Review Reviews The Works: Collis But Better

Ophelia

The Works, a quasi-local New England chain, recently opened a new location in Hanover. The menu seems to have a little bit of everything, and some selections are far superior to others. I was elated to find that the smoothies are fully customizable; my Tropical Sunrise with no banana was perfectly crunchy, if a little runnier than I would have liked. I probably would have been better off with the banana (though Queen’s unaltered smoothie suffered the same fate). All the same, I enjoyed the drink. 

The cafe clearly prides itself on its local, fresh ingredients. Even the mediocre dishes have a virility to them; the greens crunch, the tomatoes pop, and the carrots snap. As I finished my Field Greens salad, I wondered if their housemade dressing could really justify $5.99 for a side dish in a plastic container. Then I remembered, just down the street, I could find a significantly more wilted salad containing the same, with an even higher price tag. I shut my trap and was grateful for my overpriced (yet still DDS competitive) greens. 

The sandwiches are alright. Certainly better than whatever one can rustle up at Collis—though how much can this really say? My Vermont Chicken sandwich was evenly heated, the sourdough crisped and the cheese thoroughly melted, even in the middle. It might benefit from a sauce. The raw ingredients still shine, but the lack of an acid fails to draw the whole dish together. 

My general impression is that everything at The Works is technically correct. It has a decently varied menu, locally sourced ingredients, and consistently articulate preparation. The ambiance is one of a subtly alternative upper-middle class Panera—it promises the sterilization of a chain but without the plainness of a franchise. On this, it delivers. It is not particularly remarkable, but perhaps it doesn’t mean to be. It serves a purpose in Hanover: It is a place for semi-affordable grab-and-go food in a clean and predictable environment. A sign inside reads, “Don’t just sit there! Thank you for understanding … that during busy times we may ask you not to linger as other guests might be waiting for a table.” Normally I would be offended at such a sentiment. Here though, it seems at home. The point of The Works seems to be elevated sustenance, offering dishes healthy enough to keep you going and get you on your way. We wish the proprietors luck, and we hope they will consider adding more cowhide benches, which are the highlight of the interior.  

Queen

Inside The Works is a wall of exposed reddish-brick, which gives off an edgy, city-esque style. However, contrasted to the collage of marketing material on the walls, the experience left me all around confused. Confused about what, one may ask? I’m not too sure. But I’m certain that the point is that I shouldn’t be confused. Upon entering a food establishment, I would hope to understand the point of an ambiance’s curation. Instead, even while eating, I was distracted trying to decipher the curator’s vision for the chain. 

That said, the mac and cheese was enough to snap me out of my confusion. It was phenomenal! Though mac and cheese is easy to make and easy to mess up, the Works’ vision and execution of the simple high-carbohydrate recipe made all the difference. They have numerous choices of mac and cheese. The selection and combinations were creative and delicious-sounding. I ended up playing it safe and chose a Bacon and Tomato big bowl to try. Its presentation was wonderful, and each bite was full of flavor. There is no question that The Works wanted their mac and cheese to be adjacent to a pasta. Most importantly, the dish did not make my body repulsed by each bite (as it normally would eating Collis pasta). 

I washed down my meal with a Berry-Licious smoothie. Unfortunately, it was not very delicious. This might be a personal preference as I believe that smoothies should be closer to a dessert. The Berry-Licious definitely felt like it was making me healthier, as I could taste the yogurt that they promised within the drink. Though the health boost was nice, I don’t think this benefit should be at the expense of creaminess, sweetness, and smoothness. It was too much to sacrifice! In fact, on the topic of smoothness, I would caution those not used to ordering a berry smoothie, or those who use real berries and not pure—as I almost choked swallowing berry seeds!

In all, our trip to The Works induced an array of emotions in me. Personally, I would go again. Experiencing a plethora of emotions all in one sitting, sober, in Hanover is hard to find. So, if one is looking for an adventure, I definitely recommend the trip.