Riverside Grille just recently opened up in New Boston on Rt 13, just over the Goffstown line. Even though it’s barely been a couple of weeks since they opened, we ventured over to try out the lunch. They have a website but it currently does not have any information regarding hours or the menu. Instead, you have to refer to their Facebook page which has the menu posted within their Photos section, and then you have to poke around in the comments section to find the hours. I understand they may still be experimenting with the hours so they might change and maybe they don’t want to commit to something formally (but it would be helpful).
My husband and I arrived around 11:30 on Sunday and were the only customers there at the time, except for some folks at the bar. The hostess took us up to the upper level facing the river, but instead of seating us at one of the 6 empty tables with the river view windows, put us against a wall.
They brought over some bread and butter to munch on while we decided on our order. My husband is gluten-free so he couldn’t try them but that just meant I got both rolls for myself. 🙂
Fish Tacos
I’d been looking at the menu before we went and decided I would like to try the Mixed Grill, which sounded great: a skewer each of shrimp, chicken, and steak, with chimichurri, rice and vegetables. When we went to order, our server told us unfortunately that the whole Entree section of the menu is not available for lunch. I was a little bummed but there were plenty of other things that sounded good that I wanted to try, so I went with the Fish Tacos.
Sadly I was a bit underwhelmed with the fish tacos. They are described as “Three soft flour tortillas, crispy fried haddock, and southwest slaw with pineapple sriracha aioli.” The aioli was more sweet than spicy, the amount of slaw overshadowed the haddock, and the tortillas, although they had clearly been heated and grilled, were kind of dry and didn’t taste super good. The sweetness of the aioli actually surprised me, because I hadn’t read closely enough to see that it had pineapple. Would have liked way less sweet and more heat. So now that I’ve tried these, I wouldn’t get them again but I would still go back to try other things.
Nachos
My husband got the Nachos from the Starters menu and when they came out I was really pleasantly surprised at how colorful they are! I mean, they’re gorgeous. They are described as “Tortilla chips layered with cheese, peppers, onions, and jalapenos, topped with diced tomatoes and side of salsa and sour cream.” They are $13, and to add chicken was an additional $5. .
The most important thing in successful nachos is good chips, and these nailed it. The chips tasted fresh and hot and not straight out of a bag like some places. There was a nice variety of toppings, although the cheese was only in the center of the pile and the chips around the outside were pretty dry. Still, they were ok as an appetizer if you were just waiting for your meal with a group of friends. But I probably wouldn’t get these again. As you may know, I have an ongoing post about New Hampshire nachos so I will review these in more detail there.
In Conclusion: So Much Potential!
So in short, I think this restaurant has so much potential! Even though we weren’t huge fans of the two items we ordered, we would definitely go back and try other things when the Entrée section is available. Some of the other dishes that I saw come out to other tables looked really good! The presentation of the burgers is so cute in their little baskets. Also their cocktail menu looks amazing! It was just a little too early in the day for me when we went for lunch so I didn’t get one.
We are hoping for good luck for the new owners of Riverside Grille! This location has been difficult in past years, both due to its location and perhaps the awkward layout of the interior of the building. It was previously The Chef, and before that Sliders, and before that a Mexican restaurant. All of these changes in just a few short years. I think this lovely menu of American fare will appeal to a wide variety of local folks in the New Boston and Goffstown area. The combination of dine-in and takeout is just what that area needs.
MORE FROM THE GOFFSTOWN AREA
New Hampshire Food Photography
Erika Follansbee is a published Goffstown, NH food photographer whose job is to make food look amazing. She is available for hire to help small restaurants and cafes to create beautiful images of their dishes to use for marketing, websites, and social media. Magazine-quality food images are the best form of advertisement.
Erika is also a wedding photographer. Visit www.erikafollansbee.com for more information.
