What do you do when your restaurant is one of the most popular in the area for years?
Close it up after its most successful year ever and open it again weeks later with an entirely new concept, of course!

Such is the story of the new Nosh & Grog in Medfield (www.noshandgrog.com), which was until recently the already amazing Zebra’s Bistro and Wine Bar in Medfield.

Though the stripes are gone, Owner Craig Neubacker’s and Chef Joshua Bottini’s empassioned commitment to fresh, local food and amazing customer service remain. Amidst the hammered tin ceiling (from which hang lighting fixtures built by Neubecker himself!), exposed brick and painted walls, and reclaimed wooden floors, the buzz of the neighborhood adds even more color and flavor to a menu that is already bursting with them. As the menu changes almost daily, it is difficult to recommend specific small plates. However, from the beer “rocked” shrimp and patented Guacamolito to a dreamy stone fruit salad served on creamy whipped yogurt, and from the melt-in-the-mouth tuna in the raw to the famed (and appropriately named) “Oh S*#t” burger, guests can truly not go wrong no matter how many times they come back to “Nosh.” With every dish, Chef Josh reveals trade secrets gained from working with local legend Steve DiFillippo at Davio’s and Wolfgang Puck at Spago in Vegas, as well as his own sense of neighborhood comfort and big city flair (a perfect example of which is the stand-alone dessert of cinnamon-laced fried dough with an array of guest-suggested toppings). And as the service is so fast and friendly, it is easy to get more recommendations to satisfy every desire every time!

On the “Grog” side, N&G offers regional and domestic beers and ciders, including the dangerously delicious Lei Pineapple Jalapeno Cider from Salem’s own Far from the Tree, Norwood-based Candlepin Hoppy Session Ale, and Nantucket “import” Cisco Shark tracker. In addition to their titular Daily Grog (which is served in a copper cup) the side set of craft cocktails prepared at the central, u-shaped, meet-or-make-a-friend-friendly bar includes the Mainer Martini with Cold River blueberry vodka, the Pig on the Rocks with Whistlepig Rye, smooth Averna Amaro, and luxardo cherry and the Up in Smoke with Sombra mescal, agave, and a house-smoked salt rim. To the left of the bar is N&G’s glass wine room, in which reside a carefully-curated collection of whites, reds, sparklers and dessert drinks which are available by the glass or bottle from the US, France, Italy, and beyond.

So what do you do with one of the most popular restaurants in the region? Shut it down, turn it over, open it up and make it even better!

Such is the way at Nosh & Grog….And a good way too!