Last week I brought you to Puerto Rico. This week we are back in Dover, NH at the new Ember Wood Fired Grill on 1 Orchard street. (Formerly the Chop Shop). Jim was really in the mood for a burger and I have been wanted to try this new restaurant, so off we went for Dinner. We got there shortly after they opened so we had plenty of choices as to where to sit. They have a bottle of water on the table already for you. As we were looking at the menu…well, as I was looking at the menu out came a basket of bread and butter. The bread was really, really good. A slight crisp on the outside and soft on the inside. Jim and I both agreed the only thing that can make that better is if the bread was warm.
You already know Jim ordered a burger, but let me tell you about my dish. I ordered the Lobster Mac and Cheese ($21.00). This dish was so creamy and decadent, the pasta is a house made tarragon Cavatelli. The cheese sauce was made with three different cheeses, then perfectly cooked lobster added in, along with three slices of thinly sliced bread to put that creamy goodness on! This dish is excellent, the lobster was cooked nicely and chopped so that almost every bite had all that rich goodness.
On to Jim’s burger. Jim had the Ember’s Burger ($14.00). When it comes to burgers this one has some great flavors starting with the meat itself. It is a mixture of both ground tenderloin and ground sirloin with sharp cheddar cheese, and some amazing cherry wood smoked bacon, pickled cucumber, greens, yellow tomato confit aioli and house steak sauce. If that does make your mouth water I don’t know what will. This came with a side of fries. You already know Jim finished that burger and a few bites of my lobster mac and cheese. The rest of my dish came home and Robby finished every last bite!
We did not order dessert but did spend a little time enjoying the atmosphere, warm lit fireplace, old photos of the building when it was once a fire station…back in the horse drawn fire equipment days! A very cozy place on a cool New England evening.
We are looking forward to going back and trying more of what they have to offer. The menu is broken up into small, medium and large plates as well as a Sunday Brunch menu. The menu changes often, but I did see a number of things that would bring us back. Oysters, grilled romaine salad, spring vegetable pap-Adele to just name a few things. They also have a full bar with a large selection of whiskey choices. I should also mention if you like the Brickhouse Restaurant across the street, there is a good chance you will love Ember as the owner is the same!
I definitely recommend checking them out on Facebook for updated information. They are closed on Mondays and Tuesdays and with the menu changing frequently you will find the most updated information there. Give them a try and let me know what you think!
https://www.facebook.com/EmberWFG/
Enjoy!