This post was written for my online column for the Chicago Sun-Times Splash posted on March 14, 2014. 

Growing up, I went to a parochial school in the Northwest suburbs with a slew of Irish kids. I was sort of the square peg surrounded by these button-nosed, freckle-faced cuties. They all had adorable names and lived close to one another and, well, I had this monstrosity of a last name and lived a 20-minute car ride away. But what really got me was the Irish dancing. Forever burned in my brain is the image of little Kerri McCauley, with her heavily adorned Feis dress, curly wig and black, laced-up jig shoes. Oh how I wanted to jig with those girls, but my full-figured Italian-German body didn’t have the moves. I managed to stomp around the house in my Tarantella costume for years, driving my mother insane. I begged for a wig, to no avail, and I ended up with a therapy-worthy shoe fetish. None of that stopped me, as I jigged day and night in my makeshift dance dress with aspirations of performing in Riverdance — or at the very least, being misidentified as one of those cute little Irish girls. Kiki McLuthringshausen?

Then came St. Paddy’s Day, and all the girls would head to the city to dance in the parade. Me? I wouldn’t even go. This square peg was home, probably crying over a bowl of gnocchi. It was the one time of year (OK maybe it wasn’t just one) that I wished my family were Irish. Between the parade and the shoes, I was pretty damn smitten. Yet looking back, I don’t recall ever fully immersing myself in their culture, other than the dance. Their mothers never cooked any Irish food or talked about family traditions. It wasn’t until I moved to the city after high school that I tasted shepherd’s pie or hand pies.

It was also at that time I met a young, ambitious chef named Kevin Hickey, who today is one of Chicago’s finest and most-loved chefs. While he didn’t do any jigs with me, we certainly did our fair share of dining together. So I decided to embrace the full-circle opportunity and ask chef Hickey to help me find the best haunts for Irish dishes in honor of St. Patrick’s Day.

Chef Kevin Hickey and Kiki photographed at the opening of Bottlefork. 

Chef Kevin Hickey of Bottlefork picks your St. Patrick’s Day Grub:

·      I head to Bridgeport Bakery for Irish Soda Bread.

·      Celtic Crossing pours the best Guinness in the city.

·      Hand Pies, I go to Pleasant House Bakery on 31st and Morgan in Bridgeport and in Three Oaks, MI

·      I love the Irish Breakfast at The Gage.

·      I always take my wife to The Daley family St. Paddy's Day party, which is her birthday, Mayor Daley has everyone sing Happy Birthday to her.

·      At Bottlefork, our Corned Beef & Cabbage Special will be in sandwich form. House Cured and Smoked Brisket, Cabbage Slaw, Dubliner Cheese, Hot Irish Mustard on a "Bap" (What the Irish call a sandwich roll). Available only this Saturday, March 15 from 12-5PM at Bottlefork.