Ever had dinner in a former brothel? How about a morgue?
Neither had we, until we recently visited Fody’s Tavern in downtown Nashua.
Fody’s has been serving up casual food in the Gate City for 20 years in The Tavern building on a small side street that parallels Main Street behind the landmark Hunt Memorial Building.
The Tavern has had a long and at times sketchy past, dating back to 1833. Fody’s website talks about that history, during which the building served as a city hall, a church, an upscale hotel, and yes, a morgue and a brothel. Mrs. Gourmet, who grew up in Nashua, remembers hearing stories about the place during its seedier days in the ’60s and ’70s.
Anyway, those days are in the distant past, and now the building’s first floor is home to a comfortable, relaxed restaurant and bar in the warm brick and wood-clad space that used to be the hotel’s lobby. The hotel’s front desk is now the bar; a fireplace is tucked in the far corner, and other fittings from the hotel days — including a vintage elevator enclosure — give a feeling of being in a Victorian railroad hotel.
We visited on a Sunday evening. The place was busy when we arrived, but we were greeted right away and shown to a table in the front windows, giving us a good view of the vintage surroundings and the world outside.
Fody’s menu is traditional pub food, with appetizers ranging from nachos to poutine and entrees including steak, chicken and fish, along with salads, burgers and sides. (Fody’s also has a location in Derry, with a slightly different menu. Both can be found on the website.)
We decided to start with two appetizers, vowing that we wouldn’t eat more than half of either, just to make sure we saved room for our main courses.
Thai chicken filling and iceberg lettuce made refreshing appetizer wraps.
Calamari has always been a favorite of ours, and we used to order it all the time as one way of comparing restaurants. It’s been a while, so we decided to try Fody’s, billed as Sweet Chili Calamari ($13). The calamari was lightly battered and delicately fried. The tender rings were tossed in a sweet chili sauce with just enough heat. A sprinkle of crushed peanuts and chopped chives gave the dish a hint of Thai flavor, making for a great appetizer of which we had a hard time putting half aside to take home.
We also tried the Tavern Lettuce Wraps ($14), which arrived as a plate of chopped iceberg lettuce sections and a bowl of finely chopped chicken, thin slices of asparagus and strips of fried wonton skins in a brown Thai sesame sauce. The assemble-it-yourself combination of cool lettuce and the slightly spicy chicken filling made for refreshing little hand-helds. There was plenty of food with this dish, so it was much easier to save some for later.
Browsing through the entree menu, aka “Tavern Fare,” everything seemed heavier than what I was in the mood for, so I turned to the burger section, where eight varieties all seemed promising.
Fody’s California Burger is big, tasty and a little bit messy.
I opted for the California Burger ($16), which comes topped with avocado, “slow-roasted tomato,” American cheese and arugula. For starters, the burger itself was substantial: I didn’t have a tape measure handy, but I would guess this patty was pushing 5 inches wide. It was cooked to just short of the medium well I requested, but the char flavor was excellent.
All in all, this was an excellent burger, though thanks to the avocado and the aioli, it was a little messy to handle. I had to request more napkins, but ultimately gave up and finished the burger with a knife and fork.
Mrs. G stuck with the Tavern Fare menu and ordered the Cottage Pie ($18). Similar to shepherd’s pie (one of her favorite dishes), this pie featured ground beef, roasted corn and celery, topped with mashed potatoes and cheddar cheese. And it was huge. Realistically, it should be labeled “Cottage Pie for Two.” As soon as it arrived, Mrs. G said, “at least half of this is coming home.”
Served in a dish about 10 inches wide, Fody’s Cottage Pie should be labeled “Cottage Pie for Two.”
Aside from the size, Mrs. G’s other major impression was that it could have used a bit of gravy. She liked the flavors, and said the pie wasn’t exactly dry, but she’s used to a saucier combination.
The menu at Fody’s is simple, and the pricing is quite reasonable (our tab came to $88 for two appetizers, two entrees and one beer). The environment is a unique throwback, and the whole feel is relaxed and comfortable.
If you’re looking for an unusual lunch or dinner spot in downtown Nashua that’s a bit off the beaten path — and with a little bit of colorful history — Fody’s is a great bet.
