Ireland

Dublin’s food scene is better than its reputation suggests. Pearl Brasserie runs from a basement, a French chef cooking with Irish produce and Asian influence — easy to miss and worth seeking out specifically because it’s hidden. Restaurant FortyOne is the opposite: a Georgian row house at the edge of St. Stephen’s Green, one of Dublin’s oldest parks, inside a private members’ club.

We stayed at The Marker for five days before heading on to Venice — long enough to get through the basics everyone told us to do: the pubs, the locals, Irish stew, Shepherd’s pie, and more than a few pints of Guinness.