Customer Reviews

Mcguire's Irish Pub Cookbook

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I love cookbooks, creating a cookbook collection, and cooking. I've never been satisfied by the Irish ones I have though, which has been a lament as I am an Irish lass. The recipes in other books tend to come in fits and starts, and some need modifying...until this gem.
I can throw my other Irish cookbooks away; all I need is this full-bodied book. I made Irish Whiskey Balls and Colcannon Pie for my office for St Paddy's Day. Raves all around from a discerning audience (some are Bon Appetite diehards). Everyone wanted the pie recipe who tasted it.
So far, not a recipe tragedy in any one I've tried. McGuire's Irish Pub Cookbook already feels like an old friend and trusted companion, partly because of its good storyline as well. I expect many good years with it by my side. Maybe a trip to Florida is on the horizon as it would be fun to check out the hearth of this pub.
Highly recommended.

I came across this cookbook quite accidentally and bought it sight unseen. It is probably the best cookbook purchase I have ever made. Anyone who has been to MacGuire's knows that the food is almost as exquiste and the scenery. I made "Paddy's Artichoke and Spinach Dip" for a dinner party and everyone was asking for the recipe. A definite buy for anyone who loves to entertain.

Never having been to McGuire's Pub, I bought the book more out of curiosity. It has become one of my favorite cookbooks as well as my husband's. The recipes range from casual to great for entertaining and most are relatively simple to follow. Now that we have moved to Florida, I plan to visit the real thing soon!

I bought this book as a companion to the "Complete Encylopaedia of Beer", thinking it would have pub sandwiches and onion rings. We just love this book! We have made the Basil Shrimp and the Smoked Salmon Bisque. They were very good, not complicated to make. Now we just have to pick which one to try next! There are several Irish dishes, but they are more appetizing than the standard corned beef and cabbage. Each recipe is accompanied by a little history or story, which makes for more interesting and fun cooking.

`McGuire's Irish Pub Cookbook' by cookbook author for hire, Jessie Tirsch is a book-length add for the bar and restaurant in Pensacola, Florida by the same name. While this may immediately discredit the book in some people's minds, I found this to be an excellent presentation if Irish-American bar food, with the Irish influence being dominant.

Two words of warning to people whom may be encouraged to visit McGuire's Irish Pub. The first is that like Boston's `The Bull and Finch', the model for the bar portrayed in the TV series, `Cheers', `McGuire's' promises to be very busy, turning over a chair about once every half hour, in their public rooms. When I visited `The Bull and Finch', I barely had time to have a pint of beer and score a beer class including the `Cheers' logo plus a tee-shirt. The second is that many recipes in this book are not actually served at the pub today. But, neither of these considerations detracts in any way from the quality of the book.

My basis for evaluating this book is my recently reviewed `The Scottish-Irish Pub and Hearth Cookbook' by Kay Shaw Nelson. The first thing that comes home to me is the similarity of available shellfish in Scotland and Ireland compared to the shellfish available in the Gulf of Mexico. Both `terroirs;' have ample supplies of fresh shrimp (prawns), oysters, mussels, and clams. Thus, subtropical Pensacola can do a great imitation of dishes from the oceanic fauna of the North Sea and the North Atlantic. The second thing where I find a great parallel between American pubs and Scotch - Irish pubs is the fact that the hamburger in its many permutations is a staple bar food for both regions. I was so surprised to find so many good hamburger recipes in Ms. Nelson's book that I was tempted to believe the hamburger was an Irish invention.

This book begins with a very long illustrated Foreword by the bar's owners, McGuire and Molly Martin which chronicles the history of the bar, supplemented with many excellent pictures of some of the bar's more interesting interior decorations, featuring the mythical Uncle Nathan and some of the 12 huge moose heads.

The book begins, I am very pleased to say, with a chapter on breads and brunch. This is appropriate not only because it begins with brunch, but it also has all the recipes for the breads and rolls used for hamburgers and the like in later chapters. Most recipes are recognizably Irish, although at least three are clearly from that very un-Irish country, Italy, with the very similar flag.

The remaining chapters are:

Finger Foods: Appetizers and Party Picks
Between the Bread: Creative Sandwiches
The Kettle: Soups and Stews
Creature Comforts: Fish, Fowl, and Meat
Under Cover: Savory Pies and Tarts
Noodles And: Pasta and Crepes
And With It All: Side Dishes
The Eating of the Green: Salads
Celebrations: Passionate Potables
Sweet Sign-Offs: Heavenly Desserts
St. Pat Tricks: Tips, Techniques, Stocks, Etc.

I just had to check if the salads chapter included a recipe with watercress, the original shamrock. Oddly, I found that close to half of the salads recipes were based on pasta and seafood, but with lots of representatives of the spinach, cabbage, and carrot clans.

The last chapter on general techniques is useful, but pretty familiar to experienced amateur cooks. The desserts chapter is generally true to Irish puddings, tarts and use of fruits. I was just a bit surprised at the many desserts including chocolate, as this is not a big ingredient in native Irish recipes.

Every chapter seems to be a bit over half of true Irish recipes, with the remainder being imports from French and Italian cuisines, especially Italian. Several of the new inventions are interesting, but my favorite is the `Baby Reuben Egg Rolls with Honey-Beer Mustard'. Like basil and tomatoes, the pairing of corned beef and cabbage (or sauerkraut) is so great that the pairing seems to work in just about any preparation, especially with its constant companions, beer and mustard.

If you don't want the ad and the blarney in the headnotes, and want something a bit more authentic, get `The Scottish-Irish Pub and Hearth Cookbook', but if all you want are good Irish-American bar food recipes, you will not be disappointed with this offering.

I admit that I was really excited to find this book. We ate at McGuire's in Pensacola a couple of times, and I desperately wanted their Shepard's Pie recipe. It's not in the book! It's one of the most popular dishes at the restaurant. Furthermore, the recipe for that incredible brown bread that they serve at the table is not in the book either!
I was planning a special birthday party for my very-Irish mother, and really wanted to make both of these for her. It was pretty disappointing. However, the dessert choices were amazing.
If you are buying this to be able to have recipes from your favorite dishes from the restaurant, you may be disappointed!

My daughter, a veterinarian, honored me with an invitation to accompany her on a trip to Ireland where she was attending a four-day seminar for continuing education credits! Yes, I am a very proud Mom! Thanks to her recommendation and Amazon Wish List, I bought this book for us and it really is a great helper for Irish meals. Highly recommended!

I'm extremely frustrated my dishes turn out good, but theirs turn out GREAT! Atmosphere and real Irish cooks must be the difference.

You can't go wrong with this book. I've cooked everything in it so far, and while absolutely nothing came out bad, I still don't have the Irish touch to compete with the real thing!

Well written, even an average cook will do well with this book. WELL worth the money as it sells for $26 in the gift shop! =)

No visit to Pensacola, Florida is complete without visiting McGuire's, an institution if there ever was one. An incredibly fun place to eat, and you could occupy yourself for hours just looking at all its stuff! The Cookbook captures much of the feel of the place, the flavor, if you will. Most might buy it as a souvenier, but the recepies are worth trying!

I actually purchased this as a gift for a friend that loves her Irish heritage & loves to cook even more, and she hasn't stopped raving about how great this cookbook is. Apparently it's become her favorite cookbook. Giving it 5 stars for this reason.