Top o’ the morning

We've all heard it before: Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. And if there's a country that does breakfast right, it's Ireland.

The traditional Irish breakfast - sausage, eggs and potatoes served with Irish soda bread or brown bread - was customarily made to fortify individuals for a busy and active day. While it has many of the elements found in America's heartier breakfasts, the quantity of food and the manner in which it's prepared set it apart.

A traditional Irish breakfast starts with the very best of local ingredients.

Loin bacon or rashers, sausages, black and white puddings (which are a type of sausage made up of pork meat, oats and spices and pork blood) are coupled with eggs in a skillet. Add some mushrooms, tomatoes and cold cooked potatoes to the mix, and breakfast is served.

Almost.

Don't forget the homemade bread - brown, soda and potato are the most common - and butter and jam.

It's safe to assume the variations of this meal differ from kitchen to kitchen, as do sizes, especially since the manual labor that made these breakfasts traditional isn't as common these days. Still, with St. Patrick's Day falling on a Sunday this year, now is the perfect time to embrace tradition and have a great meal to kick off the day of celebration with a fortifying brunch.

That's what inspired Mindy Seiffert, owner of Shores Event Center in Cedar Rapids, to offer something different for this year's St. Patrick's Day crowd.

Located in the city's Irish district, Seiffert says afternoon and evening celebrations are plentiful, but there are few morning options.

“We wanted to be unique, offer something that was different from the bar scene,” she says.

So they'll be serving a hearty Irish breakfast from 8 a.m. to noon on Sunday. A bar will be open for those who want to make their coffee Irish. They'll also live stream the St. Patrick's Day festivities straight from Ireland.

The emphasis, though, is on the food. The catered menu includes corned beef hash, creamed eggs over biscuits, sausage and bacon, apple tarts and coffee.

“I thought about preparing the corned beef sort of like eggs Benedict with corn beef instead of Canadian bacon, but then decided to stick with a more traditional menu,” says Chef Andrew Hogue of Catering by LJ's in Marion. “It's good, hearty food.”

“We're also offering transportation for those who are going to the SaPaDaPaSo Parade,” Seiffert says.

A pre-parade shuttle will be available until 12:30 p.m. The return shuttle begins at 3 p.m.

Tickets for the breakfast are $15 per person and includes breakfast only. Tickets for the breakfast and shuttle ride are $25 per person. Alcoholic drinks aren't included in the price of either ticket. Drinks are available for purchase.

Tickets can be purchased online at www.shoreseventcenter.com or by calling (319) 775-5367.

For even more

St. Patrick's Day food and drink options and

activities - check out

hooplanow.com