Life-Changing Seafood Chowder at Raglan Road

 by Ray Keating

Review

DisneyBizJournal.com

January 22, 2024

 

Okay, until I wisely escaped New York nearly three years ago, I was a Long Island guy. And that meant seafood – and I mean good seafood – was a big part of my food life. 

 

Make no mistake, Long Island is home to some of the best New England clam chowder around, not to mention the little known, but still delicious Long Island clam chowder. (I’ve never been a big Manhattan clam chowder fan.)

But on a recent evening, my food life changed – at least as it pertains to chowder.

 

An early evening at Disney Springs meant sitting at an outside table at Raglan Road and enjoying some wonderful Irish music. It was delightful, but the night was about to get even better. Two new items caught my attention on the dinner menu.

 

I tried the “Fish Convention” appetizer. These are house-made fish cakes with tartar sauce, and pickled salad with honey mustard dressing. Growing up on fish cakes (yes, they were big on Fridays in a Catholic family household in the 1970s), I had to give them a try, and though on the small side, these fish cakes were delicious – with taste and texture more about the fish than the cake. Sorry, Mom, but Raglan Road’s fish cakes beat yours, by a wide margin.

 

But then I selected the Creamy Irish seafood chowder as my main course. It came with Guinness and treacle bread, and Kerry gold butter. The bread, by the way, was a bit softer than I expected, and quite tasty.   

But this visit was transformed by the seafood chowder featuring smoked haddock, salmon, cod, and Atlantic shrimp. The broth was a bit thinner than in a New England clam chowder. But I cannot think of previously having a chowder so crammed with flavor and fish, and the hearty pieces of haddock, salmon, cod and shrimp blended together perfectly. Sure, I’ve had delicious chowder before, but the key with this Raglan Road chowder was the sheer amount of fresh, delicious chunks of fish. This wasn’t about potatoes and vegetables accompanied by some fish – this was the ultimate fish chowder.

 

What else can I say to convince you to partake in Raglan Road’s Creamy Irish seafood chowder? Well, you could serve this chowder to me every other day for the rest of my life, and it’s unimaginable that I would ever tire of it. 

 

Raglan Road’s Creamy Irish seafood chowder was, indeed, life changing.

 

__________

 

Ray Keating is the editor, publisher and economist for DisneyBizJournal.com; and author of the Pastor Stephen Grant thrillers and mysteries, the Alliance of Saint Michael novels, and assorted nonfiction books. Have Ray Keating speak your group, business, school, church, or organization. Email him at raykeating@keatingreports.com.

 

The views expressed here are his own – after all, no one else should be held responsible for this stuff, right?

 

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Time for a Great “Hooley” at Raglan Road This Weekend

 by Beth Keating

News

DisneyBizJournal.com

September 1, 2023

 

It’s a party weekend for many families, whether you are celebrating the start of school, toasting good-bye to summer, or just gathering with family and friends for the long three-day holiday.  If you’re Irish, you might be taking the time to celebrate the “Great Irish Hooley,” returning to Raglan Road Irish Pub & Restaurant at Disney Springs this weekend for its 11th year.

From September 1-4, 2023, Raglan Road will be offering up an even bigger helping of its usual festive atmosphere.  For those who don’t speak Gaelic at home, a “Hooley” is another name for a party – a great, big party – and the Raglan Road version will be bringing more of its live music, specialty entrées, and even free face painting for the kiddos to help you get into the Celtic spirit.

Raglan Road is already famed for its high-energy performances, including its award-winning Irish step dancers and a multitude of musical acts in various genres, but this weekend will have a few unique and much-anticipated touches.  Among them, Sina Theil will be gracing the stage at this year’s Hooley. According to Disney Parks Blog, this multi-instrumentalist, singer-songwriter and winner of several Irish music awards “was named ‘Rising Star of 2022’ at the American Celtic Listener Supported Music Awards, so you won’t want to miss her performance kicking off the festival!”

Also bringing the entertainment will be Irish folk/trad four-piece band Strings & Things; Sam Carey and Orla Leavy, The Connemara Ramblers; the transatlantic trio One for the Foxes with their blend of Irish and American folk music; and County Down’s own Oliver Havlin, sharing his special mix of rock music on guitar, fiddle and vocals. If you happen to be at Raglan Road in time for Brunch, the Byrne Brothers will be on stage.

While the music and dancing are undoubtedly a core part of the celebratory atmosphere, food is the primary focus of the party.  Raglan Road’s menu always offers up the chance to experience authentic Irish fare, and the Hooley menu will include classics like their Fish & Chips ($19.95 lunch/$27.50 dinner) and the Shepherd’s to Die for Pie, a scrumptious pulled beef and lamb pie with red wine jus ($20.95 lunch/$27.50 dinner). Oh, and if they bring a basket of bread with the unbelievably delicious whisky sauce for dipping, go ahead and indulge!  We have enjoyed this complimentary starter on a number of occasions, and it is one of the things we think of first when we reminisce about great Raglan Road dishes!  And if you are going all-out and adding dessert to your meal, be sure to snatch up Ger’s Bread & Butter Pudding ($12.00), a heavenly and shareable bread pudding with a phenomenal sauce you can drizzle over your portion.

But in addition to the classics, you’ll also get to choose from a handful of new menu offerings, like the Crispy Cream Goats Cheese Salad, the Guinness & Onion soup, and the Sea Board – a sharing board for two filled with savory seafood bites. (If you miss the Great Hooley this weekend, the newbies will stay on the fall menu, so you’ll get a little longer to try them.)

  
Did we hear someone ask about drinks?  Of course, we did. After all, Raglan Road is an authentic Irish pub, with the restaurant’s components actually built in Ireland and shipped over to Disney Springs!  This weekend, Raglan Road will debut its new Irish-American collaborative, an aged-in-stout-barrels “Stars & Hearts” Keeper’s Heart Whiskey flight, and the “Heart of the Hooley,” made with Keeper’s Heart Irish Bourbon and blackberry. There’s also the popular and returning limited release “De Fesht” Hooley brew.

Raglan Road is always a busy place, especially on weekends, so you’ll want to snag an Advanced Dining Reservation on your My Disney Experience app quickly.  Raglan Road is serving lunch from 11:00 a.m. -3:00 p.m., and dinner from 3:05 until 11:00 p.m.  On Saturday, Sunday, and Monday for the Great Hooley, Brunch runs from 10:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m.

 

__________

 

Beth Keating is a theme parks, restaurant and entertainment reporter for DisneyBizJournal.