Paddy Ryan’s in Hudson came to the rescue of some nursing home residents dozens of miles to the east into Wisconsin who loved their corned beef and cabbage, even though their ad hoc leader was admitted for not only one knee replacement rehabilitation in March, but another such separate procedure on the other knee in summer.
So the Irish pub and grill in western Wisconsin played Santa Claus, even though it was St. Patrick’s Day, and then replicated that role in the weeks following the Fourth of July, as the aforementioned leader could not do her usual stint of indulging in a decades-long tradition with a friend of munching on the classic Irish fare in St. Paul because of being on the mend — twice over — for a couple of weeks each. In fact you could make that three times a charm because the northern suburb friend, who is Polish not Irish but still has loved their annual-or-more corned beef dinner since well before the turn of the millennium, also had a knee replacement surgery in summer. And now that they both are healed, they say they will make it over to Paddy Ryan’s, soon and often, to start a new tradition!
If Paddy Ryan’s can do their regular menu of traditional meets modern Irish, so great by all accounts, think how special their specials are for St. Patrick’s Day itself, including but not limited to the prized corned beef and cabbage, which many said is the best they have ever tasted, and accompanying vegetables that every piece had the perfect level of doneness. And of course for that whole weekend of both holidays, the diverse and lengthy regular fare of dozens and dozens of choices — such as boxtys — was also available, but in both cases needed to be delivered through a courier who also is a writer for this publication. It was on a Saturday afternoon or two that I took in the event(s) so readers know what they could expect to find, when going either later that night or during that next day, a Sunday, in both cases, the earlier of the two being so lauded by all who are Irish.
The so-called leader of this crew from the nursing home, the Hammond Health Care Center, my wife Jeanie Winter, loved this food from Paddy Ryan’s, just as it came. Yes, the corned beef was superior, and she agreed with me about all its attributes: “Mmm. Yummy, yummy.” But there had been more of the same prior to that, as she always saves the best for last when eating. In particular, Jeanie said the cabbage was partially the shredded way I described it, but also further to the middle had a roll-up quality she had become used to. She seemed to appreciate having a good dose of both styles. The meal, in all: “This is just wonderful.”
The following is what others in Hammond said. The other people at the table at the nursing home, and the various staff members — Jeannie gleamed when they happened by, as she showed them all what had been brought to her — all had heard of Paddy Ryan’s, even though they were way across the county. But her new friend Sharon McCarthy across the table said she had been to Paddy Ryan’s many times, St. Patrick’s Day and otherwise even though she has lost most of her mobility, and it was always a great experience, as she and her husband, who had recently passed on, had made it their go-to place for romantic dinners . But for today it would have to be for her the house-made ravioli, as Jeanie was not giving up her corned beef, at least not right away, and her friend, still being new in that capacity, was too polite to ask.
And the ultimate tribute? (I say this with tongue planted in cheek, which would make it hard to eat even the tender Paddy Ryan’s corned beef). I do the cooking around the house, and usually it gets thumbs up from Jeanie. So as a sentimental addendum, since I didn’t know until the weekend that she would indeed get the corned beef and cabbage that she so deeply loves, I had made her a dish myself, hoping it might have romantic appeal. It was heavy on potatoes and other such vegies that I thought would have Irish overtones.
I gave it to her second, immediately after the Paddy Ryan’s delicacies, and her response? Sorry Joe, the corned beef and cabbage is just too good, so I’m sticking with only that. Thanks for the thought, but you’ll just have to munch down on your loaded potato dish yourself. I was not too offended, as I’ve failed as a cook before, but then I came across this connection. The nursing home had a “potato bar” with fixings in their activity room on Friday, which was the day when everyone such as staff and residents actually celebrated their St. Patrick’s Day and dressed in green, but despite my lengthy suggestion to her that this could be a precursor to corned beef and cabbage, Jeanie took a pass. Could this be a subconscious behavior to make more room for that massive dose of corned beef, etc., later in the weekend?
Rehabbing from corn beef and cabbage
In the second time over, I had again had left more than half of each type of food on my plate — a bountiful supply — since I was going to take it “home” to my temporarily bedridden wife, who is VERY Irish, to sample. So on each occasion I asked for a carryout box, along with a brief explanation of who it was for and why. It did take a few minutes to arrive — but in the continuing theme of great service, I was asked three times if I needed anything else in the interim — however, there was a reason for the brief torpor. The kitchen topped off the other end of things for my wife bigtime, namely loading up a bunch more food, filling the box to the brim!
A note here. My wife, Jeanie, 60, loves her corned beef and cabbage, but it appeared that this time around, she might miss out on this for perhaps the first time in her adult life, as it is a tradition for her to go with a longtime friend and Catholic co-worker to Fabulous Fern’s in St. Paul. She would come all the way from Lindstrom for their gathering(s). Now in summer they had both undergone unusually tricky knee replacement surgeries, two times longer under the knife than usual, making this the trifecta. Jeanie has a few other faves there like bread pudding, however the CBC is the must-have. But Paddy Ryan’s to the rescue! Almost like another gift from Santa, but that’s a different holiday. So if you can’t go to the corned beef and cabbage, have it come to you, and worry about taking in the other fine Irish goodies at Paddy Ryan’s later. And so I became the courier, times two.
And maybe this will not be the only time, we all remember thinking at that earlier occasion, as there was then that other replacement procedure, on the other knee, set for summer.
This go-round was also orchestrated to be the 99th birthday celebration of one of the nursing home residents, Delores Sprecht, who had her actual birthday with her family a few days earlier, but made it a point to schedule it as a top off to her feasting. And talking about starting new traditions, she passed along that maybe this could be redone when she turns 100! It also, ironically, this was the birthday of Jeanie’s sister Mariah, who also obviously is Irish, and was in the Twin Cities from Oregon, but despite always loving such a celebration, could not make it as her flight was soon going out and their was family business to attend to. Guess we had to choose which B-Day to honor! As did Zlotkowski, who was not able to make Fabulous Fern’s in summer since they had closed due to choosing not to renew their lease, and instead — in a case of providence? — had managed to make it in June to Cecil’s Deli, just several blocks away. But it just wasn’t the same.
The following also was different, as in summer I had an Irish friend as a guest in my trip to Paddy Ryan’s, Jennifer Kohl, who said that the boxtys, with just the right mix of creamy cheese and just a bit of crust, might even be better than the fish she would typically order with her mom on their frequent visits there from Hudson proper. “We used to come here almost every week,” before they both got ready to move residences, she added. Kohl noted that her dad is a chef with the mostest, so this is high praise. And she loved her drink — Irish whiskey laced? — which was strong on the apple flavoring. Even though we ordered, to share, simply the boxty, with a touch of corned beef, we ended up with two plates of food. The proprietor brought out the dishes, especially the last facet, right away, meaning Kohl had a new rival to her favorite macaroni and cheese. She added that she’s had so many of their dishes over time, that she has a hard time remembering all their titles.
When the food got to the nursing home, we quickly engaged the birthday girl, and it was so popular that tables on either side of Jeanie were clamoring for it. And standing next to this was an old friend, also by the name of Jeanie, with the last name Steele, also from relatively far away North Hudson, who had a relative staying at the home, and said she was interested in the food, although she’s Italian not Irish. However, she did not partake so others could have the first shot at it. Ironically, she had also been at the nursing home visiting for the initial food go-round.
Jeanie, back to the name of my wife, kept stirring the pot so to speak, by saying over and over, this is for a restaurant review, so try some more! The lady who was most interested in this actual sampling, Helen Benedict, was regularly pursing her lips with a joyous smile as she regularly exclaimed, along with her many of her mates, “this is wonderful!” Just right, and not just that brand of cereal. The woman to her left added that I, as the impromptu host, should try the trademark potato-based delicacy, which was arguably better than the potato chips and another ethnic food, the fiesta corn, offered by the house, so she eventually deferred. But not before she and another woman at the table asked that their plate be warmed so they would get the full treatment. One added that the only thing that would have made one of the dishes better is a great big onion. Bloomin’ onion? That would go well with the black and tan onion rings on the Paddy Ryan’s menu. Also getting a part of the treatment on both occasions, vicariously, were employees and members of the wait staff, all also very familiar with Paddy Ryan’s.
Some say they would not consider boxty, but this is Paddy Ryan’s …
And a few have no idea what a boxty is (like Jeanie, despite her Irish roots) until they trek over just east of Hudson. But the lesson has often been well received (by the decades long Irish tale-telling teacher too), and twice over at that, with excellent food and service, just like back in spring, right down to the manager and bartender — and the kindly conversation for a traveler a long way from home! When Irish Eyes (And Ears) Are Smiling (with things like bread pudding too, which Jeanie prizes almost as much as corned beef and cabbage).
More bits from her about the boxty: Lamb on one trip and the Jameson on the next, with a leaning towards the Jameson and its rich tartness that perfect for cold weather! That would be more a March sentiment, but it was echoed by Kohl. And then there are those Irish Nachos, but we’re not just talking typical taco meat, rather things to beef it up such as the aforementioned corned beef (theirs virtually melts in your mouth) despite being a huge portion — and also basically a meal in itself and not even costing much. The chicken wings, too, have a wonderful flavor, and just a slight crunch on them, Jeanie said.
A return to the St. Pat’s trip
On that day, the hostess met me immediately and even had a backup person to greet the patrons behind me. I told her that I had a special arrangement with the proprietor, Kirk Mueller, for gathering story material and that she might want to verify with him that these straight up were the arrangements that existed, but kudos to her for trusting me, not taking that extra step, instead pronto offering me a seat wherever possible — in the place that despite a large amount of seating capacity was popular and packed full, even though it was between the lunch and dinner hour and not a peak time. But there were still a few seats around and I was offered one either at the bar or by the big west window with the sun setting in the background, and the hostess quickly suggested to sit on one side versus the other, so I could have an over the shoulder peak at the glowing orb while at the same time not having it beaming directly in my face. (I should note that I know I was not given special treatment as a member of the press, since the hostess then handed off the assignment to one of the many other staffers there, as the level of workers available was more than sufficient in this busy day, and I had no other dealings with the hostess after meeting her at the door, and there simply was no time to convey to them my special circumstances).
But back to the food. The corned beef was by far the most tender I have had, yet full bodied. It was not the usual inches-long slab you would find most places, with tough pieces of gristle and fat that are hard to chew, but at Paddy Ryan’s it is shredded to just the right degree — just a bit thicker than what you find with pulled pork, which they also offer. Any there was nary a bit of gristle to be found. My corned beef was seasoned to just the right degree, tasty in a way that compliments the meat but not overpowering. (Add a bit of their gourmet malt vinegar that is at each table if you want a bit more zing). And the consistently toned, light red color of the meat was very visually appealing.
You got not two or three, but four delicately seasoned potatoes, lightly glazed to produce a light gold sheen. The cabbage was another part of the pattern, shredded a bit thinner than the big chunks you usually get to give it a consistency near that of cole slaw, and the flavoring and color was, again, the same through and through. A refreshing change, I thought. Add several lightly seasoned carrots and you have quite a dinner! But that’s not all. The proprietor came by table by table through his busy joint to greet each customer and offer them a $3 shot of Jameson. There were other shots of whiskey type things available for as little as a dollar.