By Jacob Mathias

Just a month after opening its doors, Plover’s newest eatery has expanded its menu following early success and a call for more dinner options.

A-Soshel, located in the Village Park at Plover, opened its doors on Oct. 5, giving locals a new option for hand-crafted cocktails, wine and a Mediterranean menu, featuring a variety of small plates for sharing. The restaurant is the second for owner Mike Masgay, who also opened Mikey’s Bar and Grill, located just a few doors away, in 2007.

Greek Salad at A-Soshel. (City Times photo)

“Why not extend our footprint here in the Village Park area by doing a smaller concept that had a contrasting theme to it,” said Masgay.

The menu has a Mediterranean influence, featuring small plates made with oils and vinegars infused in-house. Small plate items include tapenade, hummus and tzatziki served with pita bread.

Featured sandwiches include toasted prosciutto and salami, a Greek pita and a Neapolitan with roasted peppers, olives, hummus and mozzarella cheese.

A recent addition to the menu features dinner fare like blue mussels and clams in a white wine sauce, pan-seared scallops with roasted cauliflower, endive and leek mash and a braised lamb shank. Current customer faves, according to Masgay, include the lamb and pork shank, seared scallops and salmon toast.

“The plan is to continue growing our menu,” said Masgay, adding A-Soshel prepares all its menu items from scratch — using only fresh ingredients.

“We don’t even have a freezer in the kitchen,” he said.

Masgay said while Mikey’s is a beer-centric establishment, A-Soshel focuses solely on wines and spirits, and beer isn’t even offered. The extensive wine list numbers over a 100 vintages, with about 20 available by the glass. Common varietals, such as chardonnay and pinot noir, are on the menu along with imports from France, Spain and South America.

Olive Tapenade and Pita Bread at A-Soshel. (City Times photo)

“We spent probably six months sampling tasting notes, just coming up with something that was a little bit different for the area,” said Masgay.

Hand-crafted cocktails feature house-infused spirits, bitters, syrups and juices. Classics such as old-fashioneds, Manhattans and martinis sit alongside a Lavender Gin Fizz, Corpse Reviver and bourbon-based drink called A Penicillin. Multiple Scotches are also on the menu.

“I think there’s a real hunger for a drink menu along this line,” said Masgay. “We’ve put a drink menu together that I think appeals to a bigger than expected sliver of the population.”

The cocktails and wines by the glass range in price from $8 to $15. Bottles of wine can net up to $200.

Future plans for A-Soshel could include wine tastings, as well as additional menu items such as a steak feature, chicken and pasta.

“I can’t believe how smooth it’s been since we’ve opened,” said Masgay.

A-Soshel is located at 3056 Village Park Dr. in Plover. Hours are Sun. through Thur., 11:00 AM to 10:00 PM, and Fri. and Sat. from 11:00 AM to 11:00 PM.

For a full food and drink menu, visit www.a-soshel.com.