RESTAURANT ROUNDUP:

There may have been times when the beautiful Maud Gonne might have driven William Butler Yeats to a near-murderous rage, when he wasn’t crying in his Guinness over her, but celebrating St. Patrick’s Day with a “murder-mystery dinner?”

Oh sure, local restaurants will have green beer and even shamrock-covered cupcakes on tap next week, but Five Crowns will serve up a special prix-fixe menu created by Executive Chef Dennis Brask and some melodrama, starting at 7 p.m. Tuesday for $96 a person. For all that green you get an appetizer of Porcini mushroom ravioli, a garden salad of baby greens with toasted pine nuts and Gorgonzola cheese in a balsamic vinaigrette. You can choose between roasted prime ribs of beef, roast duck or salmon. Strawberry English trifle will be served with dessert. Good thing for peace in Northern Ireland or there might be some trouble with that one.

Five Crowns is at 3801 E. Coast Hwy. Call (949) 760-0331 or at lawrysonline.com.

Luck of Irish in a cup

Sprinkles Cupcakes will celebrate St. Patrick’s Day Friday through Tuesday with Irish chocolate cupcakes. These goodies are made up of Belgian dark chocolate cake topped with Bailey’s Irish cream cheese frosting and a candy shamrock. On Tuesday only, Sprinkles’ “Red Velvet” cupcake will turn green. Sprinkles is in Corona del Mar Plaza, 944 Avocado Ave. For more information, call (949) 760-0003.

— Paul Anderson