B&B Perfection: Virginia's Guesthouse

If we refrained from true gourmet food in London, we certainly made up for it in Ireland. It's no secret that breakfast is my favorite meal of the day, and our first couple of days in the Emerald isle made me a believer in the Irish excellence in this culinary arena.

Based on exceptional reviews on TripAdvisor.com, Jenny and I booked our first two nights in Virginia's Guesthouse in Kenmare, County Kerry. We expected a nice place to stay in a scenic town, what we got was far more than we could have hoped for.

Kenmare is an incredibly beautiful village on the bottom of the famous Ring of Kerry, a scenic drive around a peninsula on Ireland's west coast. The main streets are lined with colorful guesthouses, restaurants and pubs, and the whole town is steeped with a deep, but very authentic, charm and warmth. London was fun, but Kenmare was really a vacation. It was so easy to relax and enjoy the Irish countryside, to lazily stroll up and down main street shopping and watching the tourists and locals alike. It was just what the doctor ordered, as Jenny and I needed a rest after the hustle and bustle of a week in crazy London.

We arrived late at night after a long drive from Cork and Blarney and after meeting Neil, the innkeeper, Jenny and I just melted into bed. Our room was wonderful! It was so nice after a long day of driving to have such a cute and comfortable place to lay our heads. With the notable exception of our one night at Glin Castle for our anniversary, these were the best accommodations in our entire two week trip. But enough about our room - you're here for the food!

I take great pride in my ability to cook breakfast for Jenny, but Noreen Harrington, Neil's wife and chef, is an absolute master. We were greeted in the breakfast room with the tremendous aroma of breakfast coming from the kitchen. Noreen soon popped out and brought us some delicious soda bread (baked that morning), coffee and the like.

For our first morning in Ireland, I was determined to have my first Irish fry. It was a good choice.

A standard Irish fry has bacon, sausage, a couple of eggs and (my favorite) black and white pudding. According to my guidebook, the best puddings in Ireland are made in Clonakilty, County Cork, and Noreen uses this delicacy for her breakfasts. This was very important to me, as I became sort of a B&W pudding connoisseur in my week in Ireland (but that's a different post).

Jenny selected the Banana Pancakes. I'm surprised that she finished them, because she had to stop after every bite to groan with pleasure and remark how they were the best pancakes she'd ever had in her life.

I had to sample them, of course, and I'd have to agree that the pancakes were the best I'd ever had in my life. They absolutely melted in my mouth, with a soft and sweet banana flavor dancing in my cheeks. Noreen said I could have the recipe, and I intend to hold her to it. I'm convinced I can inspire lifelong devotion from my wife if I can master this one dish.

The next day I had a delicious porridge with whiskey cream, which is exactly as good as it sounds. Jenny had fruit poached in syrup with yogurt. It was so beautiful that I felt like painting a still-life of it and hanging it up over our fireplace for all to see. Maybe I'll just frame this picture.

But in the end, the best part wasn't the room or the food (which is really hard to top). Neil and Noreen are just a lovely couple, and it's clear that they love what they do. Virginia's Guesthouse is the rare intersection of a couple that is exceptional at what they do and a town and home that is the perfect forum for their craft.

I arrived in Ireland with a certain level of expectation of what it would be like, and a little hope for how it could be. After two nights in Kenmare, I can safely say all my hopes were exceeded. I can't wait to go back!