St. Patrick’s Day is always a fun excuse to cut loose and celebrate the little bit of Irish that everyone seems to claim they have in them. There are parties and festivals all over the world to celebrate the day; from food festivals to parades rich in culture to the all too familiar parties with green beers. While pretty much any major city in Ireland boasts the most festive of gatherings, we have a few places here in town to get your green on.
- St. Patrick wasn’t even Irish. He was born in Britain around the 5th century, captured by Irish raiders at the age of 16, spent 6 years in captivity where he converted to Christianity. he later returned to Ireland where he served as a Christian missionary for the rest of his days.
- That whole story about St. Patrick driving all the snakes out of Ireland? Complete myth. The climate in Ireland wasn’t conducive to snakes existence, the water surrounding the island is too frigid for snakes to traverse. Snakes were never an issue there. It has since come to symbolize cleansing Ireland of pagans.
- St. Patrick used the three leaves of a shamrock to explain the holy trinity, which ended up with people wearing shamrocks on their clothing to profess their Irish Christian pride…which later resulted in wearing green clothing. Truth be told, shamrocks don’t exist. What we find and believe to be shamrocks are actually wood sorrel or white and yellow clover.
- The tradition of celebrating Saint Patrick with parades started in America. This came about after the potato famine in Ireland which sent hundreds of thousands of Irish immigrants onto the shores of New York, Boston and other American cities. The first recorded St. Patrick’s day parade dates back to 1762. Presently, New York’s St. Patrick’s day parade is the largest (and some say rowdiest) in the US.
- Corned beef & Cabbage is not a traditional Irish dish. This dish was created by Irish immigrants in America. Meat was hard to come, due to the expense, so the settlers would only have it once a week. The brisket was a cheap cut of meat, something that they could brine to tenderize. Cabbage also happened to be the cheapest vegetable so it was often paired with the corned beef, and it quickly became a staple. A traditional St. Patrick’s day meal in Ireland would be boiled bacon.
Centro Lounge
When: Thursday, March 17th
Where: 4949 E. Lincoln Drive| Paradise Valley| 85253
Details/Menu: Centro Lounge has traditional Irish dishes like Shepherd’s Pie, Corned Beef & Cabbage and a great Bailey’s Irish Cream Torte. They will also have beer flights available.
Call for more information: 480.627.3200
Fate Brewing Co.
When: Thursday, March 17th from 5:30pm until 8pm
Where: 1312 N. Scottsdale Road| Scottsdale| 85251
Details/Menu: The Scottsdale League for the Arts is going green with Fate of the Irish on Thursday, March 17 from 5:30-8 p.m. This event will be a happy hour style celebration embracing the traditions of St. Patrick’s Day at Fate Brewing Company South with lots of beer, contests and Irish swag. Admission is $25 and includes two drinks, delicious hor d’oeuvers, one raffle ticket, event swag, two tickets to the Scottsdale Culinary Festival and chances to win tickets to other events. Guests can also test their fate on the spin-wheel or by participating in the 50/50 raffle for their chance to win other great prizes.
Cost: $25 per person, tickets can be purchased on the Scottsdale League of the Arts website.
Kelly’s at Southbridge
When: March 17th, beginning at 8am
Where: 7117 E. 6th Ave.| Scottsdale| 85251
Details/Menu: Celebrate St. Paddy’s Day in Old Town Scottsdale at Kelly’s at Southbridge and indulge in traditional Celtic fare, drink specials and enjoy music from the Lee Perreira Band, Elvis Before Noon, Sassy and the Sneak Attack and live DJ’s. Partake in the festivities by drinking green beer, eating Corned Beef and Cabbage and listening live music all St. Paddy’s weekend at Kelly’s.
Call for more information: 480.393.3205
When: Thursday, March 17th
Where: 1590 E. Bethany Home Road| Phoenix| 85014
Details/Menu: Enjoy a hint of green in your meal on St. Patrick’s Day at Luci’s Healthy Marketplace! Their Spinach Pancakes will tempt your taste buds! Two fluffy buttermilk pancakes with fresh spinach blended in. Topped with butter, powdered sugar and a side of syrup-these green flapjacks are the perfect dish this St. Paddy’s Day! They come served with a slice of bacon.
Call for more information: 602.773.1339
When: Catering orders can be placed up through March 16th
Where: 4433 N. 16th St.| Phoenix| 85016
Details/Menu: This local restaurant goes through 2,000 pounds of corned beef a month-regularly! It’s no secret then that you should get your St. Patrick’s Day meal from the experts. Enjoy a meal of corned beef, Irish potatoes, a quarter of cabbage, rye bread and butter-all for $11! Feel like getting it catered for your family or party that day? They will do that too and package it family style for the same price per person!
Call for more information: 602.776.0992
Padre Murphy’s
When: March 17th, beginning at 10am
Where: 4338 W. Bell Road| Glendale| 85308
Details/Menu: On Thursday, March 17, 2016, Padre Murphy’s will be celebrating St. Patrick’s Day for its 23rd year with a day of live music, green drinks and Irish fare under the big top. Doors open, and the green drinks start flowing, at 10 a.m., along with the traditional corned beef and cabbage, leprechauns, and a full lineup of live music, including: DJ Patrick, Michael Patrick Gallagher Dancers, Rick Lenzi & Roustabouts, J. David Sloan & Western Bred, the Mesa Caledonian Pipe Band, Herndon Brothers & HBJ Horns with Colleen Callahan & J. David Sloan and Status featuring Dawn Jameson. The kids will be entertained from 2 to 5pm with clowns and face painters. There will be a $10 cover charge after 4pm
Call for more information: 602.547.94006
Phoenix City Grille
When: March 17th from 11am until 9pm
Where: 5816 N. 16th St.| Phoenix| 85016
Details/Menu: Phoenix City Grille’s Executive Chef, Rory Hewitt, has just announced his specials for St. Patrick’s Day which will include a Dijon glazed corned beef brisket with scalloped potatoes and rosemary potatoes. They will also be featuring a Black & Tan special. Guests who wear green that day will also receive a complimentary St. Patrick’s Day button. “PCG has built a long standing tradition over the years as, ‘the place to go after the Irish pubs for a delicious, traditional St. Patrick’s Day meal,’” said PCG Owner Sheldon Knapp. “Because of the continued and increasing popularity, reservations are highly recommended. We’ll be accepting them until 9 p.m. on March 17.”
Call for more information: 602.266.3001
St. Patty’s Day Block Party
When: Thursday, March 17th from noon until 2am
Where: Mill Ave.
Details/Menu: The Handlebar Tempe and Fat Tuesday, both on Mill Avenue, are partnering for an epic St. Patrick’s Day (and night!) event that will feature four valley DJ’s and five bars both inside and out. Yard games including bags/corn hole start at noon and go all night. The Handlebar will feature a Knockwurst Sausage specialty menu item for $7.50, and will offer $4 Car Bombs until 6 p.m. The DJ’s will begin at 7 p.m. and cover will also start at 7 p.m. Look forward to Green Vodka Red Bulls, Jameson, Green Coors Light, and – of course – Guinness.
Call for more information: 480.474.4888
Taco Guild
When: March 17th
Where: 546 E. Osborn Road| Phoenix| 85012
Details/Menu: St. Paddy’s Day tacos are $1.99 all day AND the 1893 Margarita is just $3.17—all in celebration of 3/17!
Call for more information: 602.264.4143
When: Thursday, March 17th
Where: 8777 N. Scottsdale Road| Scottsdale| 85253
Details/Menu: The Hash Kitchen will be offering a St. Patrick’s Day menu perfect for bringing out the leprechaun in you. Enjoy dishes like Luck of the Irish Doughnuts, Luck Charm French Toast, Green Eggs & Han Benedict, Corned Beef & Cabbage Hash and a Corned Beef & Potato Frittata.
Call for more information: 480.947.3214
When: March 1st through March 31st
Where: 660 W. Warner Road| Tempe| 85284
Details/Menu: Tilted Kilt brings back its special Irish Hooley menu that will be available for the entire month of March. “Tilted Kilt’s Irish Hooley menu is sure to get everyone in the Irish spirit,” said Ron Lynch, President of the Tilted Kilt. “What better way to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day than to visit your local Tilted Kilt to enjoy favorites such as the scotch eggs, corned beef hash and the Olde Dublin Irish stew.” Diners can enjoy items like Scotch Eggs, Old Dublin Irish Stew, Corned Beef and Cabbage, One Shot Johnny Shepherd’s Pie, Corned Beef Hash & Eggs, Drunken Clams and Classic Fish & Chips. You can also indulge in drinks like Jameson & Ginger, Black and IPA, Irish Car Bomb, Back & Blue, Green Tea, Lucky Kiss and Green Beer.
Call for more information: 480.592.0102
When: Thursday, March 17th
Where: 3225 E. Camelback Road| Phoenix| 85018
Details/Menu: Executive Chef Tomaso Maggiore of Tomaso’s Italian Restaurant in the Biltmore Neighborhood is celebrating the Irish Catholic holiday by adding a colorful twist to his signature pasta entrées. Included below are just a few of the handcrafted specialty menu items that will allow you to feast like Saint Patrick, himself. Enjoy items like Mint Tagliatelle with Lamb and Spring Pea Ragu, Osso Buco with Spinach Infused Papardelle Veal Sugo, Strozzapreti with Artichokes and Arugula, Pear and Pecan salad.
Call for more information: 602.956.0836
TopGolf
When: March 12th through March 17th
Where: 1689 S. SanTan Village Pkwy| Gilbert| 85295 and 9500 E. Talking Stick Way| Scottsdale| 85256
Details/Menu: Patrons can enjoy $3 Coors Light Green Drafts, $3.50 Bug Lights and $18 buckets.
Call for more information: 480.240.2402
So where will you be celebrating the patron Saint of Ireland next week?