Kathleen’s Cottage owners strive for Irish authenticity in Bristol

Kathleen’s Cottage owners David McMullen and Maryann Parkhurst and proud of their restaurant being named New Hampshire’s Best Irish Pub for two straight years by WMUR-TV viewers. (Roger Amsden/Laconia Daily Sun)

By ROGER AMSDEN, LACONIA DAILY SUN

BRISTOL — It’s been honored as New Hampshire’s Best Irish Pub for two straight years, but Kathleen’s Cottage Irish Pub isn’t resting on its laurels.

Owners Maryann Parkhurst and her partner, David McMullen, pride themselves on creating an authentic pub experience that makes their guests feel like they’ve just walked into a local pub in Ireland.

“The minute you come through the door, you feel welcome. It’s part of the great tradition of pubs being public houses, gathering places for the community where people come together to talk, enjoy music and share good times,” McMullen said.

Traditional Irish music may be heard and seen each week. There’s also an entertainment venue with a separate bar that attracts a wide variety of musicians from around the state as well as California, New Mexico, Ireland and Scotland.

Since opening in 2009, the restaurant has been named among the best by WMUR's viewer’s choice in many categories, from chicken tenders and Reuben, to Best Irish Pub. Not only do they have the largest selection of Irish whiskey in the state of New Hampshire, they also have been honored for having the best corned beef and cabbage in the Granite State.

Not content with what they have achieved, the owners are planning to open a butcher shop in May and future plans include a steakhouse and brewery in the former hardware store right next door.

The brewery will feature dark stouts, brewed in the Irish tradition, as well as an Irish red lager.

Kathleen's Cottage is named after Kathleen, the owner's daughter, as well as her namesake, the owner’s grandmother, who hailed from County Kerry in Ireland.

Parkhurst said her grandmother married an immigrant from Sweden and they made their home in the Bay State, where her grandmother kept alive the Irish cooking tradition she had been raised with.

She said her grandmother discovered the Newfound Lake region through her best friend and fell in love with the area, which reminded her of the Irish Lake Country in County Kerry. The family bought a home on Newfound Lake in the 1940s and spent their summers there for years.

“I’ve always really wanted to be here. It’s a fabulous community,” says Parkhurst, who formerly operated another Irish restaurant, Cu Nu Mara, located north of downtown Bristol.

She said that many of the favorites at Kathleen’s Cottage are based on her grandmother’s recipes, including homemade bread pudding with butterscotch sauce and fresh whipped cream.

Some traditional Irish dishes include bangers and mash, Guinness beef stew, fish and chips, boxty wedge (potato pancakes) and the all-day Irish breakfast.

The Reuben at Kathleen's Cottage is made with thick slices of corned beef cut from the brisket, homemade sauerkraut and dressing and Swiss cheese.

“It’s the favorite thing on the menu and it’s so big that it’s a whole meal itself,” he says.

Another favorite is lamb burger, fresh ground lamb combined with garlic and rosemary, grilled and topped with fresh goat cheese.

There’s also the Dublin Decker burger, a burger topped by corned beef, kraut and Swiss cheese, served on a fresh brioche.

On Wednesday nights the pub offers fresh homemade Mexican specials as well.

Kathleen’s Cottage Irish Pub in Bristol provides the authentic look and feel of traditional pub in Ireland. (Roger Amsden/Laconia Daily Sun)