St. Patrick’s Day is right around the corner and Raglan Road Irish Pub & Restaurant at Downtown Disney, is somewhere you want to be for all the festivities.
Award-winning Irish and American bands and quick-stepping Irish dancers will showcase their Irish roots during the Mighty St. Patrick’s Festival at Raglan Road Irish Pub & Restaurant in Downtown Disney March 13-17.
The most authentic St. Patrick’s Day celebration in Central Florida also will feature inventive cuisine by Irish celebrity chef Kevin Dundon, host of the TASTE Award-winning PBS and Create TV cooking show, “Kevin Dundon’s Modern Irish Food.”
Ragland Road believes in keeping their dishes simple, yet creative. They like to play off of authentic and traditional dishes and modernize it without compromising the quality.
I began the experience with Harry’s Beef Carpaccio. Seared aged beef tenderloin with sharp parmesan and a creamy anchovy vinaigrette. It was paired with a Grape fruit tonic that was slightly sweet and incredibly refreshing.
Next, was a trio rendition of their brunch items. From left to right:
Eggs & Hash: Poached, battered, and then fried. The 3 process egg had layers of texture from an outer crispy shell, soft middle, and a creamy yolk center. A fried pork belly and potato hash made the dish hearty and filling.
Steak & Herbs: Grilled tender steak that’s paired with a roasted shallot puree. Probably one of the best puree I’ve ever had.
Salmon & Pancake: A lighter side of brunch, a smoke salmon with a dollop of cream cheese on top of a potato pancake.
These were served with cocktails that were made especially for lunch. It has high acidity to cut through the fat yet still light and bouncy to keep you awake.
A Bitta Hop On: Bombay Sapphire gin Terrapin Hopsecutioner American IPA, West Indian Falernum, orange bitters and house made Guinness glaze
Strawberry Field: Strawberry puree with grapes Ciroc (Gluten Free)
One of my favorite dish during this brunch, Pan Seared Cod. A statement fish that’s light with a crispy skin. Then a warm bed of Russian mashed potato with shallots, mustard seed and fresh herbs in a spicy sun dried tomatoes vinaigrette.
This is paired with lighter drinks such as:
Blueberry Mint lemonade: A super easy to drink cocktail that’s fresh for the lighter drinkers
Our Whiskey Sour : Tullamore Dew Irish Whiskey with shaken egg whites with a organic cold pressed lemon sour
Now to the more serious dishes Ragland Road, we have
Double Joint: Bone in Ribeye with bearnaise sauce & red wine jus sauce
Proud Pork: Grilled Pork chops with cider Port jus and apple sauce.
Sides: included a Colcannon potatoes, mashed potatoes with potato chip fried in duck fat, roasted veggies, and a salad of greens.
Next two drinks are probably my favorites, probably because I’m a huge fan of ginger beer.
Ginger Mojito: Captain Morgan white rum, lime, sour and ginger beer with freshly muddled mint.
Teelings Whiskey Punch: Teelings small batch Irish whiskey, apple cider, ginger beer, angostura bitters, fresh lime sour and candied ginger.
We ended lunch with a more savory note
Cooleeney Farm – Daru Irish Cheese: Baked to a melty perfection
Raglan Road Irish Pub & Restaurant is located at Downtown Disney in the Walt Disney World Resort,
1640 E. Buena Vista Dr., Lake Buena Vista, Fla.
Visit www.raglanroad.com or call 407/938-0300.
Press Release – Raglan Road Irish Pub & Restaurant at Downtown Disney Celebrates ‘Mighty St. Patrick’s Festival’ March 13-17
Featured Bands Include Scythian, Reel Ó Gránde, 3 Dollar Band and More
Award-winning Irish and American bands and quick-stepping Irish dancers will showcase their Irish roots during the Mighty St. Patrick’s Festival at Raglan Road Irish Pub & Restaurant in Downtown Disney March 13-17. The most authentic St. Patrick’s Day celebration in Central Florida also will feature inventive cuisine by Irish celebrity chef Kevin Dundon, host of the TASTE Award-winning PBS and Create TV cooking show, “Kevin Dundon’s Modern Irish Food.”
Scythian, playing gypsy-infused American Celtic tunes and applauded by iHeartRadio for having “re-invented folk rock in America,” tops the lineup of talented bands to perform on stage during the Mighty Festival. Reel Ó Gránde, 3 Dollar Band, Drops of Green, The Brayzen Heads, The West Coast Trio and the award-winning Raglan Road Irish Dancers will entertain on indoor and patio stages throughout the five-day festival.
Raglan Road guests ready to “get their green on” can participate in festivities that run from 4 p.m. until 1:30 a.m. March 13 and from noon until 1:30 a.m. March 14-17.
The diverse band lineup headed by Scythian offers something for everyone:
· Reel Ó Gránde, the newest Raglan Road house band playing traditional Irish ballads, jigs and reels and modern Irish and country music.
· The West Coast Trio from Connemara, playing traditional and contemporary Irish songs on accordion, flute and guitar with plenty of reels and jigs.
· 3 Dollar Band, an exciting new ballad group from the heart of Ireland.
· The Brayzen Heads, a popular duo on guitar and banjo playing Raglan Road regularly.
· Drops of Green, an exciting new ballad group from the heart of Ireland.
· The Raglan Road Dancers, seven full-time champion dancers, performing daily
The entertainment schedule will be posted at raglanroad.com. Festivities at Raglan Road will include complimentary face painting for guests. Guests can order from Raglan Road’s popular lunch, dinner and bar menus featuring new dishes just introduced by Chef Kevin Dundon. The dinner menu features loin of bacon and cabbage, the authentic Irish dish of St. Patrick’s Day. Throughout the event, the restaurant’s Cooke’s of Dublin counter-service eatery will offer Irish favorites like fish and chips, battered sausages and deep-fried candy bars.
On Monday, St. Patrick’s Day, guests will be seated on a first-come, first-served basis with a cover charge of $10 for each guest age 18 and older. Reservations can be booked for other festival days by calling 407/938-0300.
Pubs in Ireland have long been considered a place for families to gather. Following that tradition, Raglan Road is a place to meet friends and family and experience the Irish culture on St Patrick’s Day and everyday. Guests are encouraged to proudly wear a sprig of Shamrock as is the tradition in Ireland and participate in “the wearin’ of the green.”
During any visit to Raglan Road, be it brunch, lunch or dinner, guests can belly up to one of the restaurant’s 130-year-old imported-from-Ireland bars or grab a table for authentic fare. The restaurant, winner of numerous national and local awards and honors, is known for its beer-battered fish and chips, as well as its Shepherd’s pie with a contemporary twist and other popular entrees. Raglan Road offers gluten-free items including scallops, fish and chips, calamari, onion rings and pasta dishes.
Owned and operated by Irish partners Paul Nolan, John Cooke and celebrity chef Kevin Dundon – famous for his five-star hotel and cookery school in Ireland and his award-winning PBS and Create TV cooking series – Raglan Road features traditional Irish dishes and new creations with a Celtic twist. The restaurant’s warm interior of aged walnut and mahogany woods from old Irish bars and churches was built in Ireland and shipped to Orlando. Guests can enjoy live Irish bands and performances by The Raglan Road Dancers nightly and during the Rollicking Raglan Weekend Brunch. Live music is also scheduled nightly on the pub patio.
Lunch is served 11 a.m.-3 p.m.; Dinner 3-11 p.m.; Bar menu 11 p.m.-late; Weekend Brunch 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Raglan Road Irish Pub & Restaurant is located at Downtown Disney in the Walt Disney World Resort, 1640 E. Buena Vista Dr., Lake Buena Vista, Fla. Visit www.raglanroad.com or call 407/938-0300.
