CANTON – After a couple of stints as a sous chef and some time in corporate America, Chelven Randolph was running his own private catering business when he was approached by his former boss Craig Neubecker.
Randolph had worked as a sous chef at Neubecker's longtime Medfield restaurant, Zebra's Bistro and Wine Bar, which later became Nosh and Grog. Neubecker was in the process of revamping Nosh and Grog and floated the idea of the two of them going into business together.
"In 26 years, he's never closed his doors and he's never had a business partner, but we've always been on the same page," Randolph said. "Immediately I was like 'yeah, absolutely.'"
Last fall they relocated Nosh and Grog – meaning food and drink – from Medfield to a larger, brighter space in the Village Shoppes at Cobb Corner, where the towns of Canton, Sharon and Stoughton meet.
While the old restaurant space in Medfield had an industrial feel, Chelven said they wanted something bright and fun. The restaurant has pops of green, gold and pink, with several murals on the walls and large green couches at the front for groups to gather.
"The space is super approachable," he said. "We take what we're doing seriously, but we have fun while we're doing it."
Chelven pointed out the big, open bar in the center of the restaurant, which doesn't have any televisions.
"It forces you to talk to people, which is nice," he said
Chelven describes the cuisine as "fresh American," with internationally inspired dishes made with locally grown and sourced ingredients. For example, the lobster roll bao with butter-poached lobster, kewpie mayo, celery and yuzu kosho is a New England favorite with an Asian twist. Other items that combine cuisines are the sriracha wings with house-made green sriracha and eggrolls with Southern pulled pork.
Nosh and Grog offers brunch on Saturday and Sunday, including Fruity Pebbles-crusted French toast, and a late-night menu throughout the week. Chelven said the restaurant also has a popular burger that isn't on the menu, but is well known through word of mouth.
The restaurant works with nine local farms and purveyors, including Tangerini's Farm in Millis, Silverwood Farm in Sherborn and Crescent Ridge Dairy in Sharon. He said the menu changes seasonally to reflect what is available.
Chelven said the only things not made in-house are some of their breads and cheeses.
Toni Casoli, the bar manager, said the cocktail menu also includes some common drinks with a spin. The grapefruit and chili, which has tequila, Montenegro, hot honey and yuzu soda is a take on a Paloma, for example. Many of the drinks use yuzu soda, which is an Asian citrus fruit.
"It's not very common," she said. "But it's very tasty."
Location: 95 Washington St. Canton
Hours: 11:30 a.m. to 11 p.m. Monday and Tuesday; 11:30 a.m. to midnight Wednesday to Friday; 10 a.m. to midnight Saturday; and 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday.
Contact: 508-359-4100 or https://noshandgrog.com/
This article originally appeared on The Patriot Ledger: Lobster roll with Asian twist. Fruity Pebbles-crusted French toast. Restaurant mixes it up
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