With
all of the cuisines available in Las Vegas, Irish fare is certainly
represented both on and off the Las Vegas Strip. But the Nine Fine Irishmen
Irish Pub at New York New York Hotel and Casino offers authenticity,
unbelievable food, and eclectic entertainment all in the heart of “New York
City” in Las Vegas.
There
is an unbelievable history behind the pub. The Nine Fine Irishmen Irish Pub
was
inspired by the stories of nine Irishmen whose lives were entwined during
the tumultuous year of revolution in Europe 1848. These were men of hugely
varying backgrounds, temperaments and character. Charles Gavan Duffy came
from a prosperous Catholic merchant family. John
Mitchel was born into the
family of a Unitarian minister. William Smith O'Brien was the son of one of
the few old-Irish Gaelic Catholic families to be assumed into ruling
Protestant ascendancy.
Patrick O'Donohue came from impoverished small farming stock while the
others - Terence Bellew McManus, Richard O'Gorman, John Blake Dillon, Thomas
Francis Meagher and Thomas
D'Arcy Magee came from backgrounds of varying
degrees of middle class prosperity.
They
were all members of the Confederates, the principal organization of the
Young Ireland movement, even though their political ideas spanned a wide
spectrum of beliefs. Several of them were sentenced to death for their
revolutionary activities but granted clemency by Queen Victoria. Five of
the men, were exiled to Australia, three escaped to North America and
settled in either the United States or Canada and one went into self-imposed
exile in Australia. All made a name for themselves in their adopted
countries, holding political office including one becoming Governor of
Montana, enjoying financial success and leaving their legacy centuries
later.
Nine
Fine Irishmen Irish Pub pays tribute to the spirit of people living their
destiny and New York New York Hotel and Casino wanted to embrace that spirit
in every way. The 9,000-square-foot bar was designed by the Irish Pub
Company with bricks and mortar shipped directly from Ireland for the
project. This is a pub of huge proportions featuring a grand
Victorian-style bar, ornate cottage areas, hidden alcoves and nooks, and two
levels of outdoor patio dining with a spectacular Las Vegas Strip view. This
is truly a little piece of the Emerald Isle in the heart of Las Vegas.
The
food is traditional Irish with some unique tastes and textures. Chef
Heberto Segura is actually from the Dominican Republic but says, “I feel
Irish in my heart.” Moving to the United States at the age of 15, and
cooking various cuisines, Chef Segura traveled to Ireland to study the food
and bring authenticity to Nine Fine Irishmen Pub. Chef Segura said, “People
are no longer trying to leave Ireland, in fact many people from different
countries are moving in and bringing in their influences. Curries are being
used from India, cheeses and oils are being used from Italy and Spain.
Potatoes and cabbages are still being used but being infused with American
and European influences.”
For
starters, there is the Steak & Stout which are mini pies of Guinness braised
rib eye tips and mushrooms, the Sausage Pail with ale battered and spicy
sausages with Guinness and honey mustards or Lump Crab Cakes with cabbage
slaw and a spiced red pepper remoulade. This is a meal in itself. The crab
just melted in my mouth and the Steak and Stout is sweet and savory.
A
traditional Irish soup offered is Colcannon, a full bodied cream of potato,
cabbage and traditional bacon (not bacon strips) that looks and tastes like
sausage. For salads, there is the Tomato Stack of vine ripened tomatoes
with goat, Cashel blue and farmhouse cheeses or Herb Crusted Goat Cheese
with arugula, oven roasted tomato and a toasted hazelnut vinaigrette.
Entrees are tastes and textures that combine flavors in the sauces with a
subtle spiced
meat. For example, Banger & Mash is a mild Irish sausage enhanced by a
mustard mash, grilled seasonal vegetables and smooth mushroom jus. The
Irish Stew incorporates tender cuts of lamb, potatoes and vegetables in a
traditional broth. Shepherd’s Pie is port wine
infused prime beef and vegetables with creamed potatoes, again blending of
mild and spiced (not spicy). The Poached Pear Pizza is topped with roasted
tomatoes, farmhouse and blue cheeses and sweet onions. The favorite of Fish
& Chips is beer battered cod filets and traditional chips served in a wired
basket and homemade tartar sauce for dipping.
The
desserts define the word decedent. The Bushmills Bread and Butter Pudding
is a buttery baked brioche with whiskey cream and caramel sauces and OMG
describes it. There is the Bailey’s Trio of chocolate shots of Original,
Caramel & Mint Bailey’s. Try the Sticky Toffee Cheesecake with warm caramel
or the Black and Tan Cake with dark, milk and white chocolate but plan to
take some home. The desserts are that rich and that good.
Irish
Beer and whiskey are offered as well as some wine. Beer is a drink that
dates back to the ancient civilizations of Mesopotamia and Egypt. In its
earliest forms, it was made from grains, or bread, which was allowed to
ferment and liquefy. Over time the process evolved, with most Europeans
settling on barley and wheat as their grains of choice and flavorings
introduced with the addition of "grut", a mixture of herbs that varied from
brewer to brewer. Hops came next, adding flavor and acting as a preservative
and eventually replaced grut as the primary flavoring agent.
The
next evolution in the brewing was the shift from top-fermenting yeast, a
successful process when a relatively warm climate, typical of the Ireland
and Britain, allowed fermentation to take place at room temperature. In
colder climates, such as German areas of continental Europe,
bottom-fermenting yeast proved more successful for fermentation. The result
was a split between the ales (of which stout is but one type), popular in
Ireland and Britain, and lagers, popular in German regions. Irish brewers
came to use roasted barley for their ales and stout and became a national
preference. It is opaque ale, almost black in color and with a creamy head.
Ingredients vary with the brewer but generally include dark roasted barley,
which contributes a slightly roasted character and hops with a
medium-to-high bitterness.
It is
said that whiskey has been made in Ireland since the Irish monks brought the
distillation process back from the Middle East. In Gaelic the drink became
known as "Uisce Beatha" which means "water of life." The Normans called it "fuisce"
and eventually it evolved into "whiskey."
Barley, clear waters, and peat for the fires to toast the barley are the key
ingredients.
Barley
is allowed to sprout then dried in a kiln, (In the making of Scotch whisky
the barley is malted over an open peat fire.) This difference in the malting
process leads to much of the difference in the eventual flavor of the two
spirits.
The
toasted barley is then "mashed", that is ground into "grist", a coarse
flour. Mixed with water, the starches become sugars and the liquid is
referred to as "wort". The wort is mixed with yeast and the sugar begins to
ferment. After about two days, the liquid is known as "wash". The whiskey
is next triple distilled, meaning that the alcohol is separated from the
water and the liquids alcohol content goes from 8.5 percent to 80 percent.
The distilled liquid matures in oak casks, for at least three years under
Irish law. In a process similar to what the Scots call "blending" for their
whisky, the Irish "vat", or mix, several whiskeys to achieve the taste they
desire. Once mixed, water is added to bring the final whiskey to 40 percent
alcohol and the whiskey is bottled and shipped.
There
is entertainment at Nine Fine Irishmen and the musicians play an exciting
mix of Irish music in its many forms, from its roots in the heartlands of
Ireland through the United States, Canada and Latin America. There Irish
jigs and reels, French-Canadian waltzes, tunes from the Appalachian
mountains, bluegrass and Creole music, Klesmer from New York and the
vaudeville dance hall music of the 1920's.
We
certainly can’t forget about St. Patrick’s Day when everyone is an honorary
Irishmen. There will be the 5th annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade on
Saturday, March 15, 2008 at New York New York Hotel and Casino. This parade
will begin at 10 a.m. inside Coyote Ugly. At 10:50 a.m. the parade will
continue down the escalators, in front of the Big Apple Bar, around to the
front desk, past Il Fornaio, around the Bar at Times Square and out the ESPN
Zone exit. The parade will then march south on the Brooklyn Bridge and stop
at the main Celtic Feis stage. At this time, the new inductees will be
honored into the Wall of Fine. There will be views from the Pub, great food
and special entertainment for three days to commemorate St. Patrick’s Day on
Monday.
Happy
St. Patrick’s Day everyone!
Nine
Fine Irishmen
New
York New York Hotel and Casino
3790
S. Las Vegas Blvd.
Las
Vegas, NV 89109
(702)
740-6463
www.ninefineirishmen.com
Open
Daily, 11am - 11pm
Bar
open until 2:45am