Boxty at Kathleen's Cottage

With St. Patrick’s Day just around the corner, it seemed like an ideal time to visit an Irish pub and our pick was Kathleen's Cottage in Bristol. They usually rate very high among the best in the state on WMURs viewer’s choice and we wanted to explore what they had to offer. However, the main reason for our interest is that they are one of the only pubs in the Granite State that serves something we love to eat and that is boxty. For those of you who are not familiar with this Irish dish, it’s a potato pancake with various fillings and sauce served on top.

Before leaving home we called to make sure they had boxty in stock and were told that they would have it in a few hours. If you are driving any distance and want to try this dish, you should definitely call in advance to make sure it is available.

Having been to Ireland a few times the decor does fit the traditional feel of an Irish pub. The inside is dark and cool with pictures and memorabilia of Ireland all over the place. In the colder weather make sure you dress warmly. The restaurant is right next to a hardware store and the parking area is dirt so don't wear your nicest shoes particularly during mud season.

We have tried boxty three or four times all over the United States so we were very much looking forward to finding out how theirs would rate. First up, their chicken boxty that is pictured above:

This was much better than I expected and although not the best ranked it is at the higher end of those that we have tried. A fluffy thicker pancake is used here with a large portion of grilled chicken. The sauce was nice and thick and not watered down. This was served with squash and zucchini.

Next is the beef boxty

My wife and I decided to each try a different one and she was very happy with her choice. The meat was flavorful and tender and the mushrooms in the sauce were delicious.

Our dessert selection was their homemade bread budding with Butterscotch sauce and fresh whipped cream. Apparently, this recipe is from Kathleen's great grandmother.

The waitress warned us that the portion was large and she wasn’t joking! It was melt in your mouth good and the sauce complimented the bread pudding very well. We couldn’t finish it so we took the rest home with us for a snack later on.

A word of warning, the weekends before and after St. Patrick’s Day the restaurant usually limits their menu options and they don’t have boxty. There are other Irish favorites available and of course corned beef and cabbage but if you want only boxty please call (603)744-6336 ahead to make sure it is on the menu.

We think Kathleen's Cottage boxty with the bread pudding is the perfect Irish meal and worth a visit. The next time you are heading north through New Hampshire take a short 6 mile detour off I93 in New Hampton to the small town of Bristol.