One thing I have noticed since our arrival in Los Angeles is the staggering amount of doughnut (or donut) shops that exist here. This is shocking to me, due to the number of residents who are actors, models, California health hippies, and general “people that live in Beverly Hills”. Although I heard Benicio Del Toro had a regimented strict diet of a dozen doughnuts a day to pack on the belly of Dr. Gonzo (for “Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas”), I can see little other business for these unfortunately located shops.
That discussion is for another time though. Who knew that the city of Los Angeles would boast such a high number of restaurants that serve Irish cuisine? I keep passing by signs for these places called Tac O’Bell. I can only imagine each location as a warm haven away from these bitter L.A. winters. Where can one warm himself by a fire and a pint of Guiness? This is not rhetorical.
I finally just had my first visit to one of these places, and lo and behold, I had no idea that the song “La Cuc O’racha” was a traditional Irish reel. My hunger was nearly forgotten about when I began reading the history of the restaurant, which appeared in tidbits that were framed about the restaurant. From what I gather, the history is as follows:
In 1846 Casey O’Bell gazed across a field in Limerick Ireland, and dreamt of having a potato. Since there were none to be had, he decided he would look elsewhere for his beloved starch. He traded an old man a jaunty jig for enough money to board a boat headed to the land of dreams called Manna-hata (Which was later renamed "Manhattan" after the Woody Allen film). Casey did not speak Gaeilge and mistook the boat as heading toward a hat store. Casey was bald (which was the style at the time) and his head was cold, so he opted to join them in their shopping extravaganza. He patiently waited for days in this boat while his head got even colder, and conditions increasingly more unbearable.
Then one fateful morning Casey awoke in the shadow of a giant green woman holding high a torch. Casey was in awe. As he rubbed the sleep from his eyes, he recognized the woman as Kelly McRyan, who was threatening to burn the boat if she didn’t get to bathe the green film off of herself soon. Casey snapped into action by diving off the side of the boat and swimming to shore. The young Irishman ended up at Tammany Hall, where he was quickly ejected for dripping his wet clothes on legal documents.
After drying, he returned, and noticed all the grunting, harrumphing, and arguing made the gentlemen famished. He scurried to the nearest grocer, and traded him a jig for corn and potatoes. And just as David Blaine would sit in a Plexiglas box 154 years later, something magical happened.
The men practically demolished everything Casey made, and after a few years of this, he had enough to build a restaurant. William M. Tweed later declared the O’Bell recipes to be “Scandalicious!”. This review skyrocketed Casey’s fame and popularity to a mythical degree. And Casey O’Bell patented the “Quick Food Chain”.
After a delicious traditional Irish meal, I got a chance to talk with the manager of this particular location, and wanted to share these not very well known Rejected Tac O’ Bell Menu Ideas:
Nachos and Cabbage
Colcannon con queso
Dishreen Supreme
The Potato Famine Potato Wrap (no potatoes)
Jalapeno Boxty
Finnegan Bell Grande (Sponsored by Ethan Hawke)
Fiesta Pot Brownies
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