Americans like their holidays, and they like their food and drink even more, which is perhaps why St. Patrick’s Day has become so popular in this country. We enjoy corned beef and cabbage and drink green beer hoping that some of the “luck o’ the Irish” will rub off on us.
Several Blacksburg restaurants and bars will give us this Friday.
Boston Beanery has gotten an early start on the holiday. All week long, it is serving special menu items to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day.
Corned beef and cabbage and shepherd’s pie — a traditional dish made with seasoned ground beef, mashed potatoes and cheese — are two of the items offered this week only.
Of course, you can’t forget the alcohol. The restaurant will have green beer, green Jell-O shooters and a new drink called the Lucky Leprechaun, which contains Irish whiskey, Bailey’s Irish cream and crème de menthe.
The restaurant is expecting a lot of people to stop by Friday.
“St. Patrick’s Day is our busiest day of the year (…) we are decked out to the hills in green,” said Jen Morrison, general manager.
There will also be party favors handed out, such as beads, leprechaun hats and shooter necklaces. The festivities will last all day.
“Depending on how it goes, it may last into the weekend as well,” Morrison said.
On campus, D2 is also planning some Irish festivities. The popular dining hall will be hosting a St. Patrick’s Day dinner Friday and is offering many different traditional dishes. Of course, corned beef and cabbage are on the menu. But the chefs will also be serving up a cheddar ale soup in a bread bowl and a dish called colcannon — a side dish of mashed potatoes with finely sliced cabbage mixed in. There will also be plenty of fun green foods, such as green cookies and a lot of themed decorations.
Dining services hosts this always-popular event every year.
“It’s actually one of our more popular events, even over some of the more extravagant meals. The students really love it,” said Katie Gehrt, marketing and communications coordinator for student programs.
The meal costs $8.95 cash or $2.85 with the flex plan.
If you’re still looking for some Irish culture after your meal, many bars downtown are offering St. Patrick’s Day events. The London Underground Pub on Main Street will have a live Irish band playing.
“We’re actually having some friends of the bar come in to play traditional music, fiddles and what-not,” said Adam Wilson, kitchen manager. “It’s 100 percent authentic,” he added.
The band is called “Beyond the Pale” and will begin playing at 9 p.m. There will be a sneak preview of the band’s music on WUVT 90.7FM, Tech’s independent radio station, on Wednesday from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. WUVT is a member of the Educational Media Company at Virginia Tech, the parent company of the Collegiate Times.
London Underground Pub doesn’t charge a cover, so if you just want to stop by and hear the music, it won’t cost you anything.
If you’re going all out for St. Patrick’s Day, there are plenty of chances for feasting and fun on Friday.
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