Cheshire Grill
623 High St.
Portsmouth, VA 23704
Phone: 757 399-1990
My Goddess and I ‘lucked’ into a fine new
restaurant in Portsmouth this past Saturday afternoon. We were planning on
having a late lunch or early dinner at Portsmouth’s Jewish Mother, one of our
favorites, when a merchant in downtown Portsmouth told us about the fine food at
Cheshire Grill, just a few blocks from that shop on High Street.
Well, being Tiki-Adventurous, we decided to give Cheshire Grill a try, and we
are happy we did. Cheshire Grill has only been open just over a week, but they
had their act together as if they were used to serving people and were used to
preparing fine food.
You really have to read the descriptions on the menu to know what you’re
getting. It’s not obvious to the casual diner that my ‘Way Back Yonder’
was a prime rib sandwich on Portuguese bread, with Swiss cheese, tomato,
mushrooms and Cheshire sauce. It also came with a side, which I chose to be Cole
slaw. I would have tried their potato salad, but celery is used in the making of
it, and celery is one of the few foods I really don’t like!
The prime rib had a marvelous hickory-grilled taste, and it was done to
perfection. The Portuguese bread was essentially a small sub roll with a crisp
crust; it was much better than a soft sub roll, believe me. The serving was
generous and the server continued filling my water glass and would have
re-filled my Coca-Cola glass had I wanted more of that. The price was fair at
$6.95 for the platter and another $1.25 for the Coca-Cola.
My Goddess ordered an ‘Anderson-Wright,’ which was, we discovered, named
after an antique store across the street from the Cheshire Grill. The platter
consisted of ham, salami, Swiss cheese, lettuce tomato and onions, on a
Portuguese roll with a raspberry vinaigrette dressing. It also came with a side
order, which in this case was an Italian salad consisting of tomato, onions,
cucumber, green and red peppers in a vinaigrette dressing. I was told the
sandwich was very good and the salad was okay.
Most of the menu items were sandwiches, soups and salads, with a nice selection
of deserts, which we had no room for.
The Cheshire Grille décor was interesting, with old photos, paintings, and just
a few antique items on the wall. The wall hangings were not overwhelming, as in
your typical Cracker Barrel restaurant. They were tasteful and truly decorative,
adding to the ambiance of the dining area. The tables and chairs and a
half-curtained show window reminded me of an old-time café. The service was
very good, and the server was able to answer all our questions about the menu
items we were considering.
Cheshire Grill is also open at 8:00 am for breakfast, which makes it handy for
those who work in downtown Portsmouth. Cheshire Grill is located near shops, the
Children’s museum a couple art museums, Trinity Church and the Commodore
Theater, making it an ideal place to eat for almost any reason you may have for
visiting Portsmouth’s High Street near the waterfront.
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