The Blasket Inaugural Review #TerrificTakeout #WhomYouKnow @ManhattanPeachy
Owner Niall Boyle of County Tyrone, Ireland
Shepards Pie perfection
Guinness Mac and Cheese: What is missing from your life!
A new way for Peachy to be crabby!
It's not who you know, it's WHOM YOU KNOW.
And of all that we know, it was instilled in us early on how important it is to be IRISH and how proud we ought to be of that (check out Peachy on her first St. Patrick's Day and this piece on West End Knitwear. It was too warm in Manhattan to wear this to the review.)
It is common to find an Irish pub in Manhattan.
It is rare to find one that is great at cuisine as well as drinks, and The Blasket impressed us on our first visit. It's named after islands off the Dingle Peninsula of County Kerry and has been open since October 2017.
We worked with owner Niall Boyle on this review, and began with a new favorite version of Mac and Cheese: GUINNESS Mac and Cheese. In a word, it's fantastic. Of course it is because they are using CAHILL'S Irish Cheddar Porter from Newcastle West, Limerick, Ireland. Peachy actually has this cheese in her personal refrigerator right now and is going to cry when it is gone. If you are not lucky enough to have lived in Ireland, you need to know their dairy products are highly superior to anything American and if you move back to America you won't be able to get used to our sadly inferior dairy in comparison. Obviously the Guinness is from Ireland too and there are also breadcrumbs and American smoked bacon coming to this delicious party. Peachy cannot wait to eat this again.
Glamour shot:
The Blasket is co-owned by Niall Boyle and brothers Liam McCarthy and Padraig McCarthy, from County Kerry. All three are operating partners which is ideal.
Previously on Whom You Know, Liam was featured ages ago with his last spot, Session House:
The Blasket even has an Executive Chef, Keith Brackett who hails from County Kildare and graduated from Tallagh IT in Dublin.
Crab is one of Peachy's favorite foods.
Look at this gorgeous Crab and Avocado Crostini! It's the epitome of fresh elegance and a delicacy that you won't find at other pubs, Irish or not. The crab was quintessentially fresh, the avocado was in correct proportion, the radish was sliced perfectly thin and the crostini was crisp. Perfect.
Niall suggested we try Irish Sausage Rolls, and they're crafted with Donnelly Pork Sausage from Ireland. Mustard Aioli is made on premises and is a great dipping highlight. Pickled salad also comes to the party.
The Blasket has two salad choices; we'd like to see more salads on the menu particularly for the warm weather. We chose the Roasted Beet Salad, which was exactly what we were looking for. Normally this comes with goat cheese. They even held the goat cheese for Ms. Pretty Picky who abhors it and also put the dressing on the side like she asked, which is for her key to a good salad. Joining the base of greens are fresh components: heirloom tomato, red beets, and balsamic.
Not all Shepards Pie are the same.
Some are just superior.
If you want to be technical we believe the name indicates lamb and Cottage Pie indicates beef.
This version is 50/50 lamb beef blend, and is grass fed and sourced from Green Tree Meats in New Jersey. It is successfully joined by parmesan, crusted mash and you have a choice of fries or salad.
The best fish and chips we've had in 2018 were these at The Blasket!
Sourced from Tail Fin and delivered three times a week, local Atlantic Cod is perfectly beer battered resulting in a satisfying crispness. Tartar Sauce and mushy peas are EXACTLY how they are supposed to be in Ireland/the UK and this is extremely difficult to find in both Manhattan and America (But Mover and Shaker Alison Blythe is the best in America.)
Another total winner is the scallion mash, which is a terrific consistency and superbly authentic. U2 also plays in the background which adds to the experience; last summer Adam Clayton was featured on Whom You Know click here to listen to his speech and U2 performances:
We finished with a spectacular creme brulee and we can't wait to see what these Irishmen do next.
Where are they on Twitter?
