Best Irish Food

There are several good things to eat on the menu at Wilde Oscar's, a cozy Irish pub in a neighborhood where it's usually easy to find a parking space, a plus if you're hankering for a properly pulled pint of Guinness with a creamy head. The clam chowder is the real deal, made with cream, chopped fresh vegetables, and lots of chewy clams. The Irish breakfast is quite a plateful: two eggs any style, unfatty Irish bacon, Irish sausage, white and black meat puddings, a mountain of roast potatoes, and a cup of baked beans, all the meats imported from the Oul' Sod. (It's especially nice washed down with an expertly made Bloody Mary.) But it's the shepherd's pie that brings us back: an oval casserole of well-textured, well-spiced ground beef (Niman Ranch ground chuck), with peas, cubed carrots, and plenty of sautéed onions, under a layer of fluffy mashed potatoes. Genuinely comforting comfort food.