Day 4: A Taste of Italy in Ireland

Since Bandon was a town that consisted of two main streets, we chose to ask the friendly front desk girl about a dinner recommendation. She suggested the Italian restaurant next door to the hotel and said that it always received good reviews. Since this was a convenient option and apparently one of the only choices for dinner that evening, we decided to go with her referral.

We walked next door to the Italistro and were greeted warmly by a server the moment we walked in the door. She politely asked us to wait for a minute as she did a quick scan of the room. We took a look around for ourselves and noticed only three tables were occupied since it was just 5 PM. Yet upon further inspection, every other table had a reserved sign on it. Lucky for us, our server managed to squeeze us in at a small table in the back corner near the kitchen which was perfect because we were able to view the entire restaurant.

As we perused the menu, I ordered a glass of the Italian house white wine and Chad requested a coca-cola, his drink of choice for the trip. The menu was full of the traditional Italian fare. Chad opted to go with Polpette al Pomodoro (traditional spaghetti and meatballs) while I ordered a tagliatelle dish with a creamy parmesan sauce and fresh basil.

It felt a little funny being in an Italian restaurant where the guests all had Irish accents, but it was wonderful to sit back and watch the two warm and welcoming cultures interact. Most of the people there early were apparent regulars who were familiar with the staff. They lingered over their bottles of wine and bid "cheers until next week" as they departed. It was particularly touching to see how the staff reacted when a little girl had an accident in the middle of her meal. They somehow managed to find some new clothes for her to borrow and cleaned everything up so the family could finish their meal without rushing to get home.

Our food came out as hot as we had come to expect our Irish food and, although we did not immediately dig in, the smell was almost as good as tasting. The food was delicious, particularly the amazing garlic bread, which was just the right combination of crisp edges and soft middle, as well as flavorful without being greasy. Mmm-mmm good.

When we finished our meal, the restaurant still was not full and in fact had lost some guests who had completed their meals. The table next to us was set up for a party of at least 12 and I was determined to still be in the restaurant when they arrived. Since we had to "burn some time", Chad and I scoured the dessert menu and contemplated whether or not our tummies could hold any more food after our wonderful meal.

We finally settled on a molten chocolate cake, which the server said was their most popular dessert and of course their most expensive. Since we were near the kitchen door we were able to catch glimpses of the steps that went into making this dessert. It was an elaborate process that took at least fifteen minutes, but when it was finally presented (as shown in our picture) it was understandable that such great lengths were taken to make such a masterpiece. The dessert tasted as good as it looked and we savored every delectable bite.

By the time we finished, the large party next to us was starting to arrive. By listening to snipets of conversations, we gathered that it was a Christmas celebration. Although I desperately wanted to stay and spy some more, we could not possibly squeeze one more thing into our tummies. I have also been told that I look quite conspicuous when I am being a creeper and did not want to ruin the Irish Christmas gathering with my nosiness. Therefore, we asked for our check (il conto per favore- aha I remember some Italian!) and paid our bill.

We sauntered back to our hotel room content to rest and prepare for another early morning of driving. Upon further inspection of our bathroom, we discovered that our tub had jacuzzi jets which were an added bonus that we had not thought we would find in such an old hotel. While Chad decided to soak his muscles, which were weary from some tense driving moments, I enjoyed looking over the map and plotting out another day of letting the roads be our guide. Our wakeup call was scheduled and we had our first Irish breakfast to look forward to in the morning. It was an excellent evening and the next day promised to be just as special.