Cask & Kettle Irish Gastropub Opens in Saint John
SAINT JOHN – Saint John now has a new place to catch the luck of the Irish.
The Cask & Kettle opens its doors on Tuesday. Located at 112 Prince William Street – the former Bourbon Quarter location – Cask & Kettle offers traditional Irish hospitality with live celtic music and a “made from scratch” dining menu including one of Saint John’s most extensive selections of craft beers.
Co-owner Shawn Verner previously owned Bourbon Quarter and the adjoining Magnolia Cafe (now Dave’s Lobster). He said after seven years, it was time for a change.
“I felt I had my plateau for customers and didn’t see much potential for much more growth,” Verner told Huddle.
So with the help of his friend and new co-owner Mike McPartland, he took the plunge.
“It has been a dream of mine for years to own an authentic Irish Pub that served food here in Saint John. Since Saint John is Canada’s Irish City, I really wanted to own something that showcased Saint John’s Irish heritage and I think we did that here with the mural (done by my co-owner Mike’s brother John) and some other touches we have in the pub,” Verner said.
“My wish is that people will come in here, and feel like they are in a place that represents both Saint John and Ireland in our decor, food, service and music.”
Opening a new restaurant is a big undertaking for anyone. But Verner is doing it along with diving into fatherhood. His daughter Brynn was born just this past week.
“I have wonderful timing I guess,” he said. “It’s been a wild week but incredibly invigorating as well. My wife Jessica has been so caring and we are over the moon to have Brynn join us during this special time. Could we have scheduled it better? Sure we could have, but I’ll admit I have never felt so exhilarated in my life.”