Best Dining Bets

Jacob's Ladder (County Dublin): Inspired cooking and a stylish room with views over Trinity College make this one of the hippest places in town. Roche's forte is updating Irish stalwarts into sublime signature dishes. His colcannon -- an old favorite of spuds and cabbage mashed together with plenty of butter -- is better than anywhere else on the island. Service is terrific and you get great value for your money.

Coast (County Waterford): For food lovers, this is the great address to know about in Waterford. The dining room is as chic and understated as you'd hope to find in New York or London, with modern, smart food that really makes you take notice. From start to finish, the meal delivers just the right balance of zing and restraint.

Grapefruit Moon (County Cork): Here's an elegant, pared down little place in the middle of Ballycotton, an appealing little village in East Cork. Run by members of the Allen family, of Ballymaloe fame, the key to everything is using only the freshest ingredients obtainable.

The Chart House (County Kerry): In this inviting bistro, everyone comes for Laura Boyce's confident, simple cooking. Think wonderful comfort food with a flair -- the kind of food you never tire of. And the service is, as the Irish would say, "spot on."

The Wild Geese (County Limerick): After spending years making other people's restaurants absolutely fabulous, owner-chef David Foley created a gem in one of the prettiest towns in Ireland. The cooking is complex, flavorful, and refined, yet always restrained.

Cromleach Lodge (County Sligo): In this lovely country house with panoramic views of Lough Arrow and environs, Christy and Moira Tighe have created a culinary destination with few peers. The menu, Irish in focus, changes daily and never fails to delight. The eight-course gourmet menu is the ultimate indulgence.

The Corncrake (County Donegal): Such a judicious blend of fresh ingredients and culinary imagination is a rare treat. The nettle soup, roast lamb, and desserts of Noreen Lynch and Brid McCartney warrant a detour to the town of Carndonagh, where the living room of a small row house has been transformed into an extraordinary restaurant.

James Street South (County Antrim): This is the table of the moment in Belfast. This place is a hit because of the terrific cooking, which delivers modern classics with an Irish twist. Whatever you do, don't pass on a side order of champ -- mashed spuds with spring onions laced through it, Irish-style. Portions are generous, the wine list excellent, the crowd rapturous.

The Narrows (County Down): Who'd have thought that the sleepy little waterside hamlet of Portaferry would have a restaurant like this? Danny Millar is one of the hottest young chefs on this island -- just ask Food & Wine magazine -- and his complex-yet-earthy cooking is worth going out of your way for.

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