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{mosimage} Traditional Irish cuisine and sports bar favorites are served in an inviting rustic atmosphere at Mickey Byrne’s Irish Pub & Restaurant, the newest addition to Downtown Hollywood’s eclectic inventory of international eateries.

Mickey Byrne’s, named for an Irish legend in the sport of hurling, opened November 26 at 1921 Hollywood Boulevard.

Owner Mark Rowe and his business partner, Chef Karen Flynn, are natives of Ireland who know how to serve up an authentic Irish pub experience. Popular traditional dishes such as corned beef and cabbage, beef and Guinness stew, fish and chips, and shepherd’s pie are complemented by American favorites that include burgers, wings, chicken wraps, steak sandwiches and salads.

Mickey Byrne’s patrons can choose from a vast selection 18 beers on tap. “We have imports and American microbrews,” Rowe said, “and some nice Irish whiskey as well.”

Rowe has called on his background in bar management in Ireland and Australia and nightclub management in Connecticut in opening his own establishment. The decor combines elements of a classic European pub and a contemporary American sports bar, with oak wood floors and beams, black-and-white photographs of Irish sports figures and seven 50-inch television screens for watching sporting events. Live music is also offered on Friday nights.

Rowe, who relocated to Hollywood from Connecticut about a year ago, looked at many different locations in Florida before deciding to open Mickey Byrne’s in Downtown Hollywood, which he called reminiscent of the Northeast or even Europe.   

“I really like the ambiance. There just seems to be a vibrancy,” Rowe said. “It’s an up-and-coming area.”

Mickey Byrne’s Irish Pub & Restaurant is open daily from 11 a.m. to 2 a.m. Takeout service is available. For more information, call 954-921-2317.

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{mosimage}Hollywood, already home to the GQ Magazine-proclaimed “Best Hamburger in America” served up at the Le Tub Saloon, can boast another claim to fame of the burger variety with the selection of a local man’s recipe as one of four finalists in the Food Network’s Ultimate Recipe Showdown 2.

Retired plastic surgeon Harold Cohen, 74, will be vying for top honors in the Jan. 11 episode of the cooking competition’s second season, where a panel of food experts will determine the “Ultimate Burger Recipe.” The winner receives a $25,000 cash prize and the chance to have his or her recipe featured across the country at T.G.I. Friday’s restaurants.

Just being selected as a finalist is an honor, with 741 entries submitted as part of a nationwide search for the perfect burger. Cohen, a world traveler, drew inspiration for his Iberian Burger with Madeira Mushrooms and White Gazpacho Mayonnaise from the European peninsula that includes Spain, Portugal and a small portion of France. The mayonnaise for Cohen’s creation features seedless white grapes, blanched almonds, chopped garlic and sherry vinegar.

Cohen’s accomplishment is all the more impressive given the fact that he is legally blind.

“This really doesn’t affect your competency in cooking,” he said in an interview with the Food Network. “In fact, it’s a little more interesting because you go along the grocery store shelves and pick up salt instead of pepper, so the recipe may vary a little.”

Cohen said losing his vision has enhanced his other senses, which helps him in the kitchen.

“I can hear the crackling of the bacon in the pan and know that it’s almost getting done without seeing that it’s brown,” he said. “Of course, if I smell it burn, then I know I’ve gone too far.”

Competitive cooking seems to run in the family. Cohen’s son Michael, a film composer in Los Angeles, started entering recipe contests a few years ago and was one of nine finalists competing in beef, poultry and seafood burger rounds on the first season of Ultimate Recipe Showdown.

“I said, ‘Hey, if he could do it, I could do it,’” Harold Cohen recalled. “I’ve got a lot more experience in thinking about recipes, having eaten a lot more through the years than he has.”

The younger Cohen’s Duck Duck Delicious Burger recipe did not end up snagging the grand prize, and his father is determined to “best him this one time.”

But first Cohen would have to best his three female competitors and their Adobo Quesadilla Burger with Grilled Corn Salsa, Vietnamese Bistro Burger, and Croque Monsieur Burger recipes.

National glory and bragging rights aside, Cohen has an altruistic reason for wanting to win the $25,000 grand prize. He’d like to establish scholarships for underprivileged students, particularly those with physical handicaps.

“And if there’s anything left over, we’re going to go for a nice dinner somewhere,” he said.

Out of more than 12,000 entries, 24 finalists will compete in six categories – Comfort Food, Burgers, Cakes, Hot and Spicy, Desserts, and Hometown Favorites – on Ultimate Recipe Showdown 2, which premieres Jan. 4 with host Guy Fieri, the second-season winner of The Next Food Network Star.

The episode featuring Cohen will air at 9 p.m. Sun., Jan. 11 on the Food Network.

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