Foodlore Library

I'm walking through the rainy streets of downtown Portland in search of an Irish pub.

First Stop

7 O'Clock At Biddy McGraws
6000 NE Glisan, Portland
www.biddymcgraws.com

Is it a pint of Guinness I’m after? Nope — I don't imbibe. As a food writer, I've sat at many tables with friends and other writers, tables that are bedecked with rich, heady liquors: drinks which I admit, are strangers to me. I never drink. I'm a devout Mormon, a member of a faith who encourages its people to abstain from alcohol. So, as always, I'm pub hopping stone cold sober.

Soda at Kells

Granted, I'm not the only one who doesn't drink when I dine out or go to the occasional pub, but sometimes, it feels like it. People have their own reasons, like me, for not drinking. But tonight, I'm in good company when I meet Ean, a bartender (and co-owner) at Biddy McGraw's in the Hollywood district of Portland who tells me he doesn't drink either. His eyes are lucid. I kind of stumbled onto this place and took a seat at a greasy table in the back. Biddy’s is a tired Irish pub. There are only a handful of people here (though it's 7 o’clock on a Monday night.) It's quiet and has a bad smell — it's another one of those places in Portland that doesn’t know how to smell after the recent smoking ban. There's bluegrass music playing in the background and at one point, the song skips over and over, but nobody rushes to fix it. Ean stands behind the bar, he's handsome, in a Nicholas Cage sort-of-way, wearing a flannel shirt, a white dishrag tucked into his back pocket. He's taking sips from a half-gallon carton of chocolate milk while reading the newspaper. He and his father John bought the place from a mother and daughter from Belfast. John used to sell sewing machines and vacuum cleaners. Ean says he works also as a writer, actor and producer. He writes dark comedy.

“I thought you had to drink to write dark comedy?” I ask Ean. “No, you just have to live,” he says.

Then a guy with a nose ring and some cool tatts on his arms surfaces from the kitchen. He's the cook, I gather. I order a dish of traditional Irish Cole Cannon: Kale and skinless potatoes fried with olive oil, garlic, salt and pepper and steamed with malt vinegar. One of the owners, John, tells me the cook's name is Vash and he doubles as a musician — He's the drummer for the Portland band Circled by Hounds. His ancestors are Irish and he's spent about six years in Ireland. Vash sits down by me and tells me a bit about what it's really like hanging in Irish pubs: how Cole Cannon differs depending on the region in Ireland where it's cooked and how the pub experience is "all about the Craic (pronounced crack)," which is defined as fun or enjoyment … even lighthearted mischief around drinking or music.

Second Stop

8 O'clock at Kells Irish Restaurant & Pub
112 SW 2nd Ave, Portland
www.kellsirish.com

I met up with a friend, Reid, and we took the Red Line over the Burnside bridge into Old Town Portland. We're looking for Kells, another Irish pub where we plan to dine for the evening. Portland is rainy and Old town is, well, old — with cobbled pavement in parts. You can hear the rush of rainwater in the street drains. It's drizzly out and a band wails Irish music from inside Kells. We're met by one of the managers, Jonny, who almost transported me to Ireland with his Irish accent and his cheeriness. He greets us and leads us to a comfy booth seat. I sip soda water and my friend Reid gulps a Smithwick's alternating with a frothy dark Guinness — something our waitress Heidi suggests he try. Tracey, one of the managers at Kells, told her this secret, something learned in Ireland. Reid is diggin’ the combination — it's the cappuccino of beer.

But the real reason I've come pub hopping to Kells is to taste potatoes done four ways: comfort food times four. At Kells, you can get away with being a nondrinker because the place is not just about the drinks. The food is dee-lish. The place sort of has a split personality. Imagine a mature elegant pub with a youthful vibe. Chandeliers hang from the ceiling and servers guide you into comfy stuffed-back leather booth seats. The food comes quickly, is heaping and hot and prettily arranged on the plate. Many dishes sit atop of a bed of mashed potatoes. Jonny balances several dishes in his hand and plunks down four. I'll start with my favorites: Irish stew and Bangers and Mash.

Plate overhead: Lamb Stew

Dish 1: Irish Lamb Stew — The stew is made with Northwest lamb braised in Guinness. Chunks of tender lamb in a dark, rich and brothy sauce with perfectly-cooked carrots, onions, potatoes and fresh rosemary. I love this dish, but I'm a big fan of lamb. It's served with Kells sweet soda bread.

Dish 2: Bangers and Mash — Two plump sausages (house-made for Kells) sit crosswise on mashed potatoes covered in sweet dark gravy and a stone-ground mustard sauce made with chicken stock and brown sugar.

Dish 3: Corned beef and cabbage — A simple dish — a thick slice of corned beef leans against more mashed potatoes and steamed carrots and cabbage with mustard sauce.

Dish 4: Shepherd's pie — piping hot saucy ground beef, onions and peas cooked in cabernet and Guinness with a swirl of toasted cheddar and potatoes on the top.

Needfire ends it loud

Close by, there's a middle-aged crowd eating, laughing, and in one corner a solitary older gentleman opens up a newspaper to read. But through one door, another room is buzzing with old-fashioned Irish “craic:” bartenders are on the move behind the bar, an attractive 30-something crowd stands talking and gesticulating around small tables, laughing, drinking- some even dance up near the stage where a lusty band of kilt-wearing musicians play Irish music. I like this place's dual personality. If you get tired of the band, of the gregarious youthful vibe, you can go return to the sit-down, sophisticated (yet comfy) dining area to sip on another Guinness or order a piece of dense chocolate cake made with Guinness and served with a scoop of vanilla bean ice cream topped with a cute sprig of mint.

Biddy's and Kells: two Irish pubs in one city in the U.S. amid thousands of pubs in thousands of cities, towns, villages and shires around the globe. A familiar pub is a great place to land on St. Patty's Day. So tonight, all ye seekers of Irish “Craic” don't forget to go out with both eyes open wide, let down your guard a bit (doesn't mean you have to imbibe if you don't want) and get primed for cornbeef and cabbage, bangers and mash and Cole Cannon. Get ready to tap your feet to wild Irish music — as intoxicating as Guinness (or so I'm told!) In my humble opinion, pub hopping on St. Patty's Day at a place that dishes up authentic Irish fare and plays live Irish tunes is the way to go.

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