pj mcintyre’s irish pub.

Corned beef.  Boxty.  Beer.  Seriously, what’s not to love about an Irish pub?

I had a LivingSocial deal for Pj McIntyre’s located in West Park/Kamm’s Corner area.  Walked out stuffed and with enough food for 6 more meals.  Not kidding.  $30 through LivingSocial (but I paid $13) sure went a long way.

We ordered the reuben dip appetizer.  OMG.  This is the best thing ever.  It came with boxty chips.  I knew what boxty was, wasn’t sure what boxty chips were.  Ummm.  Eat these.  It’s like they made boxty then instead of cooking them on a griddle they were fried.  They are spongy yet crispy and phenomenal.  The dip itself was so-so, good but more cheesy than anything else and the flavor of the sauerkraut was lost.

The item on the menu we wanted the most was the stuffed boxty.  It was a GIANT boxty stuffed with corned beef, sauerkraut, and swiss cheese.  Probably 3 inches thick.  It was intimidating.  After being blown away by the boxty chips, I wasn’t all that impressed with the actual boxty.  It also came paired with a dip that was horseradish based, I would have better liked a thousand island sauce.  Not saying it wasn’t good, just didn’t compare to the chips.  Their corned beef is tender and flavorful.

Our waitress was fun and charming.  We enjoyed our overall experience at this place.  Will definitely look for another livingsocial deal.  Can’t beat 8 meals for $17 + tip!

dairy-free potato spinach soup.

Yes, my Christmas tree is still up.  That’s not what we are here to talk about.

Soup!!  The meal you make by emptying out your fridge.  Enjoy!

Dairy-Free Spinach Potato Soup

4 medium to large Potatoes

1 Carrot

1 stalk Celery

1 medium Onion

2 cloves of Garlic

2 links of Sausage

2 tablespoons Dairy-Free Butter

1 tablespoon Tapioca Starch

4-5 tablespoons Chicken Base

2 cups Water

2 cups Almond milk

1 cup Spinach

1. Chop up all veggies and sausages.  Put the potatoes in a pot of boiling water.  Cook until easily mashed with a fork.  Drain, set aside.  At the same time add the carrots, garlic, onions, celery, and sausages into a large stock pot on low to medium heat.  Cook until carrots and celery are soft.  (If your sausages cook out a lot of fat you might want to drain.)
2. Add tapioca starch and butter to stock pot and cook on low until you have a rue-like consistency.  Golden brown color.
3. Add water and chicken base to stock pot and stir.  Once mixed up add potatoes into the pot. And simmer lightly.
4. Add in almond milk, chopped spinach and any salt or pepper to taste.  Once almond milk is heated, your soup is ready to serve.