Columnist Muriel Stevens: Holiday turns Vegas restaurants green

Friday, March 11, 2005 | 8:26 a.m.

"Oh, Paddy dear and did you hear the news that's going round?" Green beer is giving way to good old Irish fare.

There will be plenty of Irish-inspired food on St. Patrick's Day along with heady libations.

Gallagher's Steakhouse in New York-New York: Gallagher's Steakhouse says it will will "tickle you green" with a dinner featuring the classic flavors of Ireland. A variety of a la carte specialties will celebrate the green.

To begin, wood-roasted lamb chops served with micro greens and mint pesto. A main course of wrapped Angus beef tenderloin enriched with smoked potobello mushrooms, Savoy cabbage, aromatic herbs and a demi glaze infused with Guinness Stout.

A frozen Bailey's Irish Cream souffle is just the treat for this festive occasion. Draped with a drunken chocolate sauce, it's the perfect conclusion to an Irish meal.

Gallagher's is open for dinner 4 p.m. to 11 p.m. Sunday through Thursday; 4 p.m. to midnight Friday and Saturday. Reservations are recommended. Call 740-6450.

Rampart Casino at the Resort at Summerlin: On St. Patrick's Day, Promenade Cafe at Rampart Casino will feature a prix fixe menu ($8.99) in addition to its regular menu. Included are a choice of pea soup or salad, a choice of corned beef and cabbage or shepherd's pie in a skillet or Irish stew. Dessert is a creme de menthe parfait with Irish Mist whipped cream.

Rampart Buffet's tribute to St. Pat ($11.95) includes Irish stew, Limerick leg of pork, shepherd's pie, scallops and cream, roast stuffed lamb, sauerkraut and sausages, champ (buttery mashed potatoes with green onions), parsley potatoes, steamed cabbage, baby carrots, corned beef steamship round. Also included are a salad bar, Chinese and other stations and a dessert station.

Buffet service is from 11 a.m. to 9:30 p.m.

McCormick & Schmick goes green: McCormick & Schmick's Seafood Restaurant will celebrate St. Patrick's Day with many specials. From 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. a Bushmill's or the ubiquitous green beer is $2. Corned beef and cabbage is $2. From 7 to 10 a.m. green eggs and ham are also $2.

Other Irish specialties will be available from 4 p.m. until closing time. And there will be live music.

For cab drivers, only. A complimentary breakfast will be offered from 7 a.m. to 9 a.m. In addition, if a cabbie comes by anytime before 5 p.m. they can pick up a special gift certificate. Call 836-9000.

St. Patrick's Day at the Cannery: Waverly's Steakhouse will feature a double-cut lamb chop with corned beef and cabbage ($20.95) in addition to its regular menu. Victory's Cafe will offer corned beef and cabbage with potatoes and vegetables for $7.95.

Cannery Row Buffet will add smoked salmon salad, wilted spinach salad and Irish cabbage salad as well as other Irish dishes to the regular selection of stations -- Italian, Mexican, Chinese and the carving station. Also, Irish meatloaf with colcannon, shepherd's pie, chicken Irish style, Irish stuffed pork loin and much more.

The District celebrates St. Patrick's Day: There will be dancing on the green at The District at Green Valley Ranch on St. Patrick's Day. The center will play host to the Celtic Storm Dance Company from the Sharon Lynn Academy of Irish Dance from noon to 3 p.m. The dancers will perform traditional Irish step dancing.

Traditional Irish outfits, high-energy dancing and fleet foot that excite with their quick moves. The event is free and all ages are welcome.

Individual store and restaurant hours may vary, but there will be much to see and eat before and after the Irish dancing.

Favorite Irish toasts: Colum Egan, master distiller at Old Bushmills Distillery, was kind enough to share 10 of his favorite toasts. Egan's association with Bushmills is an Irish love story. The distillery and the master distiller were meant for each other.

The history of toasting is a lovely one. According to Egan the Irish, long known as the world's poets, historically regarded toasting as a unique form of poetry. Egan, who travels around the world as one of the best-known ambassadors for Irish whiskey, is called upon to share a classic Irish toast nearly everywhere he goes.

Here are a few of his favorites:

May you die in bed at 95, shot by a jealous spouse.

Here's to a long life and a merry one.

A quick death and an easy one.

A pretty girl and an honest one.

A fine glass ... and another one.

A week of celebrating at Fado Irish Pub and Restaurant at Green Valley Ranch: Fado will celebrate St. Patrick's Day today through March 19. Festivities begin today and end on St. Patrick's Day with a daylong street party. A complete listing of the events can be found at www.fadoirishpub.com. Spirited dancing, live music and pints galore.

Las Vegan Marilyn Owens to compete in National Chicken Cooking Contest: Marilyn Owens of Las Vegas will represent Nevada in the 46th National Chicken Cooking Contest taking place May 13 in Charlotte, N.C. Owens' original chicken dish, company chicken scallops with lemonade rice, was selected from thousands of recipes submitted by home cooks across the country.

Marilyn will be competing with cooks from every state and the District of Columbia. First place prize is $100,000. Four runners-up will share another $18,000 in prize money. Winning recipes are judged on taste, appearance, simplicity of preparation and overall appeal.

Fifteen top food writers from leading newspapers and magazines are the judges.

Marilyn, a retired businesswoman who doesn't cook much anymore, had never before entered a cooking contest. During a recent conversation she said she'd read about the contest and on a whim decided to enter. She picked the first chicken recipe she found in her cooking file and entered.

She certainly knew what to pick. Her recipe follows all of the rules and could be a winner. One recipe is all it takes.

The National Chicken Cooking Contest dates to 1949 and is one of the nation's oldest, continually running consumer cooking competitions. The contest is sponsored by the National Chicken Council and the U.S. Poultry & Egg Association. It is held every other year in a poultry-producing state with members of the local chicken industry serving as hosts. Ralph Upton of Gold Kist Farms Inc. in Sanford, North Carolina, is this year's contest chairman.

One last word about St. Patrick's Day: Wherever you are or whatever you're drinking on St. Patrick's Day say "Slainte!" (pronounced slawn-cha) to your drinking companions. That's "cheers" in Gaelic.