There was little more satisfying than a strong drink after a long day of shopping than a strong drink, the southern woman was sure. Her short heels resting against the foot bar below the stool atop which she sat, though a part of her wished to kick them off entirely as she waited for the bartender's attention to shift her way. For a moment Carolina almost wished she had chosen to just grab an Uber and head home, she could be in sweats and curled up on her sofa in no time instead. The alluring smells coming from the kitchen did remind her however why she had stopped into the restaurant in the first place. Luckily it was about that time the bartender caught sight of the blonde and seemed more than eager to take her drink order. A whiskey was definitely what she needed now, that requested menu left behind as he moved to make her drink. One bartender to another she could tell he had worked there a while, the way he reached for her requested brand without even truly looking at the bottle and it caused the corner of her mouth to quirk up at the corner as she turned her eyes to the menu.

It all seemed relatively typical of such an establishment, though she hoped they had the chef to back it up. Irish fare she had found was rather like the southern cooking she had grown up on. The recipes and ingredients were mostly straight forward, but the ability to actually cook them properly was another matter entirely. It was a type of food that required heart to truly make it taste right. It's what led her to ask the bar man himself what he would recommend, no doubt he would know what was best here. "The shepherd's pie is the best around." Was his quick reply which caused her expression to sour slightly, it definitely wasn't quite what she was craving.

A derisive sound from down the bar seemed to echo the sentiment as she followed the bartender's gaze to where a dark haired man waited a few stools down. His attention however seemed to be on the bartender as he took advantage of his attention to order his own meal. That choice a very stereotypical one as well. That seemed like his easiest decision of the night as he proceeded to peruse and critique the bars whiskey options. One brow rose at his observation regarding Redbreast, being a bartender herself she was familiar with the label but honestly would never expect it to be in most public establishments with its high end nature. As he mulled over his choices she took the opportunity to subtly size him up.

He was obviously a rather rugged type with that hair cut and a well worn leather jacket on his shoulders combined with a noticeable scar just above his cheek that had all kind of questions dancing on the tip of her tongue. Not to mention that accent, though she hoped that the fact that a true Irishman seemed to have graced the establishment boded well for her dinner. She had just managed to turn her attention back to that menu before he finally seemed to decide her own choice of whiskey was tolerable. That drew her hazel gaze once more just as he moved to lean heavily against the bar and looked her way fully. His words were an obvious attempt at striking up a conversation, working behind a bar she had seen this scenario play out in so many different ways but it wasn't often she found herself on this side of things anymore.

She laughed lightly at his observation that he and the alcohol were the most Irish thing about this place, though she didn't necessarily doubt that he was wrong. The playful simper he followed it with promised nothing but trouble as well, but then again the leopard had never been one to avoid that before. Curiosity, Cat... you know how it goes. "I would think you should be being so far across the pond. I myself am probably just about as Irish as this place is, that is to say distantly and only when it suits me." She dropped her voice conspiratorially at the last statement so the poor bartender wouldn't get offended. That was a cardinal rule at restaurants, never insult the staff!

Shifting slightly in her seat Carolina turned to face him a bit more, crossing her legs and nudging the menu his direction slightly. "Anything besides fish and chips you would recommend then? Or is that my only option." She quirked an eye brow hoping he would have some better insight knowing he was likely to understand this food as well as she did country fried steak. "Also, the Writers Tears isn't too bad. I tried it at a tasting not too long ago and its got a nice balance and a lot of richness for being so young."