From Old City to Center City, Manayunk to Headhouse Square, bars and restaurants will be serving specialty house beers and hundreds of other new or imported Irish brews, and their kitchens will be cooking up dishes like Guinness-braised beef, "Gaelic streudels" of beef and puffed pastry, and a host of gourmet desserts.
Philadelphians know their food - and their beer - and they have high expectations, even on this hoot-and-holler party day.
"For me the green beer is definitely out," said Mike Carney, 31, of Havertown. "Most of the time it's of lesser quality, and nobody wants to drink bad beer."
Carney is a loyal customer of Kildare's who plans to be at the West Chester location bright and early Monday along with hundreds of other revelers.
At this local chain of authentic Irish pubs - its six locations include Headhouse Square, Manayunk and West Chester - an extensive Irish menu will kick off on St. Patrick's Day with a brunch that includes eggs, bangers, mash and black-and-white pudding.
When the Irish dancing begins at 2 p.m., a gourmet menu will roll out, offering bar goers Irish-themed specialties such as corned-beef-and-cabbage spring rolls, farm-raised pork chops and Guinness ice-cream floats. For those who need to start their party early, a $20 "VIP Weekend Pass" is available that includes free cover all weekend, a gourmet breakfast and a pint of Guinness on the big day.
"People are coming in expecting more than a stew nowadays for St. Patrick's Day," said Kildare's corporate executive chef Brian Duffy. "They want good local foods. They want foods paired with beers. People aren't going from bar to bar anymore. And they are more aware of the quality they are drinking, not necessarily the quantity."
