Just Ask Restaurant of the Month for December - Harte's Bar & Grill, Kildare

The “Just Ask!” Restaurant of the Month winner for December is Harte's Bar & Grill, Kildare, Co Kildare

When brothers-in-law Paul Lenehan and Ronan Kinsella opened Hartes Bar & Grill in 2009, they wanted to create a place where 'service, quality, value for money and consistency' were the hallmarks - and they reckoned that “Kildare town was ready for a gastro-pub”.

So, behind the traditional flower-decked pub frontage (the original pub dates back to 1838), lies a very modern hybrid, combining the qualities of the classic Irish bar with something altogether different - and it's all to do with good food.

Head chef Barry Liscombe has been a key part of the team from the outset, and their shared vision of creating a dining destination with a strong focus on local - or at least Irish - produce, has earned Harte’s a well deserved place among the country’s best food pubs.

With a welcoming open fire and horse racing memorabilia in the traditional bar, and smart tables invitingly set up in a softly lit bistro area, it’s an atmospheric place to enjoy good food - and not only has Harte’s earned a local following, but it’s making its mark on the travelling food lovers’ map too.

Quality meats are a top priority, especially as ‘Hot Stone’ - cooking your own steaks on a fiercely hot stone (440ºC) at the table - is the declared speciality. But there’s no need to miss out on the excellent cooking, as there’s plenty else to choose from on wide ranging menus that showcase the best foods sourced from carefully selected suppliers.

Head Chef, Barry Liscombe, says “Our customers enjoy reading all about the people involved and we state clearly on our menus that ‘We use only sustainable fish, fully traceable Bord Bia approved Irish beef, poultry, pork & bacon and support Irish artisan suppliers’.

Beef and lamb are sourced from Haynestown Meats in Newbridge, our free range pork from Pigs on the Green in Co. Offaly. Our chicken comes from Curragh foods and Ballysax both in Co Kildare, Wrights of Marino supply us with fish and shellfish and our exotic mushrooms are grown by Lucy Deegan and Mark Cribbin’s Ballyhoura Mountain Mushrooms, in North Cork. We use our menus and our website to pass on the stories behind our valued food and craft beer suppliers”.

Plenty of other quality products - including household names, like Clonakilty Black Pudding and Ballymaloe Relish, alongside some less familiar ones - are sprinkled through menus too. A Goatsbridge trout and Donegal crab parfait could make a tempting light lunch dish, for instance, and steaks may come with a tangy Crozier Blue sheep cheese béarnaise.

‘House’ dishes, such as the excellent smoky-flavoured Harte’s Chowder and the Harte’s Burger, also stand out, and vegetarian dishes (such as a starter of Ballyhoura Mushroom & Cooleeney Daru cheese spring roll, pecans in syrup) are unusual enough to tempt non-vegetarian diners. Coeliac friendly, vegetarian and lactose free options are highlighted, too - and also ‘Paul’s favourites’, which gives a nice personal touch to the menus. 

But, important as the food is, Harte’s doesn’t forget that it’s a bar and one of the most attractive things about it is their interest in craft beers, some of which are offered on draught as well by the bottle. The informative drinks listing makes a good read - and, although a good wine list (and a speciality gin menu) is also offered, a highlight of the à la carte menu is the suggested craft beer pairing with each main course.

All round, the commitment to support Irish producers is commendable at Harte’s and, especially in a county that is home to some of Ireland’s most famous dining pubs, it’s a real achievement for a relatively new one to stand out.

SAMPLE MENUS

Harte's of Kildare Lunch Menu

Paul Lenehan and Ronan Kinsella along with Head Chef Barry Liscombe welcome you to Harte’s

Light lunch & Salads Sml Reg?

Soup of the day with soda bread v €5

Harte's Chowder, organic salmon, hake & smoked coley, potato & leek €5 €8?

Organic Chicken liver pate, sourdough toast, Fig jam co €7

Clonakilty black pudding salad, bacon, poached eggs, tomato dressing, soda bread €7 €10

Chicken salad, black olives, pickled cucumber, roast tomato, pine nuts, pesto €7 €11

Goatsbridge trout and Donegal crab parfait, pickled cucumber salad, crusty toast, apple puree €11

Sandwiches

Roast beef sandwich, sirloin medium, crusty bread, horseradish mayo, caramelised red onion €11

Falafel, pitta bread, tomato, hummus, mint yoghurt, apricot chutney v €9

Pigs on the green Pulled pork, black pudding, apple puree, mustard on Flour bap €9

Open sandwich on soda bread, Pigs on the green honey roast ham, cheddar, Ballymaloe relish €8

Hartes Club sandwich, chicken, bacon, tomato, egg mayonnaise on sourdough €9?

All sandwiches are accompanied by one of the following - salad, chips, skins, small soup, small chowder (supp €2.50). Additional salad, chips or small soup €2.50

Mains

Shoulder of lamb tajine, Moroccan spiced couscous, apricot chutney, mint yoghurt €16

Fish & Chips, haddock in Carrig beer batter, mushy peas, chips & tartare sauce €17

Harte's burger, Dubliner cheddar, streaky bacon, Ballymaloe relish floury bap & chips €15

Fish cakes, organic salmon, smokey coley & hake, chives, celeriac & caper remoulade, quinoa €15

Grilled Halloumi cheese, falafel, carrot puree, quinoa, candied pecans, beetroot, peach chutney €14

Desserts

Meringue, Lemon curd, raspberry, lemon sorbet €6

Hot chocolate or Banoffi sundae, crushed cookies, Rossmore vanilla ice cream €6

Chocolate tart 70%, honeycomb, Rossmore vanilla ice cream €6

Carrot & ginger cake, white chocolate & orange sauce €6

?Apple and wild berry crumble, custard €7

We use only sustainable fish, fully traceable Bord Bia approved Irish Beef, poultry, pork & bacon and support Irish artisan suppliers

Early Bird Menu 2 courses for €19.00 or 3 courses for €23.00.
Available Monday - Thursday only

Paul Lenehan and Ronan Kinsella along with Head Chef Barry Liscombe welcome you to Harte’s

Today's soup, please ask your server or see our special's board (co)

Clonakilty black pudding, poached egg, bacon, Ballymaloe, salad, relish dressing
Haricot bean & quinoa salad, broccoli, sweet potato, Morrocan slaw,
yoghurt & hazelnuts (v)(c) €7

Chicken liver paté, pear chutney, granola, sourdough toast (co) €8

Hartes Burger, Ballymaloe relish, streaky bacon & Dubliner cheddar with chips

Butter roasted chicken, cauliflower, mushroom, smoked Knockanore cheddar

Fish & chips, beer battered hake, fries, mushy peas & tartare sauce

Lentil sausages, spiced cous cous, sweet potato puree, candied walnuts

Hot chocolate or Banoffi sundae, crushed cookies, Rossmore vanilla ice cream

Bread and butter pudding, white chocolate and orange, whisky soaked raisins

Orange & vanilla creme brulée, poached fruits

We use only sustainable fish, fully traceable Bord bia approved Irish Beef, poultry, pork & bacon
C - Coeliac CO - Coeliac option V - Vegetarian L-- Lactose free P - Paul’s favourites

A LA CARTE

Paul Lenehan and Ronan Kinsella along with Head Chef Barry Liscombe welcome you to Harte’s

To start

Today's soup, please ask your server or see our specials board (v, co) €5

"Bacon & cabbage"braised ham hock croquette, savoy cabbage & cauliflower puree €8

Beetroot cured organic salmon, wasabi, apple, soy, ginger & honey dressing (c) €9

Haricot bean & quinoa salad, broccoli, sweet potato, Morrocan slaw, yoghurt, & hazelnuts (v)(c) €7

Carpaccio of beef, pickled mushroom, quinoa, roast garlic, tomato, rocket, Crozier Blue (c) €10

Ballyhoura Mushroom & Cooleeney Daru cheese spring roll, pecans in syrup (v) €9

Potted Goatsbridge trout & fresh crab, Killowen yoghurt, coriander, lime, sourdough (co) €9

Clonakilty black pudding, organic poached egg, bacon, Ballymaloe relish dressing €8

Chicken liver pate, pear chutney, granola, sourdough toast (co) €8

We use only sustainable fish, fully traceable Bord bia approved Irish Beef, poultry, pork & bacon.
C - Coeliac CO - Celiac option V - Vegetarian L-- Lactose free P - Paul’s favourites

Mains (Try a glass of craft beer with your meal)

Pigs on the Green confit pork belly, pistachio & Serrano ham, Dijon, new turnips, turnip purée, tenderstem broccoli, black pudding €19
Our craft beer recommendation: White Gypsy Amber Pale Ale

8hr braised blade of beef, red cabbage, corned beef & carrot red wine & marrow jus €18
Our craft beer recommendation: Trouble Brewing Dark Arts Porter

Duck breast, confit leg, beetroot, sweet potato, broccoli, redcurrant, hazelnuts €24 (c)
Our craft beer recommendation: White Gypsy IPA

Hake, coconut & lemongrass curry, chilli, ginger, lime leaf, sticky rice €21 (c)
Our craft beer recommendation: Carrig Craft Lager

Lentil sausages, spiced cous cous, sweet potato puree, candied walnuts, V €16
Our craft beer recommendation: Metalman IPA

Butter roasted chicken, Ballyhoura mushroom, cauliflower & Knockanore smoked cheddar purée, roast carrots chicken jus €19 (c)
Our craft beer recommendation: White Gypsy Ruby Red Ale

Harte's burger, Dubliner cheddar, streaky bacon, Ballymaloe Relish, floury bap & chips €16
Our craft, beer recommendation: White Gypsy Amber Ale

8oz prime sirloin steak , Crozier Blue bearnaise or whiskey pepper sauce, mushroom
& onion rings (€21**) (co) €23

7oz Fillet steak mushroom, Crozier Blue bearnaise or whiskey pepper sauce, mushroom & onion rings (co) (€24**) €26
( ** refers to steak on the stone option)
Our craft beer recommendation: Metalman IPA

We use only sustainable fish, fully traceable Bord Bia approved Irish Beef, poultry, pork & bacon.
C - Coeliac CO - Coeliac option V - Vegetarian L- Lactose free P - Paul’s favourites

Our Craft on Draught.

Paul Lenehan and Ronan Kinsella along with Head Chef Barry Liscombe welcome you to Hartes

Metalman IPA (Irish Pale Ale) Pt €4.90 Brewed in : Co. Waterford
American style pale ale, dark gold in colour with a delicate white head. Citrus and floral aromas lead into hop flavours characterised by grapefruit and mandarin produced by American hops. A dry bitter finish makes this enjoyable and refreshing beer. 4.3% (Irish Beer of the year 2013 )

Carrig Craft Lager Pt €4.70 Brewed in Leitrim
Our Irish Craft Lager pours to a golden pale colour and has a clean, crisp, full bodied taste and offers exceptional refreshment. Consistent and sufficient fermentation gives Carrig a pleasantly smooth taste with a thirst quenching finish. Brewed with precision and perfection with only four ingredients: water, barley, hops and yeast. It carries an ABV 4.3%.

Ruby Irish Red Ale, White Gypsy Brewery abv 4.6% Pt €4.70 Brewed in: Tipperary
Ruby Irish Red Ale started life in Dwans Brewery in Thurlus under the name Rich Ruby. It has a unique flavour profile with caramel like sweetness, a medium body and is light on hops, with a toffee roast flavour

Trouble Brewing Dark Arts Porter abv 4.4% Pt 04.70
Bursting with coffee, chocolate and caramel flavors as a result of the complex malt profile. The hops complement the malt flavors for a beer that is smooth and well-balanced

Amber Pale Ale from White Gypsy Brewery abv Pt €5.00
Our Craft in a bottle BEER versus WINE

White Gypsy Brewery, American Pale Ale 7.5% 750ml Bottle C14.50
First brewed in the U.S.A. in 1980s this superb beer has good carbonation and has an excellent flavour profile. Amber in colour, this is a dry, hoppy beer with some caramel flavour. It goes great with spicy food but is also an extremely versatile beer and works perfectly well with most foods.

White Gypsy Brewery, Belgian Dubbel 8% 750ml Bottle 015
The Belgian dubbel style of beer originated in the Trappist Abbey's in the 19th century. It is a rich malty beer with some spicy characteristics and dark fruit aromas. A hint of caramel with a slight hop bitterness give this beer a marvellous flavour. It has a medium to full body with an expressive carbonation. Concerning food, we find it goes well with buttery cheeses such as brie, camembert or gouda. For the meat course roast lamb, chicken or goose compliment well. We also recommend braised beef, ham or liver. For dessert chocolate with nuts, rich fruit cake or gateaux pair wonderfully with this most eminent of beers.

We use only sustainable fish, fully traceable Bord bia approved Irish Beef, poultry, pork & bacon, C - Coeliac CO - Celiac option V - Vegetarian L- Lactose free
P - Pauls favourites

Our Suppliers

PIGS ON THE GREEN
Traditional Free Range Pork
Pigs on the Green is an Offaly based free range pork producer. A family run operation, Fergus & Sandra Dunne are based on their farm in Tullamore and produce the finest bacon you can buy. We supply some of the finest restaurants and stores with our premium range of pork products. We produce breakfast and dinner sausages, dry cured bacon and pork cuts.?Our family farm is home to 50 pigs which openly run freely every day. Free range farming methods result in a much tastier healthier pork products.

DOYLE CATERING MEATS?
Doyle Catering Meats formerly Doyle Bros established in 1955 by Richard and Edward Doyle in Grange Cross Ballyfermot and Rathfarnham Village.
Richard and Edward were from a larger family of 11 children 8 boys and 3 girls who were brought up on a farm in Wicklow close to Baltinglass near a small village called Donard. They all stayed connected to their routes and eight of them diversified into butchering and Auctioneering. The knowledge they gathered of livestock through both there farming and auctioneering background was carried through to the quality they were able to offer in their shops and passed through to the next generation who also became Farmers, Auctioneers and Butchers. Richard and Pat took over the business in 1985 and have been running it successful since through all sorts of economic climates.

BALLYHOURA MOUNTAIN MUSHROOMS LIMITED
?Irish grower of specialist mushrooms including Shiitake, Oyster, Eryngii (King Oyster) Golden Oyster, Rose Oyster, Lions Mane “PomPom”, Velvet Pioppino & Nameko. We also produce a range of award winning speciality mushroom products including Marinated Oyster & Shiitake Mushrooms (Winner of a Blas naHEireann/Irish Food Award 2012) , Mushroom Soups, Wild Mushroom and Oyster Mushroom Pate (Winner of a Blas naHEireann/Irish Food Award 2012), Cep Oil, Mushroom Ketchup, Mushroom Seasoning Powders, & Dried Mushrooms.
We also supply a range of foraged Wild Irish Foods including Wild Mushrooms (Chanterelles, Ceps, Hedgehog, Saffron Milk Caps, Blewits, Chicken of the Woods, Hen of the Woods), Wild Garlic, Three Cornered Leek, Sorrel, Wood Sorrel, Wild Strawberries, Burdock, Pig Nuts.

WRIGHTS OF MARINO
?Full range of fish and shellfish products
We offer a full range of fresh, frozen, and smoked fish products including a comprehensive range of shellfish products. Our philosophy is simple yet effective. “Excellent quality at the Wright price”. With the largest market share in Ireland’s capital city, we supply the finest hotels and restaurants 6 days a week with a network of refrigerated vans. Wrights of Marino also offer a delivery service outside of Dublin 3 days a week.

IRISH CRAFT BEERS
Today, there has never being a more exciting time to be part of the craft beer scene on this island.

There is now an active consumer group over at www.Beoir.org expounding the virtues of Irish craft beer. A new diversity in available styles has begun in the last decade with craft brewers and craft beer consumers becoming more numerous, confident and adventurous than ever before.

We at Hartes of Kildare, The Dew Drop Inn, & Ashton’s are proud to be part of this new diversity in flavours and styles. Please keep an eye on our website as we expand our range of beers, helping Irish businesses & giving the consumer a new tasting experience with beers & food.