Who amongst us doesn’t feel like you are Irish every seventeenth of March? It’s a day to celebrate the heritage of St. Patrick, a day known for its feasts and festivities. The holiday brings a time long known for celebration; though secular in Irish culture, each of us spends it in his or her own way. 

Rhode Island has a large Irish influence, totaling almost 20 percent of our state's  population, so there no shortage of pride around this time of year. Rhode Island is peppered with parades of pride complete with pipe bands and fife and drum corps, flag raisings and moments of reflection. But does St. Patrick’s Day mean more to most of us then just eating corned beef and drinking a pint or two? Well, not really.

Most people use this holiday as an excuse to drink a green beer or Guinness, to get together for happy hour with friends and to escape from the diet to indulge in that most succulent of St. Patrick’s Day dishes, the ever-present corned beef and cabbage. Originally this holiday was a Catholic holiday as St. Patrick was the most recognized of all the patron saints of Ireland. He would use the national flower of Ireland, the shamrock to explain the Holy Trinity to his fellow patrons. In time, it became less recognized as a Catholic holiday and became celebrated internationally as an Irish holiday every March 17.

So knowing this, should you have any guilt about escaping life and falling victim to these morphed traditions? Absolutely not, this is a day of celebration and nothing says celebration more than food, drink and friends. So, how? Where? Food World's got you covered and to what to do and where to find some cool new items to help celebrate St. Paddy’s Day!

First, if you're searching for a cool new beer or drink to get away from the norm, get to Town Wine & Spirits for some much needed diversity in the Irish beer department. They have some really cool Irish microbrews like O’Hara’s Irish Red Ale that are smooth and refreshing to the last drop not to mention affordable at $7.49 a four-pack. If you're looking for that traditional stout flavor, O’Hara’s has it and it’s a little less bitter than that of Irish heavyweight contenders like Guinness. But if you’re looking for a little more punch, look no further than Red Breast 12yr aged Irish whiskey. Elliott Fishbein, owner of Town Wine says, “This whiskey is so smooth it drinks like a single malt scotch. It has great notes of smoke and peat, it sets you up and lures you back in.”

What feast would be complete without some great Irish food traditions? You’ve got to have some great corned beef, but what are you looking for when you buy it? I look for a small manageable piece, usually the flat cut and check to see that it has some good marbling. Marbling is the internal fat lines that are in the actual beef, they are more present in choice grade brisket and above. This will help keep your beef moist and juicy as it cooks.

Whether you eat it as the main course or have it the next day, no St. Patrick’s Day is complete without the legendary Reuben sandwich. I’ve got one for you right here that you’ll want to file under awesome and keep this recipe for life. First, use seeded rye bread and start by gridding the bread in butter like you would for a grilled cheese sandwich. Pile your corned beef on top, skip the Swiss, which is the usual suspect that appears on a Reuben, and top it with Gruyere cheese instead for that deeper saltier flavor. Sauerkraut is another key component of this and any classic Reuben, it's easy to find at any of our local markets. Open and drain the kraut and season it with a touch of salt.  Finally, the sauce that really ties all of this together is 1000 Island Dressing. Here’s a great recipe so you can skip the store bought and add the one which is just bursting with flavor.

1000 Island dressing:

Yield: 1 pint (about eight sandwiches)

1 c. mayonnaise

½ c. ketchup

2 Tb. chili sauce

2 Tb. chopped capers

2 Tb. chopped pimentos

4 Tb. relish

½ lemon, squeeze juice, remove seed

1 pinch salt

Mix all ingredients together and top your Reuben with it to add sweetness and get those taste buds dancing. This sandwich is so good that you may never be able to eat another Reuben again without reminiscing about it.

So to everyone in the East Bay, I say Happy St. Patrick’s Day and as always, enjoy this and every holiday responsibly and have some fun!