Lunch out at The Porterhouse

When we take our weekend rambles through Dublin exploring, we always end up hungry.  Is this because City Centre is a full hour's walk each way from our home?  Is this because Dublin is densely packed with an endless variety of restaurant choices, each wafting fragrant smells into the streets?  Is this because we intentionally plan our meal schedule to "force" ourselves to stop for lunch?

Whatever the reason, we received a hot tip from our friends about The Porterhouse near Temple Bar in Dublin.  We all know about Ireland's National Beer, Guinness, brewed right here in Dublin.  Guinness, as we all know, is the champion of international marketing, distribution, and advertising.  Guinny does make a good stout, beyond question, but what other beers might be made here in Dublin on a smaller scale?  The Porterhouse is known through the city as a top-choice microbrewery, and these two foodies Beeries (hopophiles?  Malt-jockeys?  Yeast heads?) were in for a treat.

Hop head IPA, Oyster Stout, Plain Porter

We heard they served good food, but our first priority was those beers.  We ordered up a sample tray with their Hop Head Pale Ale, Oyster Stout, and their most famous, award-winning beer, Plain Porter.  They did offer more than a dozen beers, so we were spoiled for choice.  We are both darker ale fans, leaning away from the light Pilsner lagers available in large inexpensive quantities on American grocery store shelves.  We would been just peachy ordering a full sample tray of stouts, but decided to vary our sample just slightly with the Hop Head Pale Ale.  

The Plain Porter is a technically a light stout (hence the name Porter) but I'm no beer style judge.  It was dark, malty, smooth, and just slightly sweet.  Wonderful stuff.  One of our pints would be this award-winner for sure.  

The Hop Head delivered on its promised name- a powerful fruity-green-balanced hop smack.  I'm not experienced in describing complex beer flavors in words, but I know what a good hoppy beer tastes like, and this is one of them.  

The Oyster Stout was just a bit darker than the Plain Porter when held up to light.  Its character was a bit dryer (less sweet) than the Porter, and there was more roasted flavor with a hint of bitterness.

We ordered a pint of Plain Porter and a pint of the Oyster Stout to go with our pub meal.

Fish and chip and steak sandwich

One of my favorite UK-influenced meals is fish and chips.  The very best for me usually come from cheap, greasy takeaway joints as it was originally served.  Pubs all include their own take on this classic, and it is always a good fall back.  In the States, I would almost always order the burger- here, I go for the chips!  Cheap takeaway chippers usually serve it with tartar sauce, vinegar, lemon, and lots of salt.  Nicer pubs and restaurants almost always include mushy peas and some fancy salad to dress it up.  Sara dug into a steak sandwich sagging under the weight of a mound of grilled onions.

Ice cream and waffles

Dessert menu?  Look no further than the chocolate mint ice cream served over a crispy waffle.  Why have we been wasting all these years eating waffles for breakfast with maple syrup!?  

Now, sagging ourselves with food, ice cream, and beer, we faced the unhappy circumstance of a three-mile walk home.  Good thing we didn't have any evening plans...