Raglan Road Mighty St. Patrick’s Festival 2017

St. Paddy’s Day is just a few days away. If you’re going to be in Orlando, there is ONLY one place to celebrate – Raglan Road Irish Pub and Restaurant in Disney Springs.

Running from Thursday, March 16 through Sunday, March 19, 2017, Mighty St. Patrick’s Festival will feature delicious authentic Irish food, awesome craft beers, talented musicians and entertaining Irish dancers. We’ve already shared with you the schedule for the events and details, so now it’s time to share with you some of the AMAZING food you can enjoy. We attended the media preview of the event and are so excited to share the incredible food and beer pairings we had with you.

Irish Iced Tea – Tullamore Dew, raspberry preserve, Irish breakfast tea and lemon juice. The tea was very refreshing and you couldn’t even taste the alcohol in it. You could easily drink too many, so be careful.

Cold Water Prawn Cocktail with Marie Rose & Lemon paired with Bloomsday Pale Ale from Orange Blossom Brewing – We really enjoyed this giant prawn! The Bloomsday Pale Ale was refreshing with citrus notes. It’s an easy beer to drink.

Salt Cured Irish Spec Iberico Style with Pickled Mushrooms paired with Planted Strawberry & Lime Hard Cider from Keel & Curley Winery – This was one of our favorite dishes. The Irish spec was amazing and the pickled mushrooms add a nice contrast to the salty spec. It hard cider made the flavors pop.

Espresso of Roasted Onion Squash Soup with Amoretti Crumbles paired with Hopsecutioner from Terrapin Beer Co. – The soup was delicious! The Amoretti crumbles added a bit of sweetness to the dish. We don’t like IPAs and overly hoppy beers, but these paired perfectly together. The beer didn’t seem so hoppy when enjoyed with the rich flavors of the soup.

Black Pudding and Potato Croquette with Homemade Curry Dip paired with Tri Wishes Grand Irish Red from Crooked Can Brewing – This was our least favorite dish. We’re just not big fans of black pudding. We will say that the potato croquette added a nice crunchy texture to the smoothness of the pudding. The Irish Red had a lot of flavor. It’s a good beer for those that like flavor but not heaviness.

Lemon Herb Crusted Atlantic Cod over Creamed Leeks paired with Paddy’s (NOT PATTY’S) Pilsner from Orange Blossom Brewing (limited edition Mighty Festival Brew) – This was another fantastic dish. We really enjoy the crusting on the cod and the creamed leeks added nice flavor without being strong like onions can be. The Paddy’s (NOT PATTY’S) Pilsner is a MUST try! It has a ton of flavor. It’s light with orange blossom honey and a blood orange finish. We wish we could have bought a few growlers of this to take home.

Braised Lamb Mini Pie with Minted Pea Purée paired with Tri Wishes Grand Irish Red from Crooked Can Brewing – We don’t eat lamb but we did try the pie. The meat was tender, the crusty flaky and purée was fresh. If you enjoy lamb, you’ll want to try this pie.

Shepherd’s Pie – Beef and lamb, root vegetables, red wine jus topped with mashed potato paired with Miriam’s Irish Coffee Stout from Coppertail Brewing Co. – You can’t ever go wrong with Shepherd’s Pie and of course, Raglan Road’s is one of the best. The Miriam’s Irish Coffee Stout brought out the flavors of the meat. If you like dark beer like Guinness, then you must try this.

Beer Battered Monk Fish Filet with Hand Cut Chips and Tartar Sauce paired with Fat Tire Amber Ale from New Belgium Brewing Company – This was also a favorite of ours. The beer batter is incredible! It’s perfectly crisp and compliments the texture of the Monk fish filet perfectly. We wish we could have this more often. For those that like red and amber ales, you’ll enjoy the Fat Tire Amber Ale.

For dessert, we had the opportunity to try a few different menu items including Mini Bread & Butter Pudding – their famous bread and butter pudding served with crème anglaise and butterscotch sauce; Dunbrody Kiss – chocolate mouse, covered in chocolate ganache, with crunchy base; flourless chocolate cake; and Tiffle Sinful – freshly baked Swiss roll, Gran Marnier, fresh berries, custard and cream. It was paired with Chocolate Covered Strawberry Beer Cocktail – Guinness and Planted Strawberry & Lime Hard Cider.

Of course, everyone likes dessert! These desserts are always on the menu to enjoy. All of them are good, very good. The Dunbrody Kiss is always a favorite. If you like bread pudding, then you MUST try Raglan Road’s. For those that are gluten-free, there is a flourless chocolate cake and it’s delicious. The Tiffle Sinful is very light and great for those that don’t like overly sweet desserts. We loved the Chocolate Covered Strawberry Beer Cocktail. Definitely try it with one of the desserts!

 

In addition to the great food and drink, we had the opportunity to enjoy a set from The Byrne Brothers. This Irish family from Donegal, Ireland consists of Luca, 12; Finn, 10 and Dempsey, 7 accompanied by their father, Tommy. All of their costumes are traditional and made by their mom, Julie. Check out our video from the preview!

Make sure to follow Raglan Road on Twitter and #RaglanMightyFest to keep up with all the goings on at Raglan Road during the festival.