New Menu Launches at Grain+Verse

This past Wednesday, Grain + Verse reopened with a complete revamp of its menu and mission.

The sister restaurant to The Garlic Poet, Grain + Verse Bottlehouse is a more casual, family friendlier alternative located adjacent to The Poet, both featuring Chef Kurt Wewer at the helm.

Wewer says the restaurant change allows him the opportunity to “include really awesome ingredients and lower costs, which we pass on to the guests in the form of more lower priced options and super flavorful small plates.”

Snack in one hand, drink in the other, a shareable experience that customers can enjoy without the heaviness of a large pizza and beer, Wewer says.

Snacks

SWEET PEA POTATO CHIPS
sweet pea and mint purée | Calicutt’s Montreal salt

In its place, find snacky starters. Share with friends or nosh alone on White Beans + Fennel, in-house flavored potato chips (Lebanese-style BBq, Sweat Pea, Ranch), White Bean Hummus and more.

The Bottlehouse Dog is a 12″ all-beef Vienna hot dog in a housemade seeded roll topped with IPA mustard, porter beer cheese sauce, pickled banana peppers and cauliflower, crushed potato chips, chives and green tomato jam.

Pretzels + Tots

For a bigger group (or heartier appetite), dig into one of the pretzel nuggs or tater tots (your choice) topped with an array of meats and cheeses. We tried the Hop Steak “Tot”-Chos covered with porter beer cheese sauce, red wine shaved steak, hop-roasted shallots, fire Cheeto dust, pickled cauliflower and banana peppers, green tomato jam and chives.

The Brunch Tots look like they’d cure any lingering hangover with hickory ham, hop-infused sausage, Caputo Brothers cagliata cheese curd, smoked gouda, poached egg, hop roasted shallots, radish and herbs.

Pretzel Braids look equally appealing — friends enjoyed the Ham + Cheese Stuffed, which loaded hickory smoked ham with smoked gouda and porder beer cheese sauce.

Pockets

What’s a pocket? I thought we were talking like a meat pie or something, but these new pockets are 4″ round pockets made from Grain + Verse’s house beer-dough and stuffed with some pretty tasty goods. It’s a sandwich, but better.

NASHVILLE CHICKEN
Calicutt’s fire salt fried chicken | Caputo Brothers cagliata | green tomato jam | pickled cauliflower + banana peppers | arugula

We tried the Nashville Chicken, featuring Calicutt’s fire sale fried chicken, Caputo Brothers cagliata, green tomato jam, pickled cauliflower and banana peppers, and arugula. Go hungry, order this.

Other Pockets include the Wilbur (pork belly!), Wiz Wit (red wine shaved steak), and Lox + Ranch (smoked salmon, tomato and caper hash). I intend to explore these further!

Pizza

Yes! You can still get pizza at Grain + Verse, but this menu is all new. Pizzas are more petite, meaning you can have one plus some other new goodies, share or don’t — I’m not judging.

There are nine new options — none of which are remotely boring (I cannot get enough hop-infused sausage, I don’t know about you) — like the Joe Dart, made with Garlic Poet house-fermented kimchi and oh, a chopped all-beef hot dog, or the Nashville via Lebanon, made with the aforementioned fire salt friend chicken and Lebanese BBQ. Don’t like to be told what to do? Build your own. Don’t feel like an open-faced ‘za? You can also get each as a calzone.

Don’t like to be told what to do? Build your own. Don’t feel like an open-faced ‘za? You also can get each as a calzone.

Dessert

Leaving no option unturned, Grain + Verse also threw on some sweet options for your feast. Chocolate-Hazelnut Pull-Apart Pretzel, or maybe the ‘Zah Fritta Dolce (fried house dough, ricotta, cinnamon sugar, mint and orange macerated mixed seasonal fruit, white chocolate). More of an ice cream lover? Grain + Verse carries four ice creams from

More of an ice cream lover? Grain + Verse carries four ice creams from local creamery, Urban Churn. Choose from Chocolate Troegenator, Malted Bourbon Vanilla, Lavender Lemon Honey, or the dairy free, vegan Mint Chocolate Chip.

Beer + Kegged Cocktails

KEGGED COCKTAIL featuring Hidden Still Distillery

Grain + Verse still offers a large selection — over 300 varieties — of bottled beer. But before you hit the cooler, I’d check out the eight rotating beers on tap, or one of the featured kegged cocktails to see what’s new. (Non-alcoholic craft sodas and bottled waters also available). If you prefer wine with your food, you can do that too! Check out the oft-changing wine list.

Grain + Verse Weekly Happenings

It’s worth your while to check things out during Happy Hour. From 4-6 p.m. Monday through Friday, score $3 local draft beers and $6 glasses of wine.

We’re a big fan of Team Trivia, held every Tuesday from 7-9 p.m.

And Thursdays are all about live music. Follow on Facebook or check out the lineup online. Local musicians perform weekly from 7:30-9:30 p.m.

Grain + Verse always features giant Jenga, giant Score Four, board games, and a pinball machine (new). TouchTunes also is now available, so you can fully customize your dining experience.