TRIPLE CITIES IN MARCH: AN EXERCISE IN DIGESTION

If the Irish flag painted outside of the Belmar just isn’t Irish enough for you, head over to McGirk’s Irish Pub (1 Kattelville Road, Binghamton), where they’ll be serving corned beef that has been roasted in Smithwick’s beer for six hours. There will also be ham, cabbage, potatoes, and carrots to round out the meal. And there will be corned beef eggrolls on Parade Day, if you’re in the mood for some Asian fusion. They’ve got a whole Irish menu for the Parade-St. Patrick’s Days one-two punch (but please, no fighting), including Dublin Coddle, a Gaelic Burger, and even an Irish Whiskey BBQ Chicken Sandwich. Irish Kevin’s (47 Riverside Dr., Johnson City) will be serving music with their food and drink, beginning on Parade Day Eve (Friday, March 4th), with Irish and rock band Shambles playing at 7:30pm. The same band picks up where they left off at 2pm the following day, followed by Irish singer and storyteller Donal O’Shaughnessy at 7pm. There will be, of course, corned beef and cabbage on both Parade Day and St. Patty’s, and corned beef sandwiches. For the early risers, The Old Union Hotel (246 Clinton Street, Binghamton) will be serving lots of Guinness, along with ham and cabbage from 8am until they close, on both days of Irish festivity. They will also be featuring the Broome County Celtic Pipe and Drum Band on Parade Day, so head there if you’re feeling lucky.

So, you know where to get your cabbage, your corned beef, and even your ham. But if we’re going to talk about Binghamton food traditions for the month of March, it would be sacrilege not to mention the piroghi at St. Michael’s Greek Catholic Church (296 Clinton Street, Binghamton) in the First Ward. This only comes around during Lent, and it’s a local delicacy that no one can deny, whether you’re eating them for holy or wholly epicurean reasons.