Second-best

I took a trip to Drogheda to do some hands-on research into possible restaurants for an upcoming special celebration.

I's done some preliminary checking on the internet and had phoned the first choice venue to enquire about booking a table for Saturday. They (rather snootily) told me they have separate sittings on Saturdays and would only be able to accommodate us at 6:00 or 9:30, neither of which times suits. This was a very different alternative which we were also interested in, but the design of the menu online gave the impression of a diner rather than a restaurant, and the gallery of photographs didn't give a proper impression of the place. So, the trip to Drogheda was principally for checking the place in person, but also to walk the streets and see if anywhere else cropped up.

The actual restaurant wasn't open when I found my way to it, but I was able to sneak this shot through the window. It certainly looks bright and airy, so I enquired in person about a Saturday booking. Just as with the top choice, though, they were heavily booked, and couldn't fit us in at our preferred time. I liked the place so much, though, that I made a provisional booking for a week later.

Having done that I decided to make my way to the preferred venue and see what they could do for Saturday week. Seeing the place in reality reinforced the preference, and I kept my fingers crossed as the booking sheet was given what looked like a complicated one-over. At first they wanted to put us in a separate room form the main dining room, but I didn't fancy that. Finally, we got white smoke, and I made a reservation for 8:15 on Saturday 3rd March (which means I'll have to cancel the booking in this second-best place.

Mission accomplished, I walked around Drogheda some more (surprised at how much it reminded me of Kilkenny), stopped off at the tourist office, saw some of the sights and had a bite to eat in a place overlooking the river before making my way back home.

So, what are these restaurants? This, the second-best choice, is West29, in the Westcourt Hotel. And the winner is ... Scholars, in the Scholars Townhouse Hotel.