Dublin, Ireland: Indian Restaurant -- Jewel in the Crown

Last night, as a party of eight, we collected for an amazing meal of Indian fare at Jewel in the Crown in celebration of Lee's birthday.  The restaurant sits conveniently doors away from the touristy and famous Temple Bar in the heart of Dublin.  The area is ambient with a well preserved medieval feel, narrow cobblestone roads and Victorian walk up storefronts.  As for the restaurant, it is small, quaint and unpretentious.  Our table was situated on the lower level in a small dining room towards the front of the building.  The room was shallow due to the low ceiling and tight seating.  I have to be honest, the food was extremely tasty and well worth the experience, but, the overly soiled carpet throughout the restaurant was a bit off putting at first.  The waite staff was kind and accommodating, making up for any lack in the decor.  We shared bottles of Chilean Merlot and still water, samosas, kebabs, onion bhaji and poppadoms for starters.  I chose the chicken korma and garlic naan as my entre, the usual.  I tend to stick with what's familiar.

Indian cuisine

As the evening was still young, after dinner we continued on in search of Kehoe's.  A traditional Irish pub dimly lit and moderately crowded, where we drank Guinness and Irish whisky,.....what else.  As for me, I couldn't get down much more than ginger ale.  I had found my limit, or should I say, my limit had found me.  Ha ha.

Kehoe's Irish Pub

In all, it was a full and much needed evening of fun, great food, good laughs and friendly chatter.

Dublin, Ireland: Guinness Brewery

Well, it's been six days since our last show, so I think the majority of us are ready for a work day. As the saying goes, "idle hands are the devils workshop". We arrived in Dublin a couple of days early due to the Paris shows being postponed. I didn't have plans for Dublin, but I knew that I didn't want to spend my days drinking in the local pubs every night. Instead, I opted to go straight to the source, the Guinness Brewery. No, honestly, beer is not my alcoholic beverage of choice, I'd much rather a fine bottle of red or something bubbly, but, seeing as how I'm in Dublin, it made since to do as the Irish and "throw back a chilled pint", plus,... it was one of the highlighted stops on the city bus tour. Yep, I and my buddies were tourist for a day making all of the pertinent stops around town, while riding on the open air bus. I've learned not to criticize "those" people anymore,... yes, the person in town for a day or two, walking aimlessly with their head held high and cocked at a 45 degree angle observing any and everything above eye level, a Canon camera dangling from around their neck and a paper map at their disposal. I find that "occasionally", I AM "those" people and that's okay.













The bus pick up location was at a nearby intersection, it was from that point that we made a loop around the city all the while listening to the automated explanation and commentary for the historic landmarks we saw. Most interesting to me was learning of Trinity College of Dublin, founded in 1592, the Book of Kells, Ireland's most coveted manuscript and seeing the birth place of renowned playwright, poet and author Oscar Wilde.
Once at the Guinness Brewery, which, might as well have been called the "Guinness Brewery Magnet and Tourist Depot", we skipped the tour and headed straight to the top to The Gravity Bar. A bar with an endless supply of Guinness and a 360 degree view of the city. Being a Guinness "newbie", I did my best to get through my pint with a little help from my friends. We laughed and cheered with a few toasts, before leaving to go to Grafton Street for some window shopping.








The streets were full with the "hustle and bustle" of people seemingly moving fast, but going nowhere. It was now late in the day, the stores were soon closing and we had finally worked up an appetite. Unanimously, we decided on Wagamama, a favorite. Being back in Europe and the UK, it was only a matter of time before we'd seize the chance for the "Asian persuasion." For anyone not familiar, Wagamama is an easy modern dining experience of pan-Asian cuisine that taste very fresh and flavorful. As for the US, there are only locations in Boston and DC, so I get my fix whenever I'm in Europe. We worked off our meal by walking a good distance back to the tram stop that would take us to the Gibson, our home away from home. In all, it was a day well spent. Now,... what to do with the rest of my days off!?....