Letters Page

Dear John and Sally

Dear John and Sally

I have just purchased your newly published Bridgestone Traveller's and Shopper's guides. I live in Dublin but am proud to hail from Kerry. While Cork understandably overshadows Kerry in terms of culinary capabilities, I feel that your chapters on the Kingdom are always unnecessarily short and that there are some notable ommissions. The places mentioned below are regular haunts of mine and I would like to recommend them. These are my opinions but I would like to point them out to you. Perhaps you would consider them for inclusion in future Bridgestone editions......

1. Dowd's Smoked Salmon Tralee, Co. Kerry (fresh, wild salmon smoked on the premises. I often bring sides of Dowd's smoked salmon to France and my French friends rave about it! It certainly is the best smoked salmon I have eaten!)

2. Coffee and Spice, Church Street, Tralee, Co. Kerry T: 066 7190979 (a newly opened deli in Tralee, lovely breads, speciality foods, coffee and other goodies, nice wine selection)

3. McDonnell's butchers, Ballyheigue (my home village), Co. Kerry (Jackie Mac's sausages are renowned & well loved, with good reason!)

4. Der O'Sullivan's delicatessen, The Mall, Tralee, Co. Kerry T: (066) 7121370 (Der's wine selection is one of the best in Kerry in my humble opinion, a lot of wines which I find hard to locate in Dublin, I often manage to find here and at more reasonable prices!)

5. Horgan's Meats, Kilmoyley, Co. Kerry (You have to go out to their farm to buy the best rashers and bacon in North Kerry!!!)

6. A man with an olive stall (including feta cheese, sundried tomatoes, hummous and other yummy goodies) sets up in Tralee market square every Friday...I am afraid I can't remember this name! There is a French couple with a bread and cheese stall on Fridays as well. So there you go, there is a bit more to the Kerry foodie scene than you think!

Yours sincerely,
Ciara Quill

*Thanks Ciara, We are really grateful for all this, because whilst some folk believe we demonstrate a disrespect for Kerry, it is completely untrue, and whilst we spent lots of time in the county this year, it is always hard to winkle out the local secrets such as Dowdıs, Jackie Mac, Der O'Sullivan and Horgan's. Better just head west again!

Dear John and Sally

Microplane Graters are available from www.lakelandlimited.com - a fantastic company in the U.K. who have shops all over as well as a catalogue and the web site - I would recommend them.

Regards
Heather Sweetnam

*Thanks a million Heather, we checked it out and it is indeed a good site. See also our Megabytes Club, where we sourced some graters closer to home.

Dear John and Sally

Thanks for recommending Ginger in Belfast.

1 The Bread is unique, ancient and modern and perfect for his food.
2 The squid starters, and the Thai soups show this young chef's  imagination is still developing. His mains, especially the fish and game  are so much better than many of the expensive 1 and 2 rosette restaurants we used in France this past two weeks The French still have the better coffee.

*Well, thanks for that. Who could have imagined such a letter being written even five years ago, comparing a BYO restaurant in Belfast at the expense of starred French restaurants? We live in exciting times!

Dear John and Sally

I should be grateful if you would please advise how a restaurant gains an entry into the Bridgestone guide ?

Kind Regards
Mrs Deirdre McCarthy

*Simple, Deirdre, but far from scientific, we're afraid. One of our editors or readers sends us a mail saying: Hot Discovery! Act Now! Or a restaurateur writes to us and says: I believe in what I am doing, and I am doing the best I can, and the Bridgestone guides need to let food lovers know what I am doing. Either way, off we go to search for the good thing. That's it.

Dear John and Sally

Recently we had a new baby and boy did our life change. The area we found the most change in was the way we were treated in restaurants. I understand that nobody wants to eat in a restaurant with loads of kids screaming and/or running around unless you are in McDonalds. But how are you supposed to know if a restaurant will treat you like a leper if you have a child or welcome you with open arms. We have found a few child friendly restaurants in our locality Bits & Pizza in Dun Laoire and Duzys in Glasthule where we were treated like paying customers. So what's the purpose of this note? If there was a publication that outlined in detail how, when and what age of child was welcome or not for restaurants we would buy it tomorrow. We also had this problem in Connemara last month on holiday. Maybe you know the answer? Thanks.

*We intend to explore this in more detail in the future, and in our forthcoming Bridgestone 100 Best Guides. There is no short answer, policies vary from place to place (and are often uncertain even at that), but as parents of 3 children ourselves, we find it a big topic. We will return to this soon.

Dear John and Sally

In last week's Irish Independent, Romanza restaurant on Lower Leeson Street in Dublin 2 received a scathing review on its food and service.  I would like to advise you that I have noticed that Romanza has kept up the Bridgestone plaque that the previous residing restaurant won in 1999.  Very unethical behaviour I would say and it perhaps would reflect badly on Bridgestone for those who are not aware of the deception.

Sincerely,
K. Hoy

*Thanks K. We had this question when on the Gerry Ryan show. We can't force people to take down a Bridgestone plaque, so make sure it is the current plaque that is displayed, which will soon be the new 2002 plaque being issued over the coming weeks.

Dear John and Sally

It's not very often (if ever) have I taken the time to complement an eating establishment. This is a first. Last Saturday I had the pleasure of being in Crosshaven helping a friend of mine to take his yacht out of the water for the winter. When our task was complete we had the customary "hauling up drink" after at which we asked the landlady of "Buckley's Bar"; could she recommend a good dining establishment. She pointed in the way of a newly opened restaurant "The Captains Table". This was to be truly the best dinning experience of my life. The fish was the most wonderful I have ever had and when my friend's steak arrived he also remarked "The Best Ever". Apparently the chef personally chooses the fish from the fishing boats that land on Crosshaven pier not more then 50m away.  A truly wonderful little gem this "Captain's Table"; well worth a visit, in my opinion.

Roy Cassidy

*Thanks Roy. Boy, don't sailors have their priorities right? The customary "hauling up drink"! Love it! Nice to hear also that this Captain's Table doesn't sound like that golf club horror show, with the all-day-mixed-grill perennially on tap. We'll check it out.