This week is full of my favorite things and this restaurant is no different! Sonny’s Tavern is located at 328 Central Ave. in Dover, NH.  You can also find them on Facebook and also online.  Trust me you are going to want to check them out!

Sonny’s is open 6 days a week for dinner and open on Sunday for brunch. We went for dinner and started with an appetizer of jalapeño hush puppies with a whipped maple butter. ($5.00) Sounds pretty good right? A New England style starter for sure. Well, we can tell you Jim and I really enjoyed these, crispy on the outside and soft and full of flavor on the inside.  As you dip them into the perfect maple butter that melts slightly with the warm hush puppy, wow…wonderful! As Jim and I enjoyed these we were looking at the people and talking about the vibe that Sonny’s has. Sonny’s is very rustic with a solid group of customers. It seemed everyone knew one another as they came in. We really enjoyed that friendly atmosphere. We also appreciated that as soon as you were seated you had a menu and a jar of cold water at your table.

Sonny’s menu is small and well thought out.  It also has various seasonal specials, but one of the things both Jim and I loved most is that you can get a side of salad greens instead of fries with your burger so Jim loves that! So speaking of burgers,  you know that’s one of Jim’s favorite things to order, and of course had to try it here at Sonny’s Tavern! Jim had Sonny’s Signature Burger that is made of all natural grass fed beef, cured tomatoes, Benton’s bacon, bibb lettuce, gruyere cheese and pickled red onion aioli! ($14.00). Sounds good right? Well, it was just as good as it sounds and cooked to Jim’s liking, I didn’t even have to ask him how it was as it was gone in no time!

I had one of the specials of the night. I had the fish
tacos with a pineapple, mango salsa with a spicy aioli. This dish came with two tacos and full of great flavor and texture. The light battered crisp fish with sweet fresh salsa with a small punch of heat with the aioli! This was a delicious dinner that they are considering keeping on the menu, I am hoping they do as that was a terrific fish taco!

Let me tell you a little more about the menu, I have told you it is small and rustic but it really has so many things that you will recognize and some dishes that are different or with a twist! One of the appetizer selections is deviled eggs.  We have all had those but not the way they make them.  They have a rotating selection that they offer and must be a big hit as we saw a number of customers ordering them. Or maybe you would like a fried brussel sprout taco? They have those too.
You can also build your own burger or order their surf and turf.  Let me tell you about the surf and turf as it sounds amazing! You get a pomegranate BBQ hanger steak with pineapple glazed shrimp, toasted grits and collard greens! That dish alone will bring me back to Sonny’s!
I mentioned they have Sunday Brunch, you need to check out that menu too! It’s a small menu with some great choices.  You can get your tropical French toast or a breakfast burrito, but how about chorizo and grits with two placed eggs? Or maybe a Croque Monsieur/Madame? Or if your looking for something even heartier maybe steak and eggs, but if you want something light they have options there too, granola and yogurt would be a great choice.  We can’t talk about brunch without mentioning Sonny’s own “Build your Own” Bloody Mary along with the usual coffee, tea and juice!
As you can see Sonny’s Tavern has a lot to offer at a reasonable price with a great rustic vibe! Go ahead and give Sonny’s Tavern a try and a Facebook like to see some of what’s going on there!
http://www.sonnystaverndover.com/index.html

Enjoy!