Stopped by for dinner last night, optimistic there might be a new player in town for good beer and food. New Cheese Grill is run by the same guy behind Penuche’s Ale House. Since Penuche’s is commonly referred to as ‘Nuche’s, the name of this place makes sense. (Say it out loud if you’re still having trouble.)
We walked inside and were greeted by a completely empty pub save for a couple of people sitting at the bar. Not a single employee in sight. We waited for a few minutes and once acknowledged by someone sat ourselves at a table outside. Their outdoor seating is on the sidewalk, but being a tree-lined side street makes it quieter and cooler. There were 3 other tables besides us, all being waited on by the same waitress. She was friendly but clearly in need of help as she was servicing the whole place herself.
The menu is full of your typical pub fare like burgers and wraps. I had the chicken sandwich and my significant other had a plate of pasta of some kind. We were pleasantly surprised at the quality of the food. Although the entrees themselves were nothing special they were fresh and very tasty. Unfortunately, the lack of help showed in our spotty service. When we first arrived, we were quick to get menus but it got progressively worse. When we finished eating, I nearly had to go inside to ask for the check. Once all the tables had food, the waitress disappeared.
What about the beer selection? In a word: disappointing. Although they have a good number of taps, what they have on them is nothing special. As of last night, the tap list is as follows: Bass, Boddington’s, Blue Moon, Stella Artois, Long Trail, Guinness, New Castle, Sierra Nevada, Magic Hat #9, Coors Light, Smithwick’s, Woodchuck Cider, Rogue Dead Guy Ale, Sam Adams, Sam Adams Summer, with Harpoon IPA as the rotating tap IPA and UFO has the Hefeweizen. They have a bunch of bottles with the only beers of note there being the Dogfish Head 90 Minute IPA and Long Trail.
Would I go back? Probably. The food is good and fairly priced and even though the beer choice was limited at least they have a few brews I would drink. The Sierra Nevada on tap was fresh, so points for that. I had higher hopes that there would be a better beer selection. The service issues I will chalk up to it being a Sunday night.
