Carlingford 6/15

From Newgrange we headed for our first B&B.  We arrived in Carlingford around 90 minutes later.  A few backroads, and just about to turn around, we finally ran into Grove House B&B!

The proprietor let us in and showed us to cute little rooms.  A very clean and cute looking place, and each of us had our own bathrooms.  Not to mention the walking views around town were breathtaking!

On our way to dinner, we found the ruins of an old church, and stopped to check it out.  (Hey Becca, Shauna & Jeff - CLOISTER!)

It was hard to capture as it was situated right between several houses, but it was another one of those, wow... this was built in the 1300's moments!

So we ambled through town, taking in the sights, and headed for the Oystercatcher.  Long story short, we met a couple in Starbucks in Enfield CT when we were planning the Ireland trip, and turns out they were from Ireland and while he now works in Windsor Locks (woah small world!), he goes back something like four times a year!  Anyways, he suggested we check out this place and tell the chef that he sent us!

We started out with the fresh Oysters (you kind of have to at the Oystercatcher don't you?!?), and I ordered a Crab appetizer.  It was a very interesting mix of flavors, as the sauces were asian, the crab was a bit spicy, and the grapefruit offset it nicely!  Next came the entrees...

Eric got the PD Special: Birds of a Feather, Dad got the Cataplana (described by Harry as "everything but the kitchen sink"), I got the Duck Confit, and Dennis got the Haddock Special.  The food was amazing, with all sorts of intricate and rich flavors.  Dad's was by far the best (I think at least 3 of us were going to order it before he claimed it!).  We also got a salad and their crispy potatoes.  Eric & I split a bottle of Shiraz, and we all shared a piece of Baily's Cheesecake.  Wow it was amazing!!  They were super friendly, and in between cooking, Harry would come out and talk to all the guests.  He even gave us a few tips on where to eat on our travels!  It sounds like we can look forward to some great meals!  Us enjoying our meals:

Yes... I had weirdo flippy hair... :)

We took the long way back, wandering some of the streets and checking out the pubs, realizing we could have spent a week here, as Im sure will be the case with all of these great little friendly towns!  And the best part?  It doesn't hit dusk around here until 10:30pm!!