Where to Dine - Dublin - page 75

and best. (Let's hope his peripheral ventures don't distract him from
the stove too often.) This is a sophisticated, grown-up, classy place,
with excellent service and fantastic food. Favorite dishes include a
starter of seared foie gras with pineapple tatin; memorable main
dishes include scallops with baby beetroot and lime, confit of duck
with fig tatin, and beef with Roquefort ravioli. For dessert, a
caramelized lemon tart is the end to a near-perfect meal.
5-6 Moleworth Place, Schoolhouse Lane, Dublin 2. & 01/676-0300. www.
onepico.com. Reservations required. Fixed-price 2-course lunch

€ 25 ($30), 3-course

lunch 30 ($24-$36). AE, DC, MC, V.

Mon-Sat 12:30-2:30pm and 6-11pm. DART: Pearse. Bus: 10, 11A, 11B, 13, or 20B.
EXPENSIVE
Cooke's Café MODERN CLASSIC Named for owner and
chef Johnny Cooke, this shop-front restaurant is a longtime Dublin
favorite. The food is all about classic dishes executed with just the
right amount of originality. Specialties include a fabulous black-
bean soup; grilled duck with pancetta, Marsala balsamic sauce, and
wilted endive; sautéed brill and Dover sole with capers and crou-
tons; and baked grouper with a ragout of mussels, clams, artichokes,
and tomatoes. The open kitchen and Mediterranean murals domi-
nate the cafe, and on weekend evenings they open the upstairs
Rhino Room, where there's a terrific New York-grill atmosphere. In
fine weather you can sit outside on the terrace.
14 S. William St., Dublin 2. & 01/679-0536. Reservations required. Fixed-price
lunch menu

€ 30 ($36); dinner main courses € 20- €

€ 20 ($24); early-bird menu (6-7pm) € 20 ($24); dinner main courses

€ 26 ($17-$31). AE, DC, MC, V. Daily 12:30-3pm; Mon-Sat 6-11pm; Sun

6-10pm. DART: Tara St. Bus: 16A, 19A, 22A, 55, or 83.

14- €

EXPENSIVE/MODERATE
Aya @ Brown Thomas JAPANESE This buzzy, fashion-
able annex to Dublin's poshest department store (actually, it's just
across the street on Clarendon St.) is very much a good-time desti-
nation for chic Dubliners, with its conveyor-belt sushi bar. The
good news is that, beyond the trendiness, the food here is damn
good. Lunch offers all the classics—tempura, gyoza, toritatsuta,
and, of course, plenty of sushi—while the dinner menu expands to
include yakitori, steaks, and noodle salads. Come for dinner Sunday
through Tuesday for the Sushi55 special: all you can eat, including
one complimentary drink, for

€

24 ($29).
49-52 Clarendon St., Dublin 2. & 01/677-1544. Reservations recommended for
dinner. Lunch averages 25 ($30). AE, DC, MC, V.

Mon-Sat 10:30am-11pm; Sun noon-10pm. DART: Tara St. Bus: 16A, 19A, 22A, 55,
or 83.

€ 15 ($18); dinner averages €