STREET Owners to Open New Restaurant

Michelle Lozuaway and Josh Lanahan, co-owners of STREET, have known for a while that Mexican-style cemita restaurants are one of the hottest trends sweeping the country and this spring they will bring one of these to the city.

Lanahan said they just signed an agreement to lease the 2,000-square foot former Taco Bell restaurant on Lafayette Road at the Southgate Plaza. Their new restaurant will also be located next to the former Friendly's restaurant that Jay McSharry and Joel Harris are planning to develop into .

Lozuaway said they want to create a Cemita Shack menu where all of the items will cost $4.20. It will be a casual eatery where patrons can come in and enjoy their food with a beer or some wine or get an order to go.

She said the cemita, which is a Mexican-style burger, will be one of the primary items featured on the menu. Lanahan described it as a butter toasted sesame bun with cilantro, pickled red onion, avocado, fried Mexican cheese and a choice of different meats like chicken, STREET's own ground beef, and fried pork loin. Patrons will also be able to choose pan seared or fried seafood options and vegetarian options that include a fried sweet potato, he said.

He said they plan to offer eight varieties of the cemita along with a hearty selection of purrito's, which Lozuaway described as the equivalent of a burrito that has Lebanese pita bread and many different ingredients inside.

Lanahan said the menu will also include curry fries, Mexican seasoned fries and Tater Tots.

"The cemita is our number one selling item at STREET and it was our number one selling item at The Station last summer,” Lozuaway said. She added the new restaurant will feature equipment from The Station and the Fresh Local Truck that will be located out front to educate the public about the cemita.

Lanahan said they are not sure if they will able to utilize the former Taco Bell's drive-thru window because of the existing New Hampshire liquor laws that prohibit alcohol from being sold at drive-thru windows.

Overall, he said they are pretty excited to be joining other restaurants like Shio's Japanese restaurant, La Bella Italian Restaurant, and the new Mexican restaurant that McSharry and Harris are creating next door. Lanahan said the Southgate Plaza is becoming a restaurant hub.