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Irish Revolution ... in Food ... Takes Root in North Center

By Patty Wetli | March 18, 2015 5:27am
 Murphy's Irish Grocery.
Mrs. Murphy's Irish Grocery
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NORTH CENTER — A deep dive into data from the review site Yelp has revealed that North Center is a hotbed of Irish cuisine.

DNAinfo compared the percentage of specific types of restaurants in North Center to the percentage of those same types of restaurants citywide, and it turns out Irish joints are more prevalent in the neighborhood over the rest of Chicago by nearly 2,000 percent.

The presence of Mrs. Murphy & Sons Irish Bistro, 3905 N. Lincoln Ave., undoubtedly contributed to that statistic.

The restaurant opened in 2005 in what was formerly a funeral home, with a goal of serving honest, contemporary Irish food that could just as easily be found on tables in Dublin or Galway, according to James Murphy, one of the "sons" in the bistro's name.

In fall 2014, Mrs. Murphy's moved a pool table out of its front room and in place of billiards customers will now find an Irish grocery store.

The majority of the shelves are stocked either with foodstuffs imported from Ireland or made in-house by chef Jeanne Carlson and her staff, like a Guinness chocolate spread that gives Nutella a run for its money, Murphy said.

The shop has proven popular both with Irish and British ex-pats, as well as "curious foodies," he said.

A big draw recently has been the market's stash of Cadbury candies.

"The real stuff, not Hershey," said Murphy, referring to a dust-up over trademark rights.

The biggest challenge has been finding sources for items Murphy discovers during the several trips he makes to Ireland each year.

It took him months to connect with the makers of Sheridans Crackers, which are handmade in County Cork and are found at farmers markets around the Emerald Isle.

Same with O'Neill's Irish Sea Salt, an ingredient Carlson is now incorporating into some of her house made chocolates.

Why go to all the trouble of procuring things like Irish butter, Irish honey or Irish mustard when non-Irish versions of the same items are readily available at Trader Joe's, Whole Foods or Jewel? For starters, Murphy said he doesn't know of anyone making rhubarb and ginger jam like Abbey Farm — the mere mention of which leaves him immediately hankering for a scone to spread some on.

Similar to the farm-to-table movement in the U.S., "there's been a revolution in Irish food," he said.

"It's all about the quality of the produce and the ingredients," Murphy said.

Ireland's dairy products, for example, benefit from the country's small-scale farms, he said.

"There's no such thing as corn-fed, non-pasture cattle," Murphy said.

Perhaps the most unique item found in the grocery is a combustible one, as opposed to edible.

Siobhan's Irish Fire Logs bring the aroma of Ireland itself across the Atlantic.

Made from peat, which has been harvested for centuries from the country's bogs and used as a source of heat, the logs can be set aflame in fireplaces and even barbecues. Murphy tosses peat chips into the restaurant's gas-burning fireplace just for the scent of it. Carlson has started smoking some her meats over peat briquettes.

Providing the comforts of home to the city's Irish community — whether new immigrants or fourth-generation — drives a lot of what Murphy carries in the grocery store.

A number of items in stock are the direct result of customers' requests, including the shipment of Irish flour Murphy expects to take receipt of next week.

It's a critical ingredient to Irish brown bread, customers say, and Murphy is happy to oblige.

After all, what goes better with brown bread than Irish butter and rhubarb-ginger jam.

The Yelp data doesn't reveal what the most popular type of restaurant is in each neighborhood. Otherwise, it would be all pizza, burgers and fast food.

Also ranking as disproportionately common in North Center: Diners, 663 percent more prevalent than city-wide; Thai, 573 percent; Latin American, 429 percent; and breakfast and brunch, 280 percent.

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