Sawtooth Kitchen, Bar and Stage — Restaurant in Hanover

We arrived and was really impressed with the logo design and bar area. It was about 5:45 and the bar was hopping and full so we got a booth in the main area. And this was the beginning of the issues. The main area was definitely an after thought. Almost seemed unfinished.The booths are just big chairs and the table behind me kept pushing on my booth/chair and we had to move the table away from them to be able to not have an issue. Maybe connect the booths to the concrete or space them out. After the restaurant got full it got incredibly loud. The acoustics were terrible. They had painted the foam insulation in the ceiling black and it bounced sound with great intensity. I can only imagine a band playing there. Wear hearing protection! Our waiter was nice. A young college kid. We had questions and he answered them as best as he could. Drinks came soon enough as the restaurant was almost empty. We both were really excited about the fried chicken and ordered a boneless and bone in option. I’ve eaten a lot of soul food and know that the cost is high. A 4 piece meal with 2 sides and 2 biscuits $34.00 all white meat . I was happy to pay for that if it was really good. I didn’t see anything about local chicken, farm raised, free range! Just chicken. So let’s do the math. 28 to 35 percent should be food cost. So $10 to make this food plate. Out of a 4 piece meal all white meat (bone in )I got 4 pieces of one breast cut into 4 with no bones. One piece! The Mac and cheese was dry and no flavor, biscuits were like a sponge and really salty. The black beans were the star of the plate. My partners chicken nuggets were about the same size as McDonalds. Her Brussel spouts were under cooked and also lacking bacon or even maple syrup. The chicken I got was brined and cooked very well. Hence 2 stars. Finally a restaurant in the north that isn’t afraid to season meat. We sat down at 5:45 with an empty restaurant. We didn’t get served anything other than water and beer until 6:30. A slow restaurant before the rush taking 45 minutes!? By the time we left it was packed. I can only imagine how long it took to serve the tables. Here is a tip! Have people call in their chicken order in advance. So when they sit down they aren’t waiting 45 minutes or warn them in the menu so they can order other things that take less time to curb the appetite. By the end we just asked the waiter and I guess manager about the chicken order issues. He was confused and comped the meal for me. He confessed his own disgust about the biscuits and Mac and cheese. I still offered to pay for the meal. He insisted I didn’t. They had just opened and maybe they can get things together. We will give them another try. If they get it right it...

It took me a long while to think about writing this review. I've been in the business for about 20 years and didn't want to be "that" guy. My buddy and I swung thru here on a road trip this past Fri night. It was busy but the ambience was great. We got lucky enough to not have to wait as there were two open seats at the bartop. We were quickly and warmly greeted by the slender gentleman behind the bar with a mullet. Drinks took a minute as to be expected due to the volume. We ordered shortly after and service quickly deteriorated from there. we ordered an app and two cups of soup. The bartender repeated it, memorized it , then took one of those portable tablets to put the order in. Why not just put it in the tablet as you take the order? what's the point of having the tablet? Apps come out and my buddy orders another beer. Bartender proceeds to take drink orders at the well serving other guests. Around 10 mins pass. We call him back, turns out he forgot his beer. No big deal. We proceed to order the mains.I order Jerk chicken sandwich, sub slaw for fries add a side of corn bread. My buddy orders a quarter chicken with two sides and another beer.Same deal, repeats, memorize it THEN puts it in the pad. We wait another while as the bartender serves other guests and he forgot the beer A SECOND TIME. Our food comes out minus the jerk sandwich. After a little while and he asks us if we need anything but before we could we respond he turns and serves other guests. My buddy wanted sauce and another beer and becomes agitated by the service. A little while passes and we were finally able to order another beer. My buddy just ate his food dry at this point because it took so long to get back to us. He didnt forget the beer this time though.I ask about the sandwich and OF COURSE he forgot to order it. What's the point of those tablets if you aren't gonna use them. At least write the order down? Just have a POS instead?I was extremely confused. My sandwich finally arrives but I ask for a box as we have to hit the road which was a shame because I wanted to try the creme brulee that was on special. We were here over an hour at least at this point. The bill arrived and my buddy said we should've got something comp'ed at least in "colorful" language. He was upset but I didn't want to escalate things. We tipped 20% but that's actually a low tip from us as we usually tip our fellow industry people significantly more. Again, this review was difficult to write. Maybe my guy behind the bar was new? He definitely needs more...

Sawtooth is a great addition to Hanover's dining scene and has real potential. However, there are a few areas that need to be addressed before it becomes a top-choice destination.

The menu is interesting and distinct from most restaurants in town. It has good variation and offers a nice spin on American classics. Having been twice with friends, I've had the chance to try a few of the dishes. Overall, the food is decent. Both the buffalo fried chicken sandwich and hamburger were quite good, as well as the mac and cheese. I also enjoyed the cheddar biscuit. As a Canadian, I was really excited to see poutine on the menu, but unfortunately it wasn't good at all. The gravy and cheese curds were fine, but the dish needs to be made with actual French fries instead of thick, soft potato wedges — which were soggy and don't do the simple dish justice. While I am aware of constraints faced by restaurants amidst supply chain issues, $14 for poutine — French fries, gravy, and cheese — is ridiculous, especially for a small portion.

Currently service is a little rocky. The first time I went, we waited over an hour for food, and our appetizer never arrived. Service was better during my second visit, and I'm hopeful things will continue to improve. Sawtooth's restaurant-entertainment space combination is a great concept in a college town, and I really want this business to succeed. Both times I went in peak dining hours, however, the restaurant was sparsely populated. The physical space and bar setup are great; to fill it up, compete with existing establishments, and become the lively atmosphere it hopefully seeks to be, the owners might want to get creative. For example, student drink specials and happy hours currently do not exist in Hanover; offering them could be a major differentiator and would definitely impact...