Few New Hampshire towns more effectively merge small town quaintness and urban charm than Dover. Most seacoast visitors tend to gravitate to Portsmouth when scouring for a unique dining experience, but this equally inviting town has more than its fair share of destination-worthy dining.
In the dawning of 2020, Dover received an upgrade to it’s dining scene with the inception of Stalk, a farm-focused restaurant in the heart of the city’s downtown.
Chef-Owners Nicole Nocella and John Daniels worked together at multiple well-known Portsmouth restaurants before establishing their own spot.
“We worked at Martingale Wharf together, The Rosa, Row 34 and Jumping Jays. John is a really great pastry chef and also a great savory chef. We both had the dream of doing it on our own and one day we just started talking about doing it together as a partnership,” said Nocella.
The pair chose the former Dover branch of Dos Amigos Burritos as the setting to bring their vision to life. They spent several months infusing new life into the space, and the result is a cozy, rustic eatery with a globally-inspired menu unlike anything else in the city.
This eclectic style invades all angles of the menu. Meat eaters have the option to indulge in an Austrian pork schnitzel with spaetzle and caramelized onion gravy or venture east in the form of a braised short rib with jasmine fried rice, housemade kimchi and five spice glaze.
Options for vegetable and seafood-inclined diners, such as the beet cavatelli with horseradish ricotta or the sourdough-crusted, oven-roasted cod with chimichurri and a quinoa rice cake, are equally plentiful and inventive. Even a basic caesar salad gets upgraded with preserved lemon and zaatar, a Middle Eastern spice blend of oregano, thyme, sumac and sesame seeds.
The farm-centric attitude of the menu translates into the casual, homey atmosphere.
“We didn’t want it to look like a brand new restaurant. It kind of looks like it’s been here for a while,” said Daniels.
One major blast from the past is the re-purposed ticket counter from the original Dover train station. Upon receiving the counter through a donation, Nocella and Daniels got their hands dirty and crafted this piece of Dover history into a one-of-a-kind bar.
“Farm is family and farms start from the ground up so that’s the imprint that we tried to go for,” said Nocella.
After two months of business, COVID-19 concerns brought operations to a screeching halt. While they were away, Nocella and Daniels used social media to publicly introduce their vital front of house and back of house staff.
After several weeks of closure, Stalk re-opened it’s doors in early May. The Stalk team began offering takeout on Fridays and Saturdays, with the menu changing weekly. The menus each feature a small selection of entrees, small dishes and desserts. “Ready-to-grill” meat is also available.
Many restaurants began selling beer and wine to go under Governor Sununu’s authorization in late March. Stalk has followed suit, while also offering alcohol-free cocktail mixers.
Recent offerings include a Vietnamese noodle bowl packed with fresh herbs, vegetables and either braised short ribs or fresh cod and a fresh chickpea salad with lemon-shallot dressing.
Stalk may not be able to flex all of it’s culinary muscles at the moment, but the crew remains committed to providing New Hampshire’s seacoast with the bold flavors and expert culinary techniques they promised from the very beginning.
“The future in the restaurant business is ever changing…we didn’t do this to get rich, we did this to do something that we love for the rest of our lives and to provide a good work environment for people,” said Nocella.
Order online at https://www.stalkrestaurant.com/. Doing so in advance is highly recommended. Pick up is available from 4-7 on Fridays and Saturdays.