The Kitchen opens in Warner
Chefs Mike Prete and Matt Greco found success in 2011 with The Kitchen, a casual eatery in Portsmouth focusing on elevated sandwiches and burgers. A full-service catering company would follow three years later, further expanding on the pair’s scratch-made comfort offerings.
On Sept. 17 The Kitchen found a new home in downtown Warner — Prete now runs this expanded concept, while Greco continues to operate the eatery’s original spot in Portsmouth.
Shortly after he and his family moved to the small New Hampshire town of Salisbury, Prete had brought The Kitchen’s concept to nearby Andover in late 2018. Then last summer he learned about the closure and sale of The Foothills restaurant in Warner.
“We kind of just outgrew our space,” Prete said. “We only had an 1,100- to 1,200-square-foot space in Andover and we were trying to do catering and the restaurant out of one little space and it just wasn’t working. The Foothills … [is] an over 5,000-square-foot space.”
After several weeks of renovations that included upgrades on almost every piece of its equipment, The Kitchen opened with limited dinner hours to start. The eatery offers its own takes on traditional sandwiches that are elevated but remain approachable — the turkey club, for instance, features hand-sliced turkey with fried tomatoes, pork belly in place of bacon, and a house-roasted shallot mayonnaise. There is also a smash burger that is pressed in an iron skillet before being served on Texas toast with cheddar and American cheeses and sauteed onions; and a short rib grilled cheese, which has pepper relish and roasted marinated tomatoes.
Beyond the sandwiches and burgers there are a number of plated appetizers and dinner items, with many more options Prete said will be introduced over time. Unique appetizers include crispy wonton nachos with pulled duck, onions, scallions and a sweet chili sauce; a homemade sausage board with two types of sausages, pickled fennel and a mustard seed and bacon jam; and an option called “which came first,” featuring two deviled eggs and two chicken drummettes, one of each with blue cheese-ranch dressing and Buffalo sauce.
“We have a steak of the week, and then a catch of the week that rotates,” Prete said. “We also have a full line of liquor, beer and wine [options], with a lot of local beers on draft.”
Short-term plans, Prete said, include online ordering and expanding The Kitchen’s hours to include lunch service starting at 11 a.m. A deli case with take-and-bake dinners, soups, salads and quiches is also expected, as well as additional seating out on the front porch and back deck.
Eventually, Prete said he would also like to begin serving a variety of breakfast and brunch items, from eggs Benedicts to brioche French toasts and Belgian waffles.
The Kitchen
Where: 15 E. Main St., Warner
Hours: Wednesday through Saturday, 4 to 8 p.m.; expanded lunch hours are likely coming soon
More info: Visit feedmeatthekitchen.com, find them on Facebook @thekitchenwarner or call 977-0128
Featured photo: Photos courtesy of The Kitchen.
