New ’nuches
New Cheese Grill opens in Stage Door space
By Susan Reilly news@hippopress.com
On March 6, New Cheese Grill opened quietly in the former Stage Door Café space.
New Cheese Grill is the fourth restaurant from Todd Tousley. He owns three Penuche’s — Keene, Nashua and Concord — and this is his first foray into dining.
The interior has changed a bit since Stage Door was there. The center bar has been removed and the sole bar is now on the former Tipsy McStagger side — the sister bar to Stage Door. The center of the room is for dining, and the performance stage in front of the street side windows remains. General manager Matty Audet said that they will start booking bands and entertainment in the next month or so.
New Cheese Grill is a play on words that Tousley came up with. It sounds like “nuche’s,” which is what locals call Penuche’s. This New Cheese serves a full menu from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.
New Cheese Grill has 18 beers on tap, mostly artisanal and many local and all costing less than $4. The menu includes more than a dozen appetizers (also available 9 p.m. to midnight) such as a Texas saddlebag ($5), which is a smoked baked potato with pulled pork, skewers of teriyaki beef ($7) or marinated shrimp ($8). Pickle spears are deep fried ($5) and served with a chunky, homemade horseradish sauce. Honestly, this snack was delicious. The fried pickles have all the texture going on — crispy, sour, fried — and make a great savory snack with draft beers.
Soups — all made fresh — and salads get play on the menu. There is a daily soup ($3.95) along with chipotle chili ($3.95) and fish chowder ($4.95). Salads include a Thai chicken ($8).
The rest of the menu is split between sandwiches and hot meals. For sandwiches, served on a very fresh, flour-dusted bakery roll, look for a French dip ($7.50), an Alaskan grilled teriyaki salmon ($8.50), and a build-your-own burger ($7) choices include sirloin, chicken and garden.
Entrées include the ever popular chicken broccoli alfredo ($12), scampi ($13) and steak tips ($12) served with a baked potato. There is a house sirloin ($13) and a rib eye ($16), both also served with baked potato.
An unusual find is the lean white fish, tilapia, available as an entrée ($11) over seasoned greens or as a sandwich ($7.50).
New Cheese Grill
96 Hanover St., Manchester, 626-9830
Hours: 11 a.m. to 1 a.m. daily; Full menu is served daily from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., appetizers are 9 p.m. to midnight.
|
Navigation
