If you're heading to the Leonard Cohen concerts at the Royal Hospital Kilmainham next weekend, Vanessa Clarke (above) has some gourmet treats in store for you.
Instead of rushing through a pre-concert supper in town then heading to the venue (by taxi or public transport, as there will be no parking available), you can arrive early and eat and drink there. Clarke, who specialises in organising large-scale catering, has lined up a good selection of food retailers and there will be a seated picnic area in which to enjoy your meal in comfort. Kick off with a glass of champagne or a cocktail, and then order dinner from a selection of restaurants including Ely Wine Bar, which will have an organic barbecue stall as well as one serving cheese and wine. Other options include an Aya sushi bar, curries and noodles from Taste of Thailand, and a taco bar. Coffee will be provided by Coffee Angel, Karl Purdy. The catering outlets will open at 5pm and will remain open during and after the concert.
Marie-Claire Digby
Marco's making a move in Dublin
Hot on the heels of Carluccio in Dawson Street and Corrigan on St Stephen's Green comes Marco Pierre White (below), who is bringing a branch of his Frankie's Italian Bar and Grill chain to a Dublin 2 location later this year. Pierre White runs branches of Frankie's, a family-style, Italian restaurant, in London and Dubai, with his friend and business partner, champion jockey Frankie Dettori. In Dublin, the Fitzpatrick family, who already have four restaurants in the city centre, will be his partners in the venture. A choice of Dublin 2 locations is being considered, and the Irish chefs hired for the new venture will travel to London to join Pierre White's brigade for training prior to the Dublin opening, wherever it will be . . . We're still guessing.
Marie-Claire Digby
Catch up with Corrigan
Richard Corrigan is back with a new series of Corrigan Knows Food (Sundays, RTÉ1, 7.30pm). This is hardly the most original title for a television series about food (I think we can assume that this Meath man knows food, and a great deal besides), but innovations include a visit to a sausage maker in Poland who had to operate underground during the communist era. There is a distinct charm to the notion of subversive charcuterie. Closer to home, he visited my local butcher, Michael McGrath's in Lismore, where I met him quite by chance as I was buying gigot lamb chops for hotpot. Producer Peter Mulryan is a published expert on Irish whiskey, who has recently moved to Conna in east Cork where, with fellow residents, food writer, Carla Blake and myself, we should really think about starting a local chapter of the Slow Food movement. Corrigan's new Dublin version of his Bentley's Oyster Bar & Restaurant in London is due to open in mid-July on St Stephen's Green, in the premises occupied by Browne's.
Tom Doorley
Carry on carton
Shopping bags made from recycled milk cartons have been proving popular in Westport, Co Mayo, where they're selling in Westport Country Markets, a favourite weekly destination for flower lovers and foodies. The bags, which cost from €18 to €30, are made by a country market member, Urse Widmer. Woven from recycled Tetra Paks and milk cartons, they are capable, members say, of holding up to six kilos. The market has recently moved from its long-standing venue in the Town Hall to the Pete Callaghan Centre (Boxing Club) in James Street car park, but the hours remain the same - from 8.30am to 1pm every Thursday morning.
Deirdre McQuillan
The big fromage
The Avoca shops have just opened a cheese maturing room at their shop in Rathcoole, Co Dublin. The room allows customers to sample any of the 30-plus cheeses on display. They are kept at 12 degrees Celsius, apparently the perfect temperature for maturing cheese, and the range includes varieties from Ireland, France, Italy and Spain. A small team of experts is on hand to provide advice and information. They've been trained by Sheridan's Cheesemongers, who were involved with the research and choosing of the cheeses. You can enjoy the cheese experience in-house by ordering from the restaurant menu, which features two platters - a selection of four cheeses or a cheese and charcuterie option. There are a dozen types of crackers, as well as Avoca's own relishes and chutneys. A Catalonian quince paste, and a fig and almond wheel, ensure that the budding gourmand will be spoilt for choice.
Eoin Lyons
HOT SEATS TOP 10 TERRACE TABLES
Cliff House Hotel, Ardmore, Waterford
The spanking new terrace overlooking Ardmore Bay at the new Cliff House Hotel in Co Waterford (pictured left) catches the sun from lunchtime well into the evening . . . and the seafood is tops, too, whether it's from the bar or the dinner menus from an ambitious Dutch chef. 024-87800
The Egg Cafe at Avoca, Rathcoole
If you have to hit the N7, stop for a platter from the cheese and charcuterie room (see below left) on the first floor terrace overlooking the new garden . Exceptional range of wines by the glass. 01-2571810
Fishy Fishy, Kinsale, Co Cork
On sunny days you need to get there early to grab an outside table at this brilliant seafood establishment in the shadow (not literally) of St Multose's Church in the heart of old Kinsale. Not so much a terrace as just dining al fresco in a kind of Irish piazza. 021-4700415
L'Ecrivain, Baggot Street, Dublin 2
If the weather is right, you could be in the south of France if you choose to eat en plein air in this Michelin-starred establishment. The view may be modest, but the food more than compensates and it's remarkably quiet despite being in the heart of the capital. 01-6611919
Wineport Lodge, Glasson, Co Westmeath
Whether it's morning sun sparkling across Lough Ree or the moon rising behind the tall reeds, the deck alongside the restaurant - and individual porches outside every room - make dining here a special pleasure. 0906-439010
Hartleys, Dún Laoghaire, Co Dublin
They've just transformed some of that vast concrete area outside what used to be Restaurant na Mara into an additional outside dining area, with wonderful views of the bay. 01-2806767
Merrion Hotel Garden Terrace, Dublin 2
It's Dublin's most demure setting - even though Bruce Springsteen and the E Street band gave it a new kind of cred recently. Chef Ed Cooney is cooking up a number of summer specials for this courtyard garden setting, which is well worth considering, whether for breakfast, lunch or dinner. 01-6030600
Unicorn, Merrion Court, Dublin 2
A garrulous street party erupts in the laneway of this old favourite the minute the sun comes out - and lasts well beyond midnight. The oldtimers who dwell there will soon be overlooked by the young members of The Residence, the Bang Brothers' private club, opening soon with a garden designed by Paul Martin. 01-6722182
O'Dowd's, Roundstone, Co Galway
The memory of a bowl of seafood chowder taken across the road and eaten while sitting on the wall overlooking sea and mountains will see you through many a grim, wintry day. 095-35809
Dolphin Beach House, Clifden
One of our most favourite spots in the entire country. Here, you'll have breakfast or dinner on a rooftop terrace overlooking an unimaginably beautiful landscape of islands, mountains and sea. 095-21204