353-1-661-1919; lecrivain.com; cutting edge Irish food; 1 Michelin star.
Elephant & Castle – 18-19 Temple Bar; 011-353-1-663-4500; elephantandcastle.ie; get there early for breakfast; try French brioche toast or Irish pinhead oatmeal.
Ely Wine Bar – 22 Ely Place; 011-353-1-676-8986; elywinebar.ie; more like club than restaurant; monumental wine list; organic meats supplied by owner’s father.
Greenhouse – Dawson Street (off St. Stephen’s Green); 011-353-1-676-7015; thegreenhouserestaurant.ie; fancy-ish.
Gruel – 68 Dame Street; 011-353-1-670-7119; gruel.ie; good, home-cooking, Irish and modern European; breakfast and brunch; lunch.
Irish Film Institute – 6 Eustace Street; 011-353-1-679-5744; irishfilm.ie; dramatic setting with good food.
L’Gueuleton – 2 Fade Street; 011-353-1-675-3708; lgueuleton.com; also called “The French Place” by locals; French-Irish fusion; well-aged steaks.
Jo’Burger – 137 Rathmines Road; 011-353-1-491-3731; joburger.ie; late-night, organic burger joint.
Lobster Pot – 9 Ballsbridge Terrace; 011-353-1-668-0025; thelobsterpot.ie; order crab claws or Dublin Bay prawns, with crepes suzette for dessert.
Locks Brasserie – 1 Windsor Terrace (Portobello); 011-353-1-420-0555; locksbrasserie.com; French-inflected modern Irish dishes.
Lord Edward – 23 Christchurch Place; 011-353-1-454-2420; lordedward.ie/tbrestaurant.htm; old-style restaurant above bustling pub; seafood.
O’Connells – 133-135 Morehampton Road (Donnybrook); 011-353-1-269-6116; oconnellsdonnybrook.com; old-fashioned Irish food by young-ish chef.
One Pico – 5-6 Molesworth Place (at Schoolhouse Lane); 011-353-1-676-0300; onepico.com; internationally influenced, Irish cuisine.
Pichet – 14-15 Trinity Street; 011-353-1-677-1060; pichet-restaurant.com; international bistro.
Restaurant Patrick Guilbaud – 21 Upper Merrion Street; 011-353-1-676-4192; restaurantpatrickguilbaud.ie; 2 Michelin stars; set lunch is remarkable value; otherwise, very expensive.
Rustic Stone – 17 South Great George's Street; 011-353-1-707-9596; rusticstone.ie; owned by former Michelin-starred chef of Mint; focus is on healthy food.
37 Dawson Street – 37 Dawson Street; 011-353-1-902-2908; 37dawsonstreet.ie; opulent & quirky whiskey bar & restaurant with cocktails & modern food, plus whiskey tasting.
Thornton’s – 128 St. Stephen’s Green; 011-353-1-478-7008; throntonsrestaurant.com; 1 Michelin star; innovative, Bulli-esque.
Town Bar & Grill – 21 Kildare Street; 011-353-1-662-4724; townbarandgrill.com; beloved by journalists, politicians, and PR people; Italian and Mediterranean.
Trocadero – 4 Saint Andrew’s Street; 011-353-1-677-5545; trocadero.ie; Dublin theatrical restaurant par excellence; 1 of Dublin’s longest-established restaurants, presiding over St. Andrew Street since 1956; new bar added in 2007; comforting menus reminiscent of ‘70s offer starters like French onion soup, deep-fried brie, chicken liver pâté, and avocado prawn Marie Rose, followed by grills (fillet steak, Wicklow rack of lamb, and sole on bone.
Unicorn – 12b Merrion Court; 011-353-1-662-4757; lovely, secluded location just off busy street near St. Stephen’s Green; informal and perennially fashionable; famous for antipasto and piano bars; especially nice in summer as doors open onto terrace used for al fresco dining in fine weather; extensive menu based on Irish ingredients (suppliers listed); good regional and modern Italian food.
Winding Stair Restaurant & Bookshop – 40 Ormond Quay; 011-353-1-872-7320; winding-stair.com; traditional Irish offerings with nouvelle cuisine; some tables overlook River Liffey.



SHOPPING
Books Upstairs – 36 College Green; 011-353-1-679-6807; booksupstairs.com; independent outlet with bargains.
Catchach Books – 10 Duke Street; 011-353-1-671-8676; rarebooks.ie; antiquarian book shop.
Eager Beaver – 17 Crown Alley; 011-353-1-677-3342; used levis and tweeds.
Flip – 3-4 Upper Fownes Street; 011-353-1-671-4299; flipclothing.com; boutique in Temple Bar that sells vintage clothing from Europe and US; also has own line trendy clothing.
Powerscourt Townhouse Center – 59 South William Street; 011-353-1-679-5863; designcentre.ie; carries Irish fashion designers.
Sesi – 11 Fownes Street; 011-353-1-677-4779; quirky jewelry, bags, and clothing from around world.
Sheridans – 11 South Anne Street; 011-353-1-679-3143; sheridanscheesemongers.com.
Temple Bar Book Market – Temple Bar Square; templebar.ie; held outdoors every Saturday and Sunday at Temple Bar Square.
Temple Bar Food Market – Meeting House Square; templebar.ie; held outdoors every Saturday at Meeting House Square.
Winding Stair Restaurant & Bookshop – 40 Ormond Quay; 011-353-1-872-7320; winding-stair.com; lower levels house bookstore; upper levels house restaurant with traditional Irish offerings with nouvelle cuisine; some tables overlook River Liffey.



SIGHTS & SITES
Abbey Theatre – 26 Lower Abbey Street; 011-353-1-878-7222; abbeytheatre.ie.
Baggot Street – famous for “Doors of Dublin” poster.
Chester Beatty Library – Dublin Castle; 011-353-1-407-0750; cbl.ie; art museum and library housing great collection of drawings, manuscripts, miniature paintings, prints, rare books, and some decorative arts assembled by Sir Alfred Chester Beatty (1875-1968).
Gaiety Theatre – 50 South King Street; 011-353-1-679-5622; gaietytheatre.ie.
Gate Theatre – 1 Cavendish Row (Parnell Square); 011-353-1-874-4045; gate-theatre.ie.
Grafton Street – retail district.
Hugh Lane Gallery – Parnell Square North; 011-353-1-222-5550; hughlane.ie; housed in Charlemont House; city’s foremost collection contemporary and modern art; visit Francis Bacon’s studio.
Irish Film Institute – 6 Eustace Street; 011-353-1-679-5744; irishfilm.ie; dramatic setting.
James Joyce Centre – 35 North Great Georges Street; 011-353-1-878-8547; jamesjoyce.ie.
Kilmainham Gaol Historical Museum – Inchicore Road (Kilmainham); 011-353-1-453-5984; kilmainham-gaol.com.
National Library of Ireland – 2 Kildare Street; 011-353-1-603-0200; nli.ie.
National Gallery of Ireland – Merrion Square West; 011-353-1-661-5133; nationalgallery.ie; houses Ireland’s national art collection, as well as European art collection spanning 14th-20th Centuries; every major European school represented, including selections by Italian Renaissance artists (especially Caravaggio’s Taking of Christ (1602), French Impressionists, and Dutch 17th Century masters; Irish collection highlight is room dedicated to Jack B. Yeats’ works (W. B. Yeats’ lesser-known brother).
National Museum of Ireland – Kildare Street; 011-353-1-677-7444; museum.ie; archaeology; make sure to Eileen Gray sketches in Decorative Arts & History Museum.
Old Jameson Distillery – Bow Street (Smithfield); 011-353-1-807-2355; jamesonwhiskey.com.
Project Arts Centre – 39 East Essex Street; 011-353-1-881-9613; projectartscentre.ie.
St. Stephen’s Green – Grafton Square; 27-acre park with Yeats Garden and sculpture by Henry Moore.
Oscar Wilde House Museum – 1 Merrion Square; 011-353-1-676-8939; acd.ie.
Trinity College Dublin – College Green; 011-353-1-896-1000; tcd.ie/Library; see Book of Kells.
William Butler Yeats’ House – 82 Merrion Square; not open to public.

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