Irish Food And Drink Highlight Recent Openings

1) Lower Garden District: The Irish House opened last week under the leadership of Matt Murphy, formerly the executive chef at the M Bistro at the Ritz. Across the street from the St Charles Tavern in the building that used to house Taqueros y Coyoacan, The Irish House is designed to evoke images of the sort of public house in Dublin where workmen can have a pint and families can come for dinner, combining the look and feel of a typical, comfortable pub with high quality food. A Dubliner by birth, Murphy is cooking up a combination of traditional Irish fare like Irish stew and fish and chips, along with "more sophisticated fare" like shrimp and artichoke risotto. [The Gambit.]

2) Mid City: Opening not far from Mid City Irish pub stalwarts, Mick's and Finn McCool's, is new pub The Holy Ground. Mid City's newest Irish bar is owned by Stephen Collins, a co-owner of nearby Finn's, who originally came to the United States from his native Northern Ireland to paint heraldry and coats-of-arms. Collins' own art covers the walls, including "historic" maps of Ireland and other vaguely Irish images. In a time where "Irish pubs" are often just shitty sports bars with an Irish name (and maybe an occasional deal on Guinness), The Holy Ground is instead a testament to the sort of place where New Orleans' actual Irish community likes to hang out. [TP]