http://www.innatthornhill.com/
My husband and I headed up to Jackson, NH to celebrate our 5th anniversary. What an experience that was!!!! If you want to get away to a romantic and quiet inn you should definitely consider going there! It's the perfect place to get engaged, celebrate a birthday or anniversary or just to get away and eat amazing food! The package comes with afternoon tea, a 3 course gourmet dinner, a full breakfast in the morning, and a beautiful room with a huge jacuzzi tub.
Our first dining experience was tea. We spent a little too much time shopping at the outlets in North Conway (about 15 min south of the inn) so we got to tea around 4:30. They had a large table set up with all kinds of teas and all of the fixings. I chose the strawberry tea. The teas were all loose teas you had to brew either in one cup or a whole pot. As soon as you opened the canister the smell of strawberries and other fruit filled the air. I brewed just one cup and decided to go back and brew a whole pot. The tea was a pretty pink color and was perfect. It was sweet, but not too sweet. It didn't need anything in it. They also had cookies and pastries set up on the piano. I had several coconut macaroons and a piece of pastry. It was a great way to start our night there.
Our dinner reservation was at 6:30 so we headed up to the room to check it out. It was so pretty, with a huge bed, an enormous jacuzzi tub, a fire place and other great little things in the room. After we changed into appropriate clothing we went down to the dining room. We were seated a table for 2 in the main dining room that overlooked the porch and the mountains. Our waitress was so great! She was professional as well as down to earth. The table was set with a lot of glasses. They brought us water right away. It took me a while to look through the enormous wine menu, but I eventually chose a bottle of wine that wasn't extremely expensive and something I thought I could drink. It was called Il Mimo and it was DELICIOUS! It was just perfect. It was a perfect bottle to get for dinner. I loved it so much I got another bottle for the room. The bottles had survived a devastating fire that had taken place in 2001 and had a little label telling the story.
After she brought the wine and gave us a sample, then a full pour, she came back with the bread choices. She brought a choice of a cheese bread stick, a delicious garlic roll and some kind of bread. My husband chose the garlic roll and I tried the cheese stick. The cheese stick was very good, not too strong. The garlic roll was delicious! There was a pretty piece of butter in the middle of the table decorated with sugar crystals and chives. After trying to read the menu and figure out what we wanted we ordered. I decided to start with a corn soup and for the main course I decided on the raviolis stuffed with fresh ricotta and mushrooms, with a side of fiddle heads, tomatoes and asparagus. My husband (not knowing a whole lot about gourmet food) decided to start with the closest thing to a salad that he could find. I think it was called organic leaves on the menu. He ordered the filet mignon for dinner. I wanted to order that, but we decided with help from the waitress, to try two different meals.
The waitress came back with the silverware we would need for the starters. The starters took a bit to come out, but I think that is what gourmet places do. She surprised us with an amuse bouche of pea puree and bacon. It came in a shot glass type glass. It was cold, but delicious. The bacon really added to the cold, soft green pea puree. The faces of the other couples around us that got it after us were great!
The starters came out with a presentation for mine. The bowl came with 4 halves of a shrimp placed in the center of the bowl. The waiter then poured dark mustered colored soup in the bowl around the shrimp. I do have to admit that I thought I was getting something similar to corn chowder so I was a little shocked when this is what was presented. After one bite I was in love! The soup was delicious and the shrimp were also wonderful. My husband's salad had huge chunks of blue cheese in it. The greens were fresh and crispy. Our waitress came back with more bread so we both got a garlic roll to dip in the soup and salad dressing.
After we were done the starters the waitress cleared the table and brought us the silverware we would need for the main course. My main course came out and I was a little disappointed in the size of the raviolis as the waitress said they were larger than they were. It was freshly made pasta filled with ricotta and mushrooms. In the middle of the bowl was a stewed tomato, fiddle heads, asparagus and other steamed veggies. I have never had freshly made pasta before. It has a much different texture and taste than the store bought kind. It's lighter and more yellow in color. The filling was delicious as well. The fresh cheese and mushrooms were just right. All of the veggies in the middle were also very good. They were al dente. I have never eaten fiddle heads, I think of them more as weeds that grow in the forest. They were surprisingly good. I would not pass them up if I saw them on a menu again. My husbands meal was artistically placed on his plate. There was a garnish of green puree on his plate with fresh spinach leaves (both left untouched). The potato was a small pancake under the small . It was covered in a thick sauce. After trying to figure out what was on his plate he toppled the display over and ate. The meat was succulent and cooked perfectly.
The dessert menu had several choices. Not knowing what a lot of it was we chose a chocolate sampler and an apple one. The trays came out with 3 bites of different flavors. On my apple dessert was an apple fritter bite, a shot of something green and an apple parmesan salad. The apple fritter was small, but nice. The salad had a large piece of parmesan cheese with julienned apples under it. The shot glass was difficult to figure out. It wasn't very tasty, but I couldn't leave it. I knew it would be a very long time before I got to experience something like this again so I drank it down. The chocolate plate came with a bigger shot glass with what appeared to be toasted marshmallow a top a thick chocolate pudding and a chocolate cake bite with a frozen strawberry in it.
Before the bill came I excused myself while the waitress asked my husband why we had come to the inn for the night. He told her why we were there and she brought us one last dessert decorated with chocolate hearts. They were rocky road bites. They were a peanut cluster covered in milk chocolate. They were quite good!
The next morning we had breakfast in the dining room again. This time we had two waiters from England. They were very attentive to us from the moment we entered the room. They brought the best coffee I have ever had over first with water. The coffee had a great taste with no bitterness at all. The breakfast menu was small, but there was something for everyone. I ordered the omelet of the day, which was filled with fresh goat cheese and mushrooms. It also came with a side of freshly made multi grain bread and potatoes. My husband ordered a stack of silver dollar pancakes, which came with homemade maple syrup, berry chutney, and Canadian bacon. There was a juice bar as well as a buffet filled with fruit, yogurt and muffins as well.
The took a bit to come out, but the dining room was full and busy. My omelet was delicious! It had a ton of goat cheese in it. The potatoes were a little on the oily side, but still delicious. The bread was thick and full of grains and nuts. I took the berry chutney and added to the bread a spread. It was quite good. The pancakes were large for silver dollar ones. It was just right for my husband.
The Inn at Thorn Hill has won numerous awards. It cannot be compared to any of the other dining experiences I have blogged about on here. It was an amazing culinary experience.
Monday, May 26, 2008
Red Blazer Concord, NH
http://www.theredblazer.com/
We decided to go to the Red Blazer in Concord to celebrate my 25th ;) birthday. It's one of our favorite restaurants in the greater Concord area. We have never received bad service or had a bad meal there.
You are greeted at a large desk area in the front of the restaurant with a cake display and a model wedding cake. We were immediately taken to a romantic table right next to the huge stone fire place. For some reason I love their chairs, they are modern and pretty. Our waitress came over in a short amount of time and took our drink order. I thought I'd try something new so I ordered a special lemonade off the alcohol specials list. It was very strong with a strong whiskey flavor to it. I won't order it again, but it wasn't a bad drink, just not something I like.
The one thing I wish the Red Blazer would do is change the menu more often or add things to it. They have amazing meals for Valentine's that they only do that day. If they had those meals all the time I would go more often! My husband and I ordered the prime rib special, they have this almost every time we go in so I'm not sure why it's on the specials menu. I ordered it medium and my husband ordered it medium-well. I ordered the sweet potato fries and baked squash. My husband got the mashed potatoes and squash. For his starter he ordered salad with ranch and I ordered the stew.
After a short time she came back with warm rolls and flavored butters. Their rolls are always yummy with their flavor of the day butters. It's hard to not fill up on them! The starters came out pretty quickly. The stew was great! I had never had it before. It wasn't thick stew, like out of the can. It was just right and had lots of veggies and meat in it. The salad has many different things on it and is just the right size. It comes with mandarin oranges, alfalfa and other veggies on it.
Our meals came out soon after we had eaten the starters. My prime rib was a little on the red side for me. I wish I had ordered it medium well! It was still good though, just too filling! The fries were perfect, as usual! The squash was delicious, with tons of butter and brown sugar on it. My husbands prime rib was cooked perfectly. The spices were just right, not too over powering. My husband ordered more au jous and she brought out a small bowl of it for him.
Unfortunately we were both stuffed so we didn't even look at the dessert tray. Everything we have ever eaten from their dessert menu has also been delicious. For this visit I give the Red Blazer 4 out of 5 stars. I recommend it to everyone I know.
We decided to go to the Red Blazer in Concord to celebrate my 25th ;) birthday. It's one of our favorite restaurants in the greater Concord area. We have never received bad service or had a bad meal there.
You are greeted at a large desk area in the front of the restaurant with a cake display and a model wedding cake. We were immediately taken to a romantic table right next to the huge stone fire place. For some reason I love their chairs, they are modern and pretty. Our waitress came over in a short amount of time and took our drink order. I thought I'd try something new so I ordered a special lemonade off the alcohol specials list. It was very strong with a strong whiskey flavor to it. I won't order it again, but it wasn't a bad drink, just not something I like.
The one thing I wish the Red Blazer would do is change the menu more often or add things to it. They have amazing meals for Valentine's that they only do that day. If they had those meals all the time I would go more often! My husband and I ordered the prime rib special, they have this almost every time we go in so I'm not sure why it's on the specials menu. I ordered it medium and my husband ordered it medium-well. I ordered the sweet potato fries and baked squash. My husband got the mashed potatoes and squash. For his starter he ordered salad with ranch and I ordered the stew.
After a short time she came back with warm rolls and flavored butters. Their rolls are always yummy with their flavor of the day butters. It's hard to not fill up on them! The starters came out pretty quickly. The stew was great! I had never had it before. It wasn't thick stew, like out of the can. It was just right and had lots of veggies and meat in it. The salad has many different things on it and is just the right size. It comes with mandarin oranges, alfalfa and other veggies on it.
Our meals came out soon after we had eaten the starters. My prime rib was a little on the red side for me. I wish I had ordered it medium well! It was still good though, just too filling! The fries were perfect, as usual! The squash was delicious, with tons of butter and brown sugar on it. My husbands prime rib was cooked perfectly. The spices were just right, not too over powering. My husband ordered more au jous and she brought out a small bowl of it for him.
Unfortunately we were both stuffed so we didn't even look at the dessert tray. Everything we have ever eaten from their dessert menu has also been delicious. For this visit I give the Red Blazer 4 out of 5 stars. I recommend it to everyone I know.
Common Man in Concord, NH
http://www.thecman.com/
My principal wanted to reward the Instructional Leadership Team for all of our hard work so she treated us to dinner at the Common Man in Concord, NH. I believe the upstairs has added a second bar behind the one that had been there. We all sat at the original bar and got a drink. I just ordered a couple of waters because I had to leave early for class. The bartender was nice, but my drink as well as the area around the bar, had fruit flies. They had their free cheese and cracker display. I love the cottage cheese dip they make! I think it may be cottage cheese and cocktail sauce with horseradish in it. The other spread is also very good. It's a soft cheese with garlic and other spices in it.
When our room was ready we went into a quaint space with a rustic table set up. The menu was chosen for us with choices for appetizers, a main course and dessert. I had to leave after about 40 minutes after we sat down so I ordered a salad and crab cakes.
The salad was very good with crumbled cheese, walnut pieces and the fancy salad blend. The dressing was just right. The crab cakes were also very good. They had just the right crab taste, not too fishy. They were good sized as well. The sauce they put on top is delicious as well. There just isn't enough though. I had to leave right after I ate so I didn't get to choose a dessert.
My meal during this visit was better than I have had in the past. I would give them 3.5 stars out of 5.
My principal wanted to reward the Instructional Leadership Team for all of our hard work so she treated us to dinner at the Common Man in Concord, NH. I believe the upstairs has added a second bar behind the one that had been there. We all sat at the original bar and got a drink. I just ordered a couple of waters because I had to leave early for class. The bartender was nice, but my drink as well as the area around the bar, had fruit flies. They had their free cheese and cracker display. I love the cottage cheese dip they make! I think it may be cottage cheese and cocktail sauce with horseradish in it. The other spread is also very good. It's a soft cheese with garlic and other spices in it.
When our room was ready we went into a quaint space with a rustic table set up. The menu was chosen for us with choices for appetizers, a main course and dessert. I had to leave after about 40 minutes after we sat down so I ordered a salad and crab cakes.
The salad was very good with crumbled cheese, walnut pieces and the fancy salad blend. The dressing was just right. The crab cakes were also very good. They had just the right crab taste, not too fishy. They were good sized as well. The sauce they put on top is delicious as well. There just isn't enough though. I had to leave right after I ate so I didn't get to choose a dessert.
My meal during this visit was better than I have had in the past. I would give them 3.5 stars out of 5.
Monday, May 19, 2008
Friendly's on Loudon Rd in Concord
So we had a very busy weekend. After 2 very disappointing jewelry shopping trips, saving 2 baby ducks and playing some baseball we decided to go to Friendly's on Loudon Rd for dinner on Sunday night.
As soon as we walked in we were greeted and brought to a large, comfy, freshly cleaned booth facing Loudon Rd. It was a pretty busy place with people of every age enjoying dinner. The entrance to the kitchen was to our left, but you were never annoyed by too much traffic or kitchen noise. The very friendly waitress took our drink order. I ordered water and my husband ordered a chocolate Fribble. She came back very quickly with our order. Then she pleasantly took our food order.
She never once asked us about appetizers or any thing else to add to our order/bill. I'm all for the specials where you get a free sundae so I ordered the Vermonter White Cheddar Burger with grilled white bread instead of the big ciabatta roll. My husband also ordered a cheeseburger.
The food came out in a short amount of time. The bread was grill perfectly. The burger came with peppered maple bacon, Vermont white cheddar cheese, mayo, lettuce and tomato. It also had shoe string fries and pickles. I don't know why I love the pickles at Friendly's, but I always have since I was a kid. There is just something about their pickles, they have just the right bite and taste. They aren't too sweet or too sour. The burger was a pretty thick burger, cooked to perfection. The condiments were layered quite nicely. Everything was juicy and delicious. Nothing was over powering. It was a great balanced burger with unique flavors. The fries were just right and the pickles were perfect as usual. The Fribble was so yummy. It was extremely cold though. It hurt going down, like school lunch mashed potatoes. It was soooo yummy though.
For my free Happy Ending Sundae I tried to order the new Reeces Peanut butter ice cream, but it wasn't scheduled to be out until Monday 5/19. So I ordered chocolate peanut butter fudge with peanut butter sauce. The waitress came back pretty quickly with a sundae with chocolate sauce. She saw that it wasn't what I ordered and took it back. She came back with the same sundae. I asked her to just bring some peanut butter sauce to add to the sundae. I don't know what kind of whipped cream they have, but it is so yummy! The ice cream was full of peanut butter pieces and thick chocolate ice cream. She came back with a little cup full of the peanut butter sauce, that I love so much. I added it to the sundae and it was pure perfection.
The bill came to $19. I love bargains! Overall I would give Friendly's on Loudon Rd 3 stars out of 5. It was a great meal, after a rather disappointing and aggravating weekend of unsuccessful jewelry shopping.
As soon as we walked in we were greeted and brought to a large, comfy, freshly cleaned booth facing Loudon Rd. It was a pretty busy place with people of every age enjoying dinner. The entrance to the kitchen was to our left, but you were never annoyed by too much traffic or kitchen noise. The very friendly waitress took our drink order. I ordered water and my husband ordered a chocolate Fribble. She came back very quickly with our order. Then she pleasantly took our food order.
She never once asked us about appetizers or any thing else to add to our order/bill. I'm all for the specials where you get a free sundae so I ordered the Vermonter White Cheddar Burger with grilled white bread instead of the big ciabatta roll. My husband also ordered a cheeseburger.
The food came out in a short amount of time. The bread was grill perfectly. The burger came with peppered maple bacon, Vermont white cheddar cheese, mayo, lettuce and tomato. It also had shoe string fries and pickles. I don't know why I love the pickles at Friendly's, but I always have since I was a kid. There is just something about their pickles, they have just the right bite and taste. They aren't too sweet or too sour. The burger was a pretty thick burger, cooked to perfection. The condiments were layered quite nicely. Everything was juicy and delicious. Nothing was over powering. It was a great balanced burger with unique flavors. The fries were just right and the pickles were perfect as usual. The Fribble was so yummy. It was extremely cold though. It hurt going down, like school lunch mashed potatoes. It was soooo yummy though.
For my free Happy Ending Sundae I tried to order the new Reeces Peanut butter ice cream, but it wasn't scheduled to be out until Monday 5/19. So I ordered chocolate peanut butter fudge with peanut butter sauce. The waitress came back pretty quickly with a sundae with chocolate sauce. She saw that it wasn't what I ordered and took it back. She came back with the same sundae. I asked her to just bring some peanut butter sauce to add to the sundae. I don't know what kind of whipped cream they have, but it is so yummy! The ice cream was full of peanut butter pieces and thick chocolate ice cream. She came back with a little cup full of the peanut butter sauce, that I love so much. I added it to the sundae and it was pure perfection.
The bill came to $19. I love bargains! Overall I would give Friendly's on Loudon Rd 3 stars out of 5. It was a great meal, after a rather disappointing and aggravating weekend of unsuccessful jewelry shopping.
Hermanos in Concord, NH
http://www.hermanosmexican.com/
My husband wanted to get taco's on Mother's Day, and we were motherless, so we went to Hermanos in Concord, NH. We were immediately seated at a small table facing the small side street next to Hermanos. The room was very crowded with a large (and very loud) party in the center of the room and small tables filled with couples around the edges of the room. The room was painted with a nice terracotta color. The walls had been treated with the rag painting technique. There were some knick-knack dust collectors around the room, like shot glasses and other things.
Our waitress was quite busy. She was a nice woman, who we have had in the past as a waitress. She came and took our drink orders. I ordered a sangria and my husband ordered a Coke. She came back pretty quickly with our drinks and we ordered our food. I ordered the BURRITO & CHIMICHANGA combination with a chicken chimichanga and bean burrito. My husband ordered the CHIMICHANGA & TACO combination. The waitress brought us over some chips and salsa. The salsa was fresh, but lacked liquids. It was still very tasty. I added some green hot sauce and it was just right. My sangria was a little on the tangy side. It didn't have much fruit or fruit flavor. They use their own special recipe with orange curacao & brandy.
It took a very long time to get our dinners. It gave us plenty of time to listen to the obnoxious conversation a very loud woman was having with her family in the middle of the room. She talked on and on about underoos which lead to another conversation about eatable underware. I felt very bad for her children, they must have been mortified.
The patrons around us came in after us, but got their food before us. Sometime I can understand when this happens if they get something smaller, but it looked like it was about the same size as our meals. When we finally got our food it was hot and delicious. The chimichanga had a ton of chicken in it. It was perfect. The condiments were on the small side so I had to take my husbands. The burrito wasn't anything to rave about. The rice and beans weren't either.
The bill came to $58 before the tip. Overall I would give Hermanos a 2.5. I feel the food is a bit over priced. It wasn't their fault that they had an obnoxious customer that you couldn't help but listen to in the small dining room. The free salsa and chips are good as well as the chimmichangas. If you want more affordable food that has a bit more flavor try La Carreta in Manchester or any of their other locations. http://www.lacarretamexican.com/
My husband wanted to get taco's on Mother's Day, and we were motherless, so we went to Hermanos in Concord, NH. We were immediately seated at a small table facing the small side street next to Hermanos. The room was very crowded with a large (and very loud) party in the center of the room and small tables filled with couples around the edges of the room. The room was painted with a nice terracotta color. The walls had been treated with the rag painting technique. There were some knick-knack dust collectors around the room, like shot glasses and other things.
Our waitress was quite busy. She was a nice woman, who we have had in the past as a waitress. She came and took our drink orders. I ordered a sangria and my husband ordered a Coke. She came back pretty quickly with our drinks and we ordered our food. I ordered the BURRITO & CHIMICHANGA combination with a chicken chimichanga and bean burrito. My husband ordered the CHIMICHANGA & TACO combination. The waitress brought us over some chips and salsa. The salsa was fresh, but lacked liquids. It was still very tasty. I added some green hot sauce and it was just right. My sangria was a little on the tangy side. It didn't have much fruit or fruit flavor. They use their own special recipe with orange curacao & brandy.
It took a very long time to get our dinners. It gave us plenty of time to listen to the obnoxious conversation a very loud woman was having with her family in the middle of the room. She talked on and on about underoos which lead to another conversation about eatable underware. I felt very bad for her children, they must have been mortified.
The patrons around us came in after us, but got their food before us. Sometime I can understand when this happens if they get something smaller, but it looked like it was about the same size as our meals. When we finally got our food it was hot and delicious. The chimichanga had a ton of chicken in it. It was perfect. The condiments were on the small side so I had to take my husbands. The burrito wasn't anything to rave about. The rice and beans weren't either.
The bill came to $58 before the tip. Overall I would give Hermanos a 2.5. I feel the food is a bit over priced. It wasn't their fault that they had an obnoxious customer that you couldn't help but listen to in the small dining room. The free salsa and chips are good as well as the chimmichangas. If you want more affordable food that has a bit more flavor try La Carreta in Manchester or any of their other locations. http://www.lacarretamexican.com/
Saturday, May 10, 2008
Olive Garden in Concord
http://www.olivegarden.com/default_f.asp
By the time I got home from a meeting with my professor (to get my A) it was after 7:00. I didn't feel like cooking so we went to Olive Garden in Concord. I go there every 6 months or so. They have had most of the same staff there for a while now, which is great. The Olive Garden's all have a similar decor. We didn't have to wait too long. I think a party that came in after us got to be seated before us though, because one of the girls in the party knew the manager. We were seated near drafty windows right in view of the kitchen entrance area. The woman who brought us to our table was nice and courteous.
It took a while for our waitress to greet us. When she finally came over she offered wine, but it was white so I declined. She then took our drink order. I just wanted lemonade, but she said raspberry lemonade so I just went with it. Usually I get a horrible stomach ache after I drink the raspberry lemonade, but it didn't taste as sweet as it has in the past so I didn't get sick. After our drinks came she took our food order. I decided to try the new five cheese stuffed rigatoni with sausage, rigatoni pasta stuffed with five Italian cheeses in a tomato alfredo sauce, topped with grilled Italian sausage and melted mozzarella. My husband got the chicken parmigiana (surprise, surprise).
She brought out our salad and bread sticks pretty quickly. The salad didn't have enough dressing on it for me. It needed just a little bit more. The bread sticks were hard on the ends and didn't have a lot of flavor like they normally do either.
It took a while for our meals to come. The noise from the kitchen area was obnoxious. The area was extremely busy. There were dishes being broken, kitchen staff with hairnets walking in and out of the dining room and staring at patrons. There must have been quite a few birthdays because there was quite a bit of singing in our area. It wasn't the most pleasant atmosphere. If they just added a set of large doors to the entrance area, it would cut down on the sound and busy atmosphere it creates.
When our meals did come out the portions were great. The sausage in my meal wasn't like the sausage you get at the grocery store. It had a much more milder taste that was quite pleasant. The rigatoni was good as well. We only got through half of our meals because they were so filling and it was so late in the evening. They made for great leftovers.
Our bill only came to $30. That's pretty good for 2 dinners with drinks. Overall I would give Olive Garden in Concord a 2 out of 5. The atmosphere ruined the dining experience for me.
By the time I got home from a meeting with my professor (to get my A) it was after 7:00. I didn't feel like cooking so we went to Olive Garden in Concord. I go there every 6 months or so. They have had most of the same staff there for a while now, which is great. The Olive Garden's all have a similar decor. We didn't have to wait too long. I think a party that came in after us got to be seated before us though, because one of the girls in the party knew the manager. We were seated near drafty windows right in view of the kitchen entrance area. The woman who brought us to our table was nice and courteous.
It took a while for our waitress to greet us. When she finally came over she offered wine, but it was white so I declined. She then took our drink order. I just wanted lemonade, but she said raspberry lemonade so I just went with it. Usually I get a horrible stomach ache after I drink the raspberry lemonade, but it didn't taste as sweet as it has in the past so I didn't get sick. After our drinks came she took our food order. I decided to try the new five cheese stuffed rigatoni with sausage, rigatoni pasta stuffed with five Italian cheeses in a tomato alfredo sauce, topped with grilled Italian sausage and melted mozzarella. My husband got the chicken parmigiana (surprise, surprise).
She brought out our salad and bread sticks pretty quickly. The salad didn't have enough dressing on it for me. It needed just a little bit more. The bread sticks were hard on the ends and didn't have a lot of flavor like they normally do either.
It took a while for our meals to come. The noise from the kitchen area was obnoxious. The area was extremely busy. There were dishes being broken, kitchen staff with hairnets walking in and out of the dining room and staring at patrons. There must have been quite a few birthdays because there was quite a bit of singing in our area. It wasn't the most pleasant atmosphere. If they just added a set of large doors to the entrance area, it would cut down on the sound and busy atmosphere it creates.
When our meals did come out the portions were great. The sausage in my meal wasn't like the sausage you get at the grocery store. It had a much more milder taste that was quite pleasant. The rigatoni was good as well. We only got through half of our meals because they were so filling and it was so late in the evening. They made for great leftovers.
Our bill only came to $30. That's pretty good for 2 dinners with drinks. Overall I would give Olive Garden in Concord a 2 out of 5. The atmosphere ruined the dining experience for me.
Arnie's On Cruise Night
http://www.arniesplace.com/
We have been regulars at the cruise night at Arnie's for about 5 years now. Until this year when you sign your car in, and donate a dollar to the Friends program, you get a ticket for a free drink from Arnie's. This year you get free food. Arnie would like to help people afford to come to the cruise, since most of the cars that are in attendance are not exactly fuel sippers.
My husband and I were excited about this new change and decided to get dinner. The inside of Arnie's is a bit eclectic. It's dining room is quaint. There are old signs from all over NH. There is interesting lighting, that is modern with a retro twist. There are thank you notes from kids and schools that are fun to read. There is also a space dedicated to the Lone Wolf Cruisers, who hold a cruise night there every Tuesday night. It's always clean and comfortable.
I ordered a hot dog with ketchup, relish and mustard with a side of potato salad. My husband ordered a cheese burger with ketchup and fries. We ordered 2 medium drinks as well. The kitchen was quite busy with all of the cruise night attendants, all usually named Bob, Dave or Dick, for some reason.
They call your name to come pick up your food. They have a variety of condiments near the pick up counter that you can add to your meal. My hot dog was just right. They toasted the bun to perfection. The condiments that they added were just right for me. The potato salad was so teeny tiny :( It's really good too. I wish they gave good portions of their sides!! Jeff's cheeseburger was good sized, not like take out from the chain restaurants. You can tell it's real meat. Again the side was very small. The drinks were mediums for Arnie's, which are smalls for most restaurants.
Arnie's does have good food, way better than their ice cream. The size of the portions for the sides are ridiculously small. The side dishes are really great, but you only get about 3 bites of potato salad and about 8 fries. The sizes of the drinks and sides need to be much larger. The bill only came to 6$ with the car show promotion for drivers. I will give Arnie's 2 stars out of 5 for this trip.
For more info on cruise nights in the area check out this website: http://www.cruisntimes.com/Calendar.html
We have been regulars at the cruise night at Arnie's for about 5 years now. Until this year when you sign your car in, and donate a dollar to the Friends program, you get a ticket for a free drink from Arnie's. This year you get free food. Arnie would like to help people afford to come to the cruise, since most of the cars that are in attendance are not exactly fuel sippers.
My husband and I were excited about this new change and decided to get dinner. The inside of Arnie's is a bit eclectic. It's dining room is quaint. There are old signs from all over NH. There is interesting lighting, that is modern with a retro twist. There are thank you notes from kids and schools that are fun to read. There is also a space dedicated to the Lone Wolf Cruisers, who hold a cruise night there every Tuesday night. It's always clean and comfortable.
I ordered a hot dog with ketchup, relish and mustard with a side of potato salad. My husband ordered a cheese burger with ketchup and fries. We ordered 2 medium drinks as well. The kitchen was quite busy with all of the cruise night attendants, all usually named Bob, Dave or Dick, for some reason.
They call your name to come pick up your food. They have a variety of condiments near the pick up counter that you can add to your meal. My hot dog was just right. They toasted the bun to perfection. The condiments that they added were just right for me. The potato salad was so teeny tiny :( It's really good too. I wish they gave good portions of their sides!! Jeff's cheeseburger was good sized, not like take out from the chain restaurants. You can tell it's real meat. Again the side was very small. The drinks were mediums for Arnie's, which are smalls for most restaurants.
Arnie's does have good food, way better than their ice cream. The size of the portions for the sides are ridiculously small. The side dishes are really great, but you only get about 3 bites of potato salad and about 8 fries. The sizes of the drinks and sides need to be much larger. The bill only came to 6$ with the car show promotion for drivers. I will give Arnie's 2 stars out of 5 for this trip.
For more info on cruise nights in the area check out this website: http://www.cruisntimes.com/Calendar.html
Wednesday, April 30, 2008
Ruby Tuesday's in Concord
http://www.rubytuesday.com/
My husband and I go to Ruby Tuesdays every other month or so. The one in Concord has changed it's decor to go along with it's new theme of Simple Fresh American Dining. All of the random objects were removed from the walls and was replaced with simple shapes and colors. It's warm, modern and inviting.
As usual we were seated by the hostess soon after we arrived. We got a booth on the right side of the restaurant. They had some new drinks on the menu as well as new specials. On one of the things on the table was a great Mother's Day idea. You can go there from the 9th to 11th and get an appetizer to share, salads, meals and a dessert to share for only 34.95. They also now have a drink of the day. The one for Tuesday looked great, but I don't drink during the week. It's the Ruby Relaxer: Skyy Vodka, Malibu Coconut Rum, DeKuyper Peach Schnapps, pineapple and cranberry juices, and fresh-squeezed orange juice.
Our waitress was a young girl, maybe in high school. She was really nice. She took our drink order and came back quickly. I ordered the freshly made lemonade in strawberry. I have tried most of them at this point. They are thick and yummy! My husband got a coke, as usual.
Then she took our dinner orders. I usually get the mini burgers with the salad bar for 8.99. It's a really good deal and the burgers are so cute and yummy. My husband decided to get the same thing. We headed up to the salad bar and made our choices. They've added this apple salad to the salad bar that is de-licious. I can't quite figure out what it is made with, but it's white (maybe yogurt), with chunks of apples and other yummy things. I always get a large portion of that with the regular salad stuff. My husband loves the pasta salad, although he just eats the pasta and picks out all of the veggies in it.
I hadn't even gotten through my salad when the burgers came out. The burgers are cute little guys with a pickle, cheese and onion straws on them. They also come with seasoned fries, but I don't usually eat too many of them. I saved the apple salad for dessert because I wanted to eat the burgers while they were warm. That worked out well. My lemonade had run out just after the mini burgers came out and without even saying anything the nice waitress brought me another one. Neither of us had room to try anything off the dessert menu, we were stuffed!
Over all the decor change is great, the waitress was awesome and the food was delicious. There was only one thing that was not great. They had one of the waitresses vacuum the floor in our dining room with one of those swift broom things. She really didn't need to be doing that when people were trying to eat.
Over all I give Ruby Tuesdays in Concord 3.5 stars. It's a good chain restaurant.
My husband and I go to Ruby Tuesdays every other month or so. The one in Concord has changed it's decor to go along with it's new theme of Simple Fresh American Dining. All of the random objects were removed from the walls and was replaced with simple shapes and colors. It's warm, modern and inviting.
As usual we were seated by the hostess soon after we arrived. We got a booth on the right side of the restaurant. They had some new drinks on the menu as well as new specials. On one of the things on the table was a great Mother's Day idea. You can go there from the 9th to 11th and get an appetizer to share, salads, meals and a dessert to share for only 34.95. They also now have a drink of the day. The one for Tuesday looked great, but I don't drink during the week. It's the Ruby Relaxer: Skyy Vodka, Malibu Coconut Rum, DeKuyper Peach Schnapps, pineapple and cranberry juices, and fresh-squeezed orange juice.
Our waitress was a young girl, maybe in high school. She was really nice. She took our drink order and came back quickly. I ordered the freshly made lemonade in strawberry. I have tried most of them at this point. They are thick and yummy! My husband got a coke, as usual.
Then she took our dinner orders. I usually get the mini burgers with the salad bar for 8.99. It's a really good deal and the burgers are so cute and yummy. My husband decided to get the same thing. We headed up to the salad bar and made our choices. They've added this apple salad to the salad bar that is de-licious. I can't quite figure out what it is made with, but it's white (maybe yogurt), with chunks of apples and other yummy things. I always get a large portion of that with the regular salad stuff. My husband loves the pasta salad, although he just eats the pasta and picks out all of the veggies in it.
I hadn't even gotten through my salad when the burgers came out. The burgers are cute little guys with a pickle, cheese and onion straws on them. They also come with seasoned fries, but I don't usually eat too many of them. I saved the apple salad for dessert because I wanted to eat the burgers while they were warm. That worked out well. My lemonade had run out just after the mini burgers came out and without even saying anything the nice waitress brought me another one. Neither of us had room to try anything off the dessert menu, we were stuffed!
Over all the decor change is great, the waitress was awesome and the food was delicious. There was only one thing that was not great. They had one of the waitresses vacuum the floor in our dining room with one of those swift broom things. She really didn't need to be doing that when people were trying to eat.
Over all I give Ruby Tuesdays in Concord 3.5 stars. It's a good chain restaurant.
Saturday, April 26, 2008
Johnson's in Northwood, NH
http://www.johnsonsdairybar.com/
Tonight we got a call from the in-laws asking if we wanted to meet them at Johnson's so my husband said ok. I was already in the process of making fajitas, but we can have those another time I guess. So we hopped in the car and headed over to Johnson's. It's on Rt202 about 10 min. or so from the Epsom traffic circle. We thought we had some time getting over there because there is normally standing room only in the wait line at 5:00, but my in-laws had gotten right in and were waiting for us at a table. It was a good thing they got there when they did, as the parking lot was over flowing and there was a line already by the time we got there.
Johnson's has a country motif, with lots of light wood paneling and country red and green colors. We have been there many times and have always had great meals and service. Tonight was no different. The wait staff is usually young, which is fine. You have to be quick to work there, it's non stop at dinner and lunch. Our waitress was a teenage girl, who was nice. She came over and took our drink order first. I ordered a fresh brewed ice tea, everyone else ordered water. She came back quickly and gave us our drinks.
Then we ordered our appetizers. They bring you a soft round bread on a breadboard with butter when you arrive. The in-laws had finished most of it by the time we arrived. The piece I had was good. It was light and soft and tasted good. I always get the mushrooms, you get a TON and they are delicious and affordable at $5.99. My MIL got chowder. After she put that order in she came back to take our orders. My MIL got the baked haddock and fantail shrimp on special, I got the baked stuffed haddock, my husband got the chicken fingers meal and my FIL got the steak tips.
The appetizers came out pretty quickly. The plate of mushrooms was over flowing. The were lightly battered and just the right temperature. No one burned their mouth on the hot spots. It comes with a side of ranch dressing, that isn't very tasty. I prefer them in sour cream, especially when we have left overs. With the four of us trying some there were no left overs tonight :(
The meals came out about 15 minutes or so after we had finished our mushrooms. Everything was cooked to perfection. All of the condiments were also correct for what we had ordered. I've had the baked stuffed haddock there several times because it is SO DELICIOUS! I don't know how they cook it, but it is so light, fresh and covered in the best stuffing I've ever eaten. I usually don't get to most of of the sides, which for me was a baked potato and coleslaw. Tonight was no different than in the past, it was perfect! Everyone meals looked fantastic as well. The portions are great sized, leaving no one hungry. The steak tips also looked cooked to perfection and flavorful. One spoiled dog enjoyed a steak tip in the car, while another overweight and very spoiled dog enjoyed several chicken fingers at home. The bill was $78 for everything.
Johnson's is always clean, quick and delicious. We have never, ever received bad service there. The food is not too expensive and you get great portions. We've only had their ice cream twice, but it is quite delicious as well. I give Johnson's 4 stars out of 5.
Tonight we got a call from the in-laws asking if we wanted to meet them at Johnson's so my husband said ok. I was already in the process of making fajitas, but we can have those another time I guess. So we hopped in the car and headed over to Johnson's. It's on Rt202 about 10 min. or so from the Epsom traffic circle. We thought we had some time getting over there because there is normally standing room only in the wait line at 5:00, but my in-laws had gotten right in and were waiting for us at a table. It was a good thing they got there when they did, as the parking lot was over flowing and there was a line already by the time we got there.
Johnson's has a country motif, with lots of light wood paneling and country red and green colors. We have been there many times and have always had great meals and service. Tonight was no different. The wait staff is usually young, which is fine. You have to be quick to work there, it's non stop at dinner and lunch. Our waitress was a teenage girl, who was nice. She came over and took our drink order first. I ordered a fresh brewed ice tea, everyone else ordered water. She came back quickly and gave us our drinks.
Then we ordered our appetizers. They bring you a soft round bread on a breadboard with butter when you arrive. The in-laws had finished most of it by the time we arrived. The piece I had was good. It was light and soft and tasted good. I always get the mushrooms, you get a TON and they are delicious and affordable at $5.99. My MIL got chowder. After she put that order in she came back to take our orders. My MIL got the baked haddock and fantail shrimp on special, I got the baked stuffed haddock, my husband got the chicken fingers meal and my FIL got the steak tips.
The appetizers came out pretty quickly. The plate of mushrooms was over flowing. The were lightly battered and just the right temperature. No one burned their mouth on the hot spots. It comes with a side of ranch dressing, that isn't very tasty. I prefer them in sour cream, especially when we have left overs. With the four of us trying some there were no left overs tonight :(
The meals came out about 15 minutes or so after we had finished our mushrooms. Everything was cooked to perfection. All of the condiments were also correct for what we had ordered. I've had the baked stuffed haddock there several times because it is SO DELICIOUS! I don't know how they cook it, but it is so light, fresh and covered in the best stuffing I've ever eaten. I usually don't get to most of of the sides, which for me was a baked potato and coleslaw. Tonight was no different than in the past, it was perfect! Everyone meals looked fantastic as well. The portions are great sized, leaving no one hungry. The steak tips also looked cooked to perfection and flavorful. One spoiled dog enjoyed a steak tip in the car, while another overweight and very spoiled dog enjoyed several chicken fingers at home. The bill was $78 for everything.
Johnson's is always clean, quick and delicious. We have never, ever received bad service there. The food is not too expensive and you get great portions. We've only had their ice cream twice, but it is quite delicious as well. I give Johnson's 4 stars out of 5.
Monday, April 21, 2008
Kowloon
http://www.kowloonrestaurant.com/
The Kowloon is a famous Asian restaurant on Rt 1 in Saugus, MA. It is advertised and talked about on The Phantom Gourmet quite regularly. My husband and I used to drive by it frequently on our commute to his home from where we went for undergrad. He had eaten there a few times, but we had never been together. We discussed that we could go there after the Red Sox game on 4/20/08 since we would be down that way anyways. Boy was that a HUGE mistake and waste of gas!
You are greeted by a very busy lobby area. There are posters signed by famous people who have eaten there, including the local WWE champ John Cena, who has several posters signed in the lobby. We were quickly escorted through several themed dining rooms to our booth facing Rt1. The decor was tacky, not delightfully tacky, gross tacky. There were dirty dishes right next to our booth in two locations, just sitting on trays. There was a busy take out area near us as well. The restaurant was extremely noisy and dirty. I was scared to use the restroom because the door was a fire exit door with a ladies sticker on it that lead to a sketchy back room through 2 different doors to the extremely unclean bathroom. I needed to wash my hands after being at Fenway, but there were probably more germs in the bathroom there than in all of Fenway Park. It was so disgusting, I will spare you the details. The plates, cups, forks, etc were extremely old and not clean. We probably should have left at that point, but we were tired and hungry (and it gets such rave reviews) so we stayed.
The menu is enormous, every Asian culture is represented. The bar menu looked good, but with everything on the menu being overpriced I decided to hold off. Their poo poo platter selection was disappointing. We decided to give it a try anyways. When the young waitress (somewhat resembling Daisy from ROL2, but with black hair) finally came over to take our order we ordered the Peninsula Pu Pu Platter with Egg Roll, Spare Ribs, Chicken Wings, Fried Shrimp, Pork Strips and Crispy Wontons and beef teriyaki for 23.95 (way over priced!) with fried rice. I ordered Avocado Mongo Maki and the House Veggie Roll (Spinach, Kampyo, Oshinko, Avocado, Cucumber) for an appetizer. We also ordered tea and coke. My husbands coke was so small for 1.95. The tea was scalding hot and took forever to cool down. The little cups to put the tea in were well worn and sketchy.
The sushi came out first. The waitress brought over the little bowl for the soy sauce, but there was no soy sauce in sight. She said something like I will be right back to fill that, but never returned while I was eating the sushi. The sushi was blah, nothing special. It didn't taste fresh or good. The presentation lacked pizazz. It wasn't worth ordering.
The poo poo platter and rice came out next. The fire in the pot in the middle of the platter was enormous. My husband was actually scared about it burning him because of the way the air was pushing the 8 inch flame towards his face while he ate. The platter was on an old sectioned tray that was brown and clearly from the 60's or 70's. It had a nice coating of decades old grease on it. I'm not even sure how they would clean it?? It had 1 egg roll in it filled with finely diced veggies. It was cut into 4 pieces so it was not easy to get out of the platter. There were these round donut looking things in one section. We figured out quickly that it was the shrimp. The shrimp was ok, probably the best part of the poo poo platter. The shrimp wasn't too fishy smelling or tasting. The teriyaki was bland. It lacked that tangy flavor that most places have. The wontons were nothing special, they should have been crab rangoons. The pork was ok, it wasn't dry, but it was kind of bland. The chicken wings were crispy and tasted good. The rice had little flavor, it mostly tasted like onion. It didn't seem fresh either.
We will NEVER EVER eat there again. It gets NO stars!!!!!! I don't know what the fascination is with the place, but it's an over priced joke! Nothing was fresh, the decor was hideous, and the disgusting dishes and bathroom were horrifying. I have had better Asian food at the mall and even China Pacific. If you are looking for a place to eat while on Rt 1 go to Kelly's Roastbeaf, Polcari's, The Hilltop Steakhouse, anywhere besides Kowloon. If you want good Asian food go to Chen Lang Li in Bow, NH.
The Kowloon is a famous Asian restaurant on Rt 1 in Saugus, MA. It is advertised and talked about on The Phantom Gourmet quite regularly. My husband and I used to drive by it frequently on our commute to his home from where we went for undergrad. He had eaten there a few times, but we had never been together. We discussed that we could go there after the Red Sox game on 4/20/08 since we would be down that way anyways. Boy was that a HUGE mistake and waste of gas!
You are greeted by a very busy lobby area. There are posters signed by famous people who have eaten there, including the local WWE champ John Cena, who has several posters signed in the lobby. We were quickly escorted through several themed dining rooms to our booth facing Rt1. The decor was tacky, not delightfully tacky, gross tacky. There were dirty dishes right next to our booth in two locations, just sitting on trays. There was a busy take out area near us as well. The restaurant was extremely noisy and dirty. I was scared to use the restroom because the door was a fire exit door with a ladies sticker on it that lead to a sketchy back room through 2 different doors to the extremely unclean bathroom. I needed to wash my hands after being at Fenway, but there were probably more germs in the bathroom there than in all of Fenway Park. It was so disgusting, I will spare you the details. The plates, cups, forks, etc were extremely old and not clean. We probably should have left at that point, but we were tired and hungry (and it gets such rave reviews) so we stayed.
The menu is enormous, every Asian culture is represented. The bar menu looked good, but with everything on the menu being overpriced I decided to hold off. Their poo poo platter selection was disappointing. We decided to give it a try anyways. When the young waitress (somewhat resembling Daisy from ROL2, but with black hair) finally came over to take our order we ordered the Peninsula Pu Pu Platter with Egg Roll, Spare Ribs, Chicken Wings, Fried Shrimp, Pork Strips and Crispy Wontons and beef teriyaki for 23.95 (way over priced!) with fried rice. I ordered Avocado Mongo Maki and the House Veggie Roll (Spinach, Kampyo, Oshinko, Avocado, Cucumber) for an appetizer. We also ordered tea and coke. My husbands coke was so small for 1.95. The tea was scalding hot and took forever to cool down. The little cups to put the tea in were well worn and sketchy.
The sushi came out first. The waitress brought over the little bowl for the soy sauce, but there was no soy sauce in sight. She said something like I will be right back to fill that, but never returned while I was eating the sushi. The sushi was blah, nothing special. It didn't taste fresh or good. The presentation lacked pizazz. It wasn't worth ordering.
The poo poo platter and rice came out next. The fire in the pot in the middle of the platter was enormous. My husband was actually scared about it burning him because of the way the air was pushing the 8 inch flame towards his face while he ate. The platter was on an old sectioned tray that was brown and clearly from the 60's or 70's. It had a nice coating of decades old grease on it. I'm not even sure how they would clean it?? It had 1 egg roll in it filled with finely diced veggies. It was cut into 4 pieces so it was not easy to get out of the platter. There were these round donut looking things in one section. We figured out quickly that it was the shrimp. The shrimp was ok, probably the best part of the poo poo platter. The shrimp wasn't too fishy smelling or tasting. The teriyaki was bland. It lacked that tangy flavor that most places have. The wontons were nothing special, they should have been crab rangoons. The pork was ok, it wasn't dry, but it was kind of bland. The chicken wings were crispy and tasted good. The rice had little flavor, it mostly tasted like onion. It didn't seem fresh either.
We will NEVER EVER eat there again. It gets NO stars!!!!!! I don't know what the fascination is with the place, but it's an over priced joke! Nothing was fresh, the decor was hideous, and the disgusting dishes and bathroom were horrifying. I have had better Asian food at the mall and even China Pacific. If you are looking for a place to eat while on Rt 1 go to Kelly's Roastbeaf, Polcari's, The Hilltop Steakhouse, anywhere besides Kowloon. If you want good Asian food go to Chen Lang Li in Bow, NH.
Fratello's in Laconia
This blog is dedicated to Alexander Rowson, whose wake we attended and then went out to eat after.
My husband and I visited Fratello's in Laconia when we were dating about 8 or so years ago. The decor has stayed the same. It's in an old bank with a piano in the corner, a fountain in the middle, a former vault now used as a wine cellar, and an upstairs dining room. There were only a few people in the restaurant because it was so late and a Monday. Our waiter was a nice man in his 50's. He was extremely courteous and attentive. He brought us all water, we desperately needed after standing in line for over 2 hours to express our sympathies our family friend Dave and his wife. He took our drink order and brought what had been ordered out very quickly. I got a bottle of Pellegrino. It was refreshing. He took our orders, women first, I ordered the chicken saltimbocca and a side salad with blue cheese. My husband got his usual chicken parm. After he took our order he brought out warm, delicious bread sticks with 2 kinds of spreads. One was butter and the other may have been flavored cream cheese. The bread sticks and spreads were so yummy! The salads came next. My FIL got a Cesar salad with his meal that was on the small side. My salad was a house salad that was also on the small side, not worth the extra cost. It had black olives on it, which I detest! It ruined the salad in my opinion. The dressing was good though. I won't bother ordering a salad again, unless it's part of the meal.
Our meals came pretty quick. The portions were just right. My meal was ok. There was one overall taste. You couldn't taste the prosciutto very well or the artichoke. It was well cooked though and the sauce was nice. My husband complained that the chicken had a crispy coating on it, but in my opinion it was probably cooked the real Italian way. We were exhausted and still had a long drive home so we didn't order dessert.
Overall I would give Fratello's 3 stars. We might check out the one in Manchester sometime. http://www.fratellos.com/index.htm
My husband and I visited Fratello's in Laconia when we were dating about 8 or so years ago. The decor has stayed the same. It's in an old bank with a piano in the corner, a fountain in the middle, a former vault now used as a wine cellar, and an upstairs dining room. There were only a few people in the restaurant because it was so late and a Monday. Our waiter was a nice man in his 50's. He was extremely courteous and attentive. He brought us all water, we desperately needed after standing in line for over 2 hours to express our sympathies our family friend Dave and his wife. He took our drink order and brought what had been ordered out very quickly. I got a bottle of Pellegrino. It was refreshing. He took our orders, women first, I ordered the chicken saltimbocca and a side salad with blue cheese. My husband got his usual chicken parm. After he took our order he brought out warm, delicious bread sticks with 2 kinds of spreads. One was butter and the other may have been flavored cream cheese. The bread sticks and spreads were so yummy! The salads came next. My FIL got a Cesar salad with his meal that was on the small side. My salad was a house salad that was also on the small side, not worth the extra cost. It had black olives on it, which I detest! It ruined the salad in my opinion. The dressing was good though. I won't bother ordering a salad again, unless it's part of the meal.
Our meals came pretty quick. The portions were just right. My meal was ok. There was one overall taste. You couldn't taste the prosciutto very well or the artichoke. It was well cooked though and the sauce was nice. My husband complained that the chicken had a crispy coating on it, but in my opinion it was probably cooked the real Italian way. We were exhausted and still had a long drive home so we didn't order dessert.
Overall I would give Fratello's 3 stars. We might check out the one in Manchester sometime. http://www.fratellos.com/index.htm
Wednesday, April 9, 2008
Made in NH Expo
My friend Hillary and I decided to go to the Made in NH Expo last weekend. It was extremely crowded, but at the same time really great! We tried a lot of great food that I'd like to blog about.
The first thing we tried was Gak's Snacks cookies http://www.gakssnacks.com/. I had the brownie chocolate chip cookie. These cookies and the inventor were featured on NH Chronicle not too long ago so I recognized them. The cookie was SO YUMMY!!!! It is a healthy cookie, free of peanuts, tree nuts, eggs, dairy, GMO's and trans fat. Even with all of that stuff not in it, the cookie was delicious! They are also organic. A box of cookies is about $4.99 at Hannaford stores in NH. I didn't try the other flavors, but if you want a good snack for your family give these a try.
The next thing that both of us LOVED immediately was the buffalo chicken dip from Freetown Yankee Food Market http://freetownyankee.com/. They had samples served with Chuck's Moose-a-licious Antler Chips (which are antler shaped, gluten free, white corn chips). It had a bright buffalo sauce color and was thick and full of moist chicken. It only lasted 2 days at home. My husband and I devoured it. The lady at the booth said to try it warm, so the next time we get some we will do that. It's a perfect dip for a party!
We also both really liked Good Neighbors Organic products. Hillary purchased the black bean dip and I purchased the tabouli. The tabouli is really good. It's fresh and doesn't have the strong flavor and after taste that I have experienced in the past. It's kind of refreshing, if you can think of tabouli as that.
We decided to take a rest and have a snack so we both purchased a Caesar salad from the Common Man, who had a large booth. My salad came with a crab cake. The crab cake was ok, it wasn't the best tasting crab cake I've ever had, but it was alright. The salad was good though. It had crisp lettuce, grated cheese, and creamy dressing.
We walked around some more and had some kettle corn from White Mountain Kettle Corn http://www.whitemtnkettlecorn.com/. I've had this before. It's really yummy! It's just as good as when you get it fresh at a country fair.
There were many chocolate booths there, some fancy and some simple. We stopped at the Ava Marie Chocolates booth (http://www.avamariechocolates.com/) and tried their Maple Syrup Dark Chocolate Square. There was no thinking, we both got our money out and purchased a package for home immediately after the chocolate hit our tongues. These chocolates were DELICIOUS!!!!!!!! The dark chocolate was perfect, not bitter, just perfect. The soft center had the most minor hint of maple syrup, making it soooooooooo good!! If this store was closer to me I would be a regular customer for sure! It's in Peterborough, which is closer to the Keene/VT side of the state. :( Their website shows that they won the best of NH in 2007. Having tasted several different chocolates at the expo I know why they won that award. Not only was the chocolate the best at the expo it was the most affordable. (just a FYI....my birthday is next month hint, hint, hint ;) )
Hillary and I tried lots of chocolates, chips, dips, salsa and other things as well. I would recommend going to the Made in NH Expo to people who are understanding and can handle being in large crowds. At some points we were packed like sardines.
The first thing we tried was Gak's Snacks cookies http://www.gakssnacks.com/. I had the brownie chocolate chip cookie. These cookies and the inventor were featured on NH Chronicle not too long ago so I recognized them. The cookie was SO YUMMY!!!! It is a healthy cookie, free of peanuts, tree nuts, eggs, dairy, GMO's and trans fat. Even with all of that stuff not in it, the cookie was delicious! They are also organic. A box of cookies is about $4.99 at Hannaford stores in NH. I didn't try the other flavors, but if you want a good snack for your family give these a try.
The next thing that both of us LOVED immediately was the buffalo chicken dip from Freetown Yankee Food Market http://freetownyankee.com/. They had samples served with Chuck's Moose-a-licious Antler Chips (which are antler shaped, gluten free, white corn chips). It had a bright buffalo sauce color and was thick and full of moist chicken. It only lasted 2 days at home. My husband and I devoured it. The lady at the booth said to try it warm, so the next time we get some we will do that. It's a perfect dip for a party!
We also both really liked Good Neighbors Organic products. Hillary purchased the black bean dip and I purchased the tabouli. The tabouli is really good. It's fresh and doesn't have the strong flavor and after taste that I have experienced in the past. It's kind of refreshing, if you can think of tabouli as that.
We decided to take a rest and have a snack so we both purchased a Caesar salad from the Common Man, who had a large booth. My salad came with a crab cake. The crab cake was ok, it wasn't the best tasting crab cake I've ever had, but it was alright. The salad was good though. It had crisp lettuce, grated cheese, and creamy dressing.
We walked around some more and had some kettle corn from White Mountain Kettle Corn http://www.whitemtnkettlecorn.com/. I've had this before. It's really yummy! It's just as good as when you get it fresh at a country fair.
There were many chocolate booths there, some fancy and some simple. We stopped at the Ava Marie Chocolates booth (http://www.avamariechocolates.com/) and tried their Maple Syrup Dark Chocolate Square. There was no thinking, we both got our money out and purchased a package for home immediately after the chocolate hit our tongues. These chocolates were DELICIOUS!!!!!!!! The dark chocolate was perfect, not bitter, just perfect. The soft center had the most minor hint of maple syrup, making it soooooooooo good!! If this store was closer to me I would be a regular customer for sure! It's in Peterborough, which is closer to the Keene/VT side of the state. :( Their website shows that they won the best of NH in 2007. Having tasted several different chocolates at the expo I know why they won that award. Not only was the chocolate the best at the expo it was the most affordable. (just a FYI....my birthday is next month hint, hint, hint ;) )
Hillary and I tried lots of chocolates, chips, dips, salsa and other things as well. I would recommend going to the Made in NH Expo to people who are understanding and can handle being in large crowds. At some points we were packed like sardines.
Beefside Concord, NH
So there was nothing thawed for dinner, and it was too late to cook, so we decided to go to Beefside on Manchester St in Concord. http://www.beefsiderestaurant.com/
We've eaten there once before and hadn't been in a while. It's a local dive that has really good roast beef sandwiches! When we get take out we usually get their roast beef sandwiches with sauce and one with mayo and fries. We decided we would sample some of the other food on the menu. When we got there it was pretty busy. When you enter you are greeted by the take out menu and the place to pick up your order. After 2 nice waitresses told us they would be right with us we were seated in a booth. The decor is pretty diveish. There are lots of random pictures on the wall, from Celtics and the Three Stooges to a sign that says something like: All gentlemen guests eating with a woman other than their wife please sit in the back. The entire place is covered in wood paneling. I'm sure the regulars don't mind the decor. The waitress happened to be the one that we had when we ate their once before. She was a bit gruff. In between taking our drink order and coming back to take the food order she served the people next to us their soup. After not so gently placing the soup on the table she threw, I mean threw, the crackers at the area where the soup was. Yikes!
I ordered the pulled pork dinner with fries and corn bread with a strawberry shake. My husband ordered the ultimate chicken sandwich with fries and a chocolate shake to be brought with his meal.
The Sox home opener was on the large TV to the right of us so we watched that while we waited. She brought my shake pretty quickly. It was more like strawberry milk than a shake. I don't think there was much ice cream in it at all. It was skill kinda yummy. I was pretty intently watching the Sox ceremonies when there was a loud slam at our table. It was our food. I guess that was one way of getting our attention! She left a bottle of bbq sauce and our dinners. She forgot my husband's chocolate shake and said she would go get it. My husband was confused about the sandwich because he thought it would come on a bulkie roll and it came in a sub roll, but he ate it anyways. My plate had quite a bit of food on it. The fries were golden brown and beer battered. They were quite good. The pulled pork was little to be desired. It did not have much sauce or flavor. I added the sauce to it and it still didn't do the trick. The corn bread looked good so I gave it a try. It was moist, not gritty and big. It did have a greasy bottom on it though that was rather unappetizing.
The waitress came back to check on us and realized she had again forgotten his shake. She returned with a chocolate shake with syrup drizzled in the glass. The shake was thick and yummy. It was actually one of the best chocolate shakes I've tasted in NH. It was to bad my husband was already full and didn't even drink 1/2 of it.
Overall I would give Beefside one and a half stars out of 5. I think we'll stick to take out. If you want good pulled pork try Arnie's on Loudon Rd. in Concord. The portions are small, but the pork is great!
We've eaten there once before and hadn't been in a while. It's a local dive that has really good roast beef sandwiches! When we get take out we usually get their roast beef sandwiches with sauce and one with mayo and fries. We decided we would sample some of the other food on the menu. When we got there it was pretty busy. When you enter you are greeted by the take out menu and the place to pick up your order. After 2 nice waitresses told us they would be right with us we were seated in a booth. The decor is pretty diveish. There are lots of random pictures on the wall, from Celtics and the Three Stooges to a sign that says something like: All gentlemen guests eating with a woman other than their wife please sit in the back. The entire place is covered in wood paneling. I'm sure the regulars don't mind the decor. The waitress happened to be the one that we had when we ate their once before. She was a bit gruff. In between taking our drink order and coming back to take the food order she served the people next to us their soup. After not so gently placing the soup on the table she threw, I mean threw, the crackers at the area where the soup was. Yikes!
I ordered the pulled pork dinner with fries and corn bread with a strawberry shake. My husband ordered the ultimate chicken sandwich with fries and a chocolate shake to be brought with his meal.
The Sox home opener was on the large TV to the right of us so we watched that while we waited. She brought my shake pretty quickly. It was more like strawberry milk than a shake. I don't think there was much ice cream in it at all. It was skill kinda yummy. I was pretty intently watching the Sox ceremonies when there was a loud slam at our table. It was our food. I guess that was one way of getting our attention! She left a bottle of bbq sauce and our dinners. She forgot my husband's chocolate shake and said she would go get it. My husband was confused about the sandwich because he thought it would come on a bulkie roll and it came in a sub roll, but he ate it anyways. My plate had quite a bit of food on it. The fries were golden brown and beer battered. They were quite good. The pulled pork was little to be desired. It did not have much sauce or flavor. I added the sauce to it and it still didn't do the trick. The corn bread looked good so I gave it a try. It was moist, not gritty and big. It did have a greasy bottom on it though that was rather unappetizing.
The waitress came back to check on us and realized she had again forgotten his shake. She returned with a chocolate shake with syrup drizzled in the glass. The shake was thick and yummy. It was actually one of the best chocolate shakes I've tasted in NH. It was to bad my husband was already full and didn't even drink 1/2 of it.
Overall I would give Beefside one and a half stars out of 5. I think we'll stick to take out. If you want good pulled pork try Arnie's on Loudon Rd. in Concord. The portions are small, but the pork is great!
Saturday, April 5, 2008
Vineyards in Belmont, NH
My husband felt like having steak tonight so we searched online for any good steak houses near us. All of the chain restaurants came up and then we came upon a new restaurant named Vineyards in Belmont, NH. Their website looked pretty good, (http://www.eatvineyards.com/) so we decided to give it a try. The 25 minute drive up 93 took us past the Tilton outlets and Winnisquam Lake to a new strip mall in Belmont on Rt 3. The building seemed new and modern. When you walked through the doors you were greeted by prepackaged desserts ready to be served in 2 large cases with a small view of the busy kitchen area in between. The ambiance was warm and refreshing for that area. The decor was Italian vineyard themed with warm, rustic colors throughout. I was confused where the hostess area was until a woman finally came to greet us. She was a bit strange with a very busy patterned bright yellow and black dress on, white platform lace up sandals, and a cropped white sweater that may be from Old Navy's spring line. She took my name and spelled it incorrectly (of course) not asking me how to actually spell it, and told us the wait would only be 10 minutes. I think we actually only waited about 5.
We were seated in a nice booth on the right side of the dining room. The tabletop was smooth with a dark finished butcher block type pattern. The seats had a nice, rustic colored pattern and were high enough that you didn't see anyone else behind or next to you. There were fresh flowers in our booth. Our waitress was a nice girl who was prompt and polite. She asked us if we had been there before and we said no. She told us that they will be having a new menu soon and that some of the items are no longer available. The menus were well worn and didn't include a drink menu, which was surprising seeing as the name is Vineyards and you would think there would be quite a wine menu, but there wasn't. The specials were really well priced and sounded good. The waitress took our drink order and came back quickly, but not too quickly, so that we had time to decide what we wanted order. Not having a menu for the bar I just ordered water with lemon and my husband ordered Coke. The Coke was the good kind that tastes better than from a bottle because there is more syrup in it. I ordered the prime rib special, medium well, for $13 with mashed potatoes, broccoli and ranch dressing on my salad. My husband ordered the porterhouse for $23 with mashed potatoes, no veggies (god forbid he ate broccoli), and parmesan peppercorn for dressing on his salad.
After a few minutes the waitress came back with a family style salad, two great portions of salad dressing, warm buns, and a small plate with butter and garnish on it. We were really excited about the salad, there was a ton and it had great veggies in it like grape tomatoes, banana peppers, cucumbers, green peppers and great croutons. Both of dressings were really creamy and delicious. The buns were warm and delicious as well.
When the meals came out the waitress was not the one that had taken our order. She gave him my prime rib and me his plate. There was also a baked potato on his plate instead of mashed. The porterhouse was confusing to us because it had a t-bone in it. This could be correct, we're not really meat connoisseurs. The prime rib was a bit dry, but when I added au jous to the meat it was good. The mashed potatoes were delicious! There were bits of skin, just the right texture and great flavor. The broccoli was steamed well and was just right. His steak was very large and grilled well. The waitress came to check on us several times during our meal and was courteous. When the waitress came to check on us after we had finished she took our dishes and wrapped up the t-bone for Shelby. There was no dessert menu so she brought a tray with a couple of the dessert choices on it. They looked good, but we had our eye on the chocolate cake that was in the case when we entered the restaurant. We asked if there was any left and she said yes. Having seen it in the case I was a bit skeptical of it's moistness as it had already been cut and packaged up. When we got the cake the waitress had added some whipped cream dollops to the side and some powered sugar for decoration. I was right about the moistness. It was a little on the dry side. The frosting was nice and thick. It's not something I would order again.
Over all I would give it 3 stars out of 5. I'm sure we will go there again. It has a great location in between Winnisquam Lake and Lake Winnipesaukee. It's certainly a great addition in an area known for it's extremely tacky places like the Naswa, and the extremely outdated like Christmas Island. I bet there will be lines out the door during the busy summer months!!
We were seated in a nice booth on the right side of the dining room. The tabletop was smooth with a dark finished butcher block type pattern. The seats had a nice, rustic colored pattern and were high enough that you didn't see anyone else behind or next to you. There were fresh flowers in our booth. Our waitress was a nice girl who was prompt and polite. She asked us if we had been there before and we said no. She told us that they will be having a new menu soon and that some of the items are no longer available. The menus were well worn and didn't include a drink menu, which was surprising seeing as the name is Vineyards and you would think there would be quite a wine menu, but there wasn't. The specials were really well priced and sounded good. The waitress took our drink order and came back quickly, but not too quickly, so that we had time to decide what we wanted order. Not having a menu for the bar I just ordered water with lemon and my husband ordered Coke. The Coke was the good kind that tastes better than from a bottle because there is more syrup in it. I ordered the prime rib special, medium well, for $13 with mashed potatoes, broccoli and ranch dressing on my salad. My husband ordered the porterhouse for $23 with mashed potatoes, no veggies (god forbid he ate broccoli), and parmesan peppercorn for dressing on his salad.
After a few minutes the waitress came back with a family style salad, two great portions of salad dressing, warm buns, and a small plate with butter and garnish on it. We were really excited about the salad, there was a ton and it had great veggies in it like grape tomatoes, banana peppers, cucumbers, green peppers and great croutons. Both of dressings were really creamy and delicious. The buns were warm and delicious as well.
When the meals came out the waitress was not the one that had taken our order. She gave him my prime rib and me his plate. There was also a baked potato on his plate instead of mashed. The porterhouse was confusing to us because it had a t-bone in it. This could be correct, we're not really meat connoisseurs. The prime rib was a bit dry, but when I added au jous to the meat it was good. The mashed potatoes were delicious! There were bits of skin, just the right texture and great flavor. The broccoli was steamed well and was just right. His steak was very large and grilled well. The waitress came to check on us several times during our meal and was courteous. When the waitress came to check on us after we had finished she took our dishes and wrapped up the t-bone for Shelby. There was no dessert menu so she brought a tray with a couple of the dessert choices on it. They looked good, but we had our eye on the chocolate cake that was in the case when we entered the restaurant. We asked if there was any left and she said yes. Having seen it in the case I was a bit skeptical of it's moistness as it had already been cut and packaged up. When we got the cake the waitress had added some whipped cream dollops to the side and some powered sugar for decoration. I was right about the moistness. It was a little on the dry side. The frosting was nice and thick. It's not something I would order again.
Over all I would give it 3 stars out of 5. I'm sure we will go there again. It has a great location in between Winnisquam Lake and Lake Winnipesaukee. It's certainly a great addition in an area known for it's extremely tacky places like the Naswa, and the extremely outdated like Christmas Island. I bet there will be lines out the door during the busy summer months!!
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