Category News & Events

Your Guide to a Green St. Patrick’s Day from Parties That Cook

Have you spent so much of March celebrating Mardi Gras that you forgot about Saint Patrick’s Day?! Begin freak-out: It’s TOMORROW! Stop freak-out: Parties That Cook is here to help! We know where to go and what to eat around San Francisco, Chicago and Seattle this Saint Patrick’s Day, March 17, 2011.

It wouldn’t be St. Patrick’s Day without a good beer. Head to the incredibly Irish Ireland’s 32 for 32 options of beer and whiskey. Note:  they WILL kick you out for complaining about the Irish folk songs. Another option, Abbey Tavern will have live music all day! 7×7 has their list of the 12 best Irish pubs in San Francisco. Should you want to take the route of sophistication, The Buena Vista has your fix of delicious Irish coffee. The Irish Bank – also on the list and, surprisingly, not an actually bank – will host its annual St. Patrick’s day Block Party complete with Bag Pipes and Irish Dancers! Make sure to stay safe once those Irish car bombs hit, and take advantage of Free Cab Rides Home and AAA’s Tipsy Tow – only available on the most special of Holidays!

Stop by the historic Johnny Foley’s in San Francisco for some traditional Irish fare – just don’t mind the tourists. For those who want to make their own Irish meal, SFGate has your traditional Irish recipes! 7×7 also offers 5 St. Patrick’s Day cocktail recipes that will help you avoid that green beer. Not one for the crazy crowds? You can still partake in a range of interesting events at the Crossroads Irish-American Festival through March 25!

For those in Chicago who did NOT dye the river green (OK, you can still come), there are plenty of spots offering St. Patrick’s Day specials! Guinness Pizza, Shepherd’s pie (with Jameson gravy) and an Irish milkshake with Baileys and Jameson –Oh my! The Chicagoist presents their list of where to eat and drink this Thursday. Someone PLEASE try the Peterson’s vanilla malt ice cream and mint, garnished with Lucky Charms cereal for those not lucky enough to be in Chicago! This Sunday, grab your running shoes and undo some of Thurday’s damage at the 10th Annual St. Paddy’s 5K Run/Walk benefiting the Irish-American Heritage Center!

Seattle’s Kells Irish Restaurant & Pub (also found in San Francisco and Portland) is gearing up for its 28th annual St. Patrick’s Irish Festival that doesn’t just end on the 17th! Talk about authentic, the festival includes a great line up of Irish Bands direct from Ireland and the Pacific Northwest. You should also consider heading over to Fado Irish Pub for a grand ole St. Patrick’s Day with live music after 2pm, or the 3rd Annual St. Patrick’s Day Beer Blast! Plenty of Irish food, brew, and music to be enjoyed by all!

Parties That Cook Explores the Unconventional: Pay-What-You-Want Restaurant Pricing

There’s a new Chicago restaurant in the works that’s generating a lot of buzz these days. Most recently, it was a Daily Candy article that sparked my interest in ING. No, I didn’t forget the verb in this present participle. ING happens to stand for Imagining New Gastronomy; and executive chef Thomas Bowman does just that. Not only does he use miracle berries (a REAL African fruit that has the power to make sour and bitter foods taste sweet) in some dishes, but there is a pay-by-the-hour option for those who live by a schedule.

Call me silly, but it was the unconventional pricing structure that really caught my attention. (We’ll save the miracle berries for another day.) I couldn’t help but wonder what other ways restaurants are making a profit– or at least covering costs.

Research led me to a few restaurants that actually have faith in their fellow man –and woman! One World Cafés in Baltimore & Salt Lake City, SAME (So All Might Eat) Café in Denver, and Panera Bread Foundation’s Panera Cares Cafés throughout the country all implement pay-what-you-want pricing. Because they use the freshest of ingredients, menus change daily at some of these restaurants. Prices are suggested, but not enforced. At One World Café, if a customer does not have enough to meet the suggested price, they are encouraged to volunteer their time in the garden or kitchen. Neither SAME Café, nor Panera Cares Café even has a cash register! Instead, a donation box is available for patrons to pay what they felt their meal was worth, or to leave a little more and help out someone less fortunate.

You might have a hard time believing that, for the most part, these cafes don’t have issues with funding –I can’t be the only skeptic! Sure, some people take advantage of the lack of set prices, but most people meet suggested price levels if they donate generously. This must explain why the US is not alone in implementing this pricing structure –we aren’t even the first to try it out!

If you have the opportunity to, definitely stop in and visit one of these amazing cafes! Who wouldn’t want to support an organization whose philosophy is “that everyone, regardless of economic status, deserves the chance to eat healthy food while being treated with dignity”?