The luck of the Irish at Wailana

Like many holidays that originated with religious significance, St. Patrick’s Day has been appropriated to be a celebration of less pious things. Namely, in this case, beer.

But let’s not forget that there also is a lot of great food associated with this holiday — and you can get a sampling of it at Wailana Coffee House, which serves up three dinner specials in honor of the Irish holiday.

This includes, of course, Corned Beef and Cabbage Killarney ($14.95). The dish features moist slices of corned beef draped over cabbage, served with boiled carrots and boiled potatoes.

“It’s cooked all day,” general manager Kenton Tom says of the corned beef. “We cook it very slowly, boiling it with seasonings and vegetables. It’s nice and tender when it’s done.”

Another dinner special is Roast Chicken O’Shannon ($13.50), a seasoned half chicken paired with macadamia nut stuffing. The stuffing is loaded with chopped vegetables, pepper, macadamia nuts and sauteed bacon.

“First we marinate it, and then we coat it in flour and bake it,” Tom says. “It’s marinated with salt, pepper and garlic.”

The final St. Patrick’s Day dinner special is Fillet of Salmon Florentine ($14.25).

“It’s poached in a water with onions and celery, and placed atop a pool of spinach dressing, and then topped with Hollandaise sauce,” Tom explains.

All dinner specials also come with a choice of starch (baked or mashed potatoes, french fries or rice) corn on the cob, chocolate mint cake, a beverage and access to Wailana’s all-you-can-eat salad bar.

If you’d rather start your day immediately with St. Patrick’s Day celebrations, Wailana also offers its St. Patty’s Day Breakfast Special for $9.95. It features corned beef hash with two large eggs (any style), hash brown potatoes, toast and coffee.

And what would St. Patrick’s Day be without a drink or two? Wailana will please patrons with house wines, as well as Irish coffee ($4.50 each), which is loaded with whiskey and whipped cream.

These St. Patrick’s Day specials are available March 17, from 11 a.m. to midnight.

Wailana Coffee House

1860 Ala Moana Blvd., Honolulu
955-1764
Open 24 hours daily (except when it closes from 9:30 p.m. Tuesday to 6 a.m. Wednesday)