The Revolution has begun, and folks are liking it

Mark and Stacey Marchionni, of Deerfield, N.H., say they looked all around for a location for their restaurant, from Keene to Portsmouth, but finally settled on Rochester. (Lebanon Voice/Harrison Thorp photos)

ROCHESTER - Mark and Stacey Marchionni wanted to bring a little bit of Portsmouth and a little bit of Philly to Rochester when they opened their Revolution Taproom & Grill last month in the downtown.

And now Rochester is coming to them.

"We've just been here for six weeks, and it is going really well," said Stacy Marchionni on Monday. "We have a 35-seat bar and that thing is filled every weekend."

For a gastro pub and taproom, that's a sure recipe for success.

But this is not your ordinary pub food.

No chicken wings, no mozzarella sticks.

Instead you can get beer battered pickles, crispy brussel sprouts or bourbon glazed drumsticks with apple jicama slaw and jalapeno salt to go with one of their 40 on-tap brews.

A minimalist and industrial feel holds sway throughout much of the Revolution.

"We are a taproom, so beer is first, but we've taken pub food up a notch," Stacy said. "We call it modern new England food but with a twist."

To be sure the menu looks a little different than most.

There's cauliflower wings ($6), handcrafted butternut squash ravioli ($7) and ale steamed blue hill bay mussels, with cured pork belly, sweet garlic and crostini ($7).

The menu also includes full and half-size dinners, an assortment of burgers and twice-cooked fries.

Housed in the former Fat Tony's, the Marchionnis did away with the back bar and turned it into a function room. They also plan a game room with two pool tables and darts upstairs, which will open in about a month.

But the heart of the restaurant is its long custom-made light wood bar with clean sight lines and an open concept that holds no pretense except a subtle expectation to find a good brew and some great food to enjoy with it.

Stacy calls the décor "industrial" and "minimalist" with a nod to bright, friendly colors and textures.

"We wanted to be family friendly, people friendly," she said.

She and her husband, Mark, worked four months on the renovations, opening Oct. 3 when they had a soft opening. Since then the business has steadily grown each and every week, she said.

The Revolution maintains a prolific Facebook presence with pictures of entrees and appetizers as well as specials.

Mark Marchionni has owned and operated several restaurants including the General Lafayette Inn in Philadelphia and the Maple Leaf Brewery in Wilmington, Vt.

Stacy Marchionni said they looked from Keene to Portsmouth to Concord to Rochester for a venue for Revolution but her husband kept coming back to Rochester, because he liked the look and feel of the city.

"He's much more comfortable in a downtown location as far as a restaurant, and we just felt that Rochester was right."

Everything is made fresh in house, from the soups to the pasta to the gnocchi (potato dumplings) they serve with a mac 'n cheese special.

Revolution is open from 11:30 a.m. till midnight Sunday through Thursday and till 1 a.m. Friday and Saturday.

The full menu is available till 10 p.m. during the week and till 11 on weekends, "but if we're open you can always get something," Stacy added.

To see their Facebook page click here.