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the RARE belle

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Tag Archives: St Patrick’s day

drinkin’ on the job…goin’ Irish

03 Thursday Mar 2016

Posted by theRAREbelle in bar belles

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drinkin' on the job, High Street Hospitality, St Patrick's day, Talk Magazine, TALKGreenville, The Playwright


The ides of March may be upon us, but we have the perfect escape in Highstreet Hospitality Group’s upscale, classic pub, Playwright. An inviting mix of booths, tables and a magnificent bar provide the perfect euro-centric setting for enjoying a cold sip and a warm taste.  You will want to linger longer in this treasure of a pub, taking a break from a long winter’s day. It really is the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.

 

Jig-worthy fare 

Renowned chef, Adam Cooke, has created and tweaked a menu that is off-the-charts mouthwatering. From the corned beef brisket croquettes to the lamb and guiness pie, there is something for everyone. By the way…we highly recommend the scotch egg (a taste thrill if there ever was one!)

 The Stokers Mule

The Stokers Mule is the ideal beverage to stoke the fire and warm the body right up. Playwright puts its Irish twist on the classic mule with a perfect balance of Irish whiskey, bitters, “2 gingers” ginger beer and an orange slice (a touch of vitamin C to keep the sniffles at bay).

 

 The Dubliner

If you haven’t noticed, gin is making a comeback…something we don’t mind one bit! This particular concoction puts an Irish slant on the typical gin and tonic with its color…green, of course! Made with Hendricks gin, Jack Rudy tonic, and a cucumber garnish, it’s crisp, fresh, and just what the doctor ordered to cure the winter doldrums.

 

 Drinking dessert is our favorite!!

While Playwright’s dessert menu is swoon-worthy (“Cast Iron Irish Oatmeal Chocolate Cookie”…shut the front door!!), we can be quite happy with a cocktail as the final course (‘cause cocktailin’ is what we do). The “Kilkenny’s Revival” fits the bill perfectly with coconut vodka, Baileys, amaretto, Frangelico, and a cinnamon-maple sugar rim. Sweet!

  

As if Playwright didn’t already have enough to offer, we would be remiss to not mention three more bits of interest. First, the “Library”…a private whiskey room…is the perfect spot for an intimidate whiskey tasting (their whiskey menu is epic) or a private party for wining and dining. Second, the folks here are in-tune with the theater crowd. They know the importance of making it to the play on time (Shakespeare would be proud). Finally, “Sunday, Bloody Sunday” takes on a whole new meaning with the “Irish Rebel” (a bacon-laced bloody mary)…one of the stars of Playwright’s Sunday brunch. If you aren’t Irish, you will want to be by the time you’ve finished here, folks.

Erin go Braugh!

a&a

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leprechaun trickery?…a lesson to the overly-confident belle-chef

11 Wednesday Mar 2015

Posted by theRAREbelle in belle-icious

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

a spicy perspective, amanda hesser, appetizer, corned beef and cabbage, food 52, ibaileys irish bundt cake, irish recipes, recipe girl, reuben dip, St Patrick's day

Believe it or not, even though we seem to be attached at the hip…sometimes we belles do seperate for brief periods of time. It was spring break time for the teen belles, so SHE (petite belle and family) traveled to a far away island for some tropical r&r…

(the evidence)

(the evidence)


…while I happily (but a tad jealously) stayed home with a light schedule and a couple of free days.

So, with a bit of time on my hands, I took the opportunity to get a lil ahead of the game and tackle an Irish recipe for the blog…hoping to give us all a plan for a St. Pat’s Day meal. Now, not tryin’ to brag or anything, I have been told that I’m a pretty dang good cook on more than one occasion…and I feel like I know my way around a recipe…and even have enough know-how to tweak and adjust with confidence.

Looking for something classically Irish, I picked a Guinness stew that seemed perfect for the occasion. With absolutely no hesitation, I took to cooking. Three and a half hours later…most of which was cooking time, I opened the Dutch oven to discover…a complete and utter disaster. The liquid had totally evaporated, it was on the verge of being stuck to the bottom of the pot, and it looked revolting!! I dared taste it…NOT GOOD…BITTER…YUCK!! Still, because I’ve been doing this kitchen gig for a while now, I didn’t panic. I resorted to tweaking, adding liquid, seasoning, stirring. I tasted again…blech!! Had I failed? Surely not! Leprechaun trickery? Likely!!

So, I did what every good cook would do…I got rid of the evidence. Straight to the trash it went. I didn’t even give the dogs a chance at it (…it was that bad). So, now what? I was over the whole stew idea…and I realized it might be better to simply recommend the ace-up-my-sleeve Corned Beef and Cabbage that we posted for St. Patrick’s Day last year…
IMG_2549Make it…it’s tantrum (and Leprechaun) proof. (And if y’all have any Irish mains that are tasty, and foolproof as well, please share with us!!!)

All was not lost, though. I might have been conquered by the stew, but I did come across two additional treats that you will want to make all year round!

First, an appetizer…

IMG_2202Via Pinterest
Hot Reuben Dip from
recipegirl.com

This appetizer is drool-worthy and perfect for any time…even if you’ve just had a hissy fit and take to eating it with a spoon because no one is around…just sayin’. We especially like the drizzle of thousand island over the top of it to raise the yum factor.

And, of course, we love any excuse for a sweet treat…so this cake should do the trick.

IMG_2203Via Pinterest
Baileys Irish Bundt cake from aspicyperspective.com

I mean…do we even have to say anything? Words just don’t do this cake justice…but a fork will!!

So, traveling belle and humbled belle are back in their rightful places…and we have more March menu ideas (of the liquid variety) headed your way tomorrow! Could a belle ask for more??

a&a

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cocktailin’ with the Irish…a friend-1-1 to put a jig in your step

06 Friday Mar 2015

Posted by theRAREbelle in bar belles

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

Connoleys Irish Pub, Irish, St Patrick's day, Talk Greenville, whiskey

We belles have been on the job again…doing a bit of cocktailing and writing about it…because that’s what we do!  This time we were doing a bit of prep for our favorite reason to celebrate March…good ole St. Paddy’s Day!  Who doesn’t love a day when everyone gets to pretend to have at least a wee bit of Irish blood…and (more importantly) have a great excuse to sample the spirits of the “Emerald Isle”?

While one of us has some true Irish blood…the other sure acts like it!  Our stubborn streaks had us cozied up to the bar at Connolly’s Irish Pub on a recent Tuesday night (purely for work, of course) until we found an Irish cocktail or two that tickled our fancy and made others green with envy. The Irish take their drinking very seriously…as do we. We found a couple of good ones for ya…

IMG_2394

The “Irish Breakfast”…of course the Irish would have a liquid breakfast option! Jameson and buttershots in one glass (buttery, syrupy, hearty goodness); orange juice (fresh, citrusy and a good dose of vitamin c) in another. It’s like an Irish IHOP in a glass!! And who doesn’t like a little breakfast for dinner…or cocktails?

IMG_2395

Next up, we asked for a “Bushmills Irish Buck.” While not on the regular bar menu, Chelsey and Jaime were happy to accommodate. Chilled Bushmills Irish Whiskey, ginger ale, and fresh lime combine to create a delightfully sippable elixir…sans ice (no dilution here)! Balancing the burn of the whiskey, the tang of the lime and the sharpness of the ginger make this a cozy cocktail that won’t weigh you down.

Bonus!!  Tuesday is Trivia Night, creating a fun, slightly competitive atmosphere. It’s a great idea unless you are with someone who refuses to leave until they win (ahem, petite belle). We (finally) made our exit with a jig in our step and twinkle in our eyes. Now we know why Irish eyes are always smilin’.

Click here for the full TALK article.

Cheers!

a&a

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kiss the blarney stone and…. just sayin’

17 Monday Mar 2014

Posted by theRAREbelle in just sayin'

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Tags

humor, quotes, St Patrick's day

20140314-203904.jpg
Via Pinterest

Irish belles love any excuse to dance!
a&a

34.830341 -82.405687

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st. patrick’s day advice…..just sayin’

16 Sunday Mar 2014

Posted by theRAREbelle in just sayin'

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Tags

advice, humor, St Patrick's day

20140314-203422.jpg
Via Instagram

Leave the ironing to the leprechauns!

a&a

34.833104 -82.394241

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