We Finally Tried Stalk in Dover, NH And I Can’t Believe We Waited This Long

My husband is a pilot, which means he’s gone about half the time. Between his schedule, my schedule, and having two kids, it’s not often that we actually find ourselves with a free night for a date.

But we finally did.

As soon as we knew we had a sitter, I started thinking about where we could go right here in Dover that we hadn’t tried before. I’ve always heard amazing things about Stalk, and honestly, if you know Dover, you know restaurants can come and go. Stalk has been here for a while, so I figured they must be doing something right.

Plus, I’ve probably said, “We need to try that place!” about a hundred times.

My son gets his hair cut at the barber shop right next door, so we walk past Stalk all the time. The exterior has always caught my eye. It’s just so cute and inviting. I really appreciate when a local business takes the time to make the outside of its space beautiful. It adds so much to a downtown, and Stalk does it right.

And yes, I’ve definitely peeked through the windows on our way to the barber shop. The inside looked just as cute.

So I called and made us a reservation.

The sitter arrived, and Rich and I made the very long journey, approximately five minutes, into downtown Dover.

Immediately, I loved the atmosphere inside Stalk. The bar was so inviting, everyone sitting around it looked like they were having the best time, and the dining room was full.

Always a good sign.

We were greeted by the friendliest staff and introduced to our server, Gabrielle, who was so sweet and incredibly knowledgeable about the menu.

Naturally, I started with my usual Sauvignon Blanc, while Rich ordered a beer. The Sauvignon Blanc was one I had never heard of before, and it was wicked good. You can tell there’s thought behind the wine list and what they choose to offer, which I really appreciated.

Then we decided to make things interesting.

Instead of choosing everything ourselves, we told Gabrielle to let the kitchen decide. Send us what they wanted us to try. Show off a little.

And they absolutely did.

The first dish that came out was the Stalk Garden Heirloom Tomato Salad.

I’ll admit, when it arrived, I wasn’t sure this was going to be my favorite. A tomato salad?

Well, joke was on me because it ended up being my favorite dish of the entire meal.

I swear I have never tasted tomatoes like that.

A lot of the produce used at Stalk is grown by the chef Nicole Nocella in her own garden nearby, which I absolutely love. When you taste those tomatoes, you understand why fresh, local ingredients make such a difference.

And then there was the whipped feta.

Oh. My. God.

I’m going to attempt to recreate this salad at home, but I already know how that story ends. I’ll make something that’s kind of similar, decide it’s nowhere near as good, and end up back at Stalk ordering the real thing.

I just hope it’s still there when I go back! Stalk changes its menu based on the seasons and what ingredients are available, which makes me even more excited to return and see what they come up with next.

Next came a roasted cabbage dish.

Again, not something I probably would have ordered on my own.

Again, I was wrong.

It was delicious.

Like, go-back-to-a-restaurant-specifically-for-the-cabbage delicious.

I actually left wondering why I don’t cook cabbage at home more often. Although after my future failed attempt at recreating the tomato salad, perhaps I should just leave the cabbage to Stalk too.

Then came the real adventure.

Before heading to the restaurant, Rich and I did what all millennials do before trying somewhere new, we looked up the menu online.

Rich literally said, “I’ll try anything except the octopus.”

You can probably guess what happened next.

Gabrielle walked over to our table and placed the octopus right in front of Rich.

HAHA.

At this point, we had committed to the adventure, so there was no backing out. Rich agreed to try it, I tried it too, and…

We were both blown away.

It was SO good.

I had expected octopus to have a really chewy texture, but it wasn’t like that at all. Gabrielle explained that when octopus is prepared correctly, it shouldn’t be.

He told us his girlfriend is from Spain, where octopus is commonly eaten, and that she says Stalk is the only place she’s found here that cooks it right.

After everything else we had eaten that night, that didn’t surprise me one bit.

Everything that came out of the kitchen was cooked perfectly.

I had the halibut, which was absolutely delicious, and Rich had the burger.

That burger.

Holy moly.

Perfection.

It was one of those meals where every time something new arrived at the table, we’d take a bite and look at each other like, "Are you kidding me?" Which isn't surprising Nocella was named a 2025 James Beard Award semifinalist for Best Chef Northeast.

And somehow, we still had room for dessert.

Or at least we decided we did.

We had a plum upside-down cake that was warm, comforting, and another surprise for me because apparently I like plums now, too.

Who knew?

And finally, homemade ice cream with salted caramel.

Enough said.

By the end of dinner, Rich and I were already talking about coming back.

Actually, we kept talking about it on the drive home.

We finally get a rare date night together, decide to try somewhere five minutes from our house, and somehow end up having the best meal I’ve had on the Seacoast of New Hampshire.

I genuinely cannot believe Stalk has been sitting right here in my hometown and it took me this long to finally walk through the door.

The food was incredible. The atmosphere was cozy and inviting. The service was fantastic. And I loved that we could hand over the reins, try things we never would have ordered ourselves, and be surprised over and over again.

The fact that some of my favorite dishes of the night were tomatoes, cabbage, and OCTOPUS should tell you everything you need to know.

On our five-minute drive home, Rich and I decided:

Stalk is officially our new spot.

Now we just need to find another night when the pilot is actually home and we can get a babysitter.

I already can’t wait to go back.

-Kate