New pub brings a bit of Ireland to Franklin

FRANKLIN — If you’re Irish, you’re going to feel right at home in a soon-to-be-opening restaurant that will have nearly all the comforts of home. But even if you’re not Irish, you’ll feel at home. The Irish Cottage Inn Pub & Restaurant will open at the site of the former Fone Booth on Route 23, very close to the Hamburg border. Hard at work in what appears to be the closing stretch of a four-month-plus makeover, the four owners of the new restaurant hope to open their doors as soon as Aug. 8. If not then, said one of the quartet, Peter Slattery, “We’re looking forward to opening as soon as possible after that.” Slattery, 36, hails from Tipperary, Ireland, as do two of his partners, Damien Ryan and Seamus Collison. The fourth partner, Tony Spillane, is from Offaly. Their restaurant will feature a thatched roof on the exterior and inside will provide, among other things, top-notch food, a separate party room in back, and a number of flat-screen TV monitors just about everywhere you look. Indeed, the Hamburg-based firm of TM Brennan has done a near-complete makeover of the old Fone Booth, replete with a booming new sound system, a new fireplace and, of course, a new kitchen. “They’ve done a very good job,” Slattery said of Tom and Ted Brennan’s construction firm. “We’re very pleased with the way they’ve done it.” Speaking of what the new restaurant has to offer, he said, “There’ll be a good mixture of everything. There’ll be something for everyone there. We’ll have TVs here for sports, and we’ll have all the (cable/satellite) packages. But our main focus will be on family dining.” Slattery, who once worked at the old Sullivan’s Gaslight Inn, said that his place will offer some five or six Irish specials every day, such as shepherd’s pie, fish and chips, chicken pot pie and corned beef and cabbage. But they’ll also serve up an array of sizzling burgers, beefy sandwiches and pasta, as well. “We’ve hired a couple of very good chefs and we’ll be baking our own bread on the premises,” Slattery said. “So it should be top-notch.” “I think it’ll be great,” said Mayor Doug Kistle. “It’s a nice, clean restaurant and it all depends on the food. This is new in this area, and they’ve put a lot of money into it. I think it’ll be a big hit for Franklin. “The entryway’s been all redone, and the interior 100-percent redone, and it’s looking very good,” the mayor added. “They’ve done a complete makeover of that whole inside, the kitchen, bathrooms, the whole nine yards. I’m really looking forward to it.” More than respectful of Franklin’s historic past, Slattery, Ryan and company have named the back dining room — which is the main dining room — the “Franklin Room.” On the walls are a collection of old mining photos, provided by Dr. Bill Truran; and to commemorate the building’s past history as a bowling alley, there’s an original, restored sign from the old days that reads: “Hardyston BOWLING Recreation.” Actually, the four new owners took title of the former Fone Booth back in late winter, but they decided to keep it open for St. Patrick’s Day, which fell this year on a Saturday — one day after a late winter storm dumped about a foot of snow throughout the local area. Very soon afterward, the Fone Booth closed and the massive renovation began. When asked if he was concerned about the presence of another popular, local restaurant named Hooters, Slattery said there should be no problem at all. “I think they’ll have their own crowd, and we’ll have our own crowd,” Slattery explained. “I think there will be enough business for everybody.”