Tedmom's Profile
16th birthday for sushi lover - any ideas in
This is probably too late for you, but Oga's is still great. This is a "don't judge a book by it's cover" kind of place. It's in a strip mall, but the interior of the restaurant is nice, the service is great and the sushi is fabulous. Their bento box lunches are also a great deal.
Recs for Sunday dinner before show at Capitol Center, Concord, NH?
Thanks, whs. I will adding this to our must try list next time we're in Manchester.
Recs for Sunday dinner before show at Capitol Center, Concord, NH?
We were on the fence about Hermanos since we have set an impossibly high bar for Mexican food after having lived in California for many years where authentic Mexican food was readily available. But O Steak looks very promising. Thanks for the recs!
Recs for Sunday dinner before show at Capitol Center, Concord, NH?
I was hoping to finally make it to Sunny's Table in Concord before a show at the Capitol Center on Sunday, but found out that they are not open Sunday evenings.
Any alternative recommendations for dinner on Sunday in Concord would be greatly appreciated. Open to any cuisine, but need to be in and out in about an hour or so to get to the show at 8 p.m.
Thanks!
Hakkasan - new luxury Chinese restaurant in Midtown
My daughter and I had dinner at Hakkasan this past weekend to celebrate her 16th birthday. Although this was a very expensive dinner, the food, service and atmosphere were just wonderful. We had the steamed dim sum assortment that has been described in this thread and thought it was really good. The dough was very thin and light and the fillings were very tasty. I would go back just to have the dim sum plate. The vegetarian dumplings were very tasty and not greasy. The tiger prawns with chili tomato sauce, which came with the heads and tails intact, were excellent. We wished we had been with a larger group so that we could have tried more dishes. Since we were going to a show later, we ordered conservatively because we knew we wouldn't be doggy bagging the leftovers. I had the Hakka-tini (pretty strong) and my daughter had a non-alcoholic drink that contained almond syrup. We also shared a chocolate mousse/blood orange dessert which was excellent.
Easter Brunch near Natick
I second Blumie's suggestion re Sel de la Terre at the Natick Mall. Their brunch is very nice, not a buffet and the menu is likely to please most diners. Even though it's in a mall, the restaurant itself doesn't have that "mall" feeling. It is definitely nicer than a usual breakfast spot and there is plenty of free parking. Here's the link to their usual brunch menu to give you an idea, but they will probably modify it to some degree for Easter. http://www.seldelaterre.com/natick/menu-brunch.php
Peterboro Restaurants
Pearl Restaurant and Oyster Bar is in my opinion the best restaurant currently in Peterborough. Cuisine is Asian/Fusion and Oysters. Can be noisy and the tables are close together because the space is small. It's not open on Sundays. http://www.pearl-peterborough.com/
Harlow's Pub is casual pub food with a good selection of sandwiches, soups, salads, beers. Service can be painfully slow sometimes. Also closed on Sundays. http://harlowspub.com/
Lee and Mt. Fuji and the Boilerhouse has decent Chinese/Japanese/Sushi http://leeandmtfujiatboilerhouse.com/
There are two relatively new restaurants in downtown P'boro which I have not been to yet, but perhaps someone else can weigh in on: Waterhouse Restaurant in the old Acqua Bistro space http://www.waterhouse-nh.com/ and new italian restaurant (name escapes me) where Gatto's/Intermezzo/Old Theater restaurants used to be.
Best Roast Chicken Methods & Recipes
Big fan of the spatchcocked method. I particularly like this Jacques Pepin Mustard/Garlic roasted chicken recipe: http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2010/03/dinner-tonight-jacques-pepins-quick-roasted-chicken-recipe.html
How can I transform my thighs?
Tired of my usual thigh recipes, I recently tried this one and it was great. Never thought to put rosemary, yogurt and sriracha together, but it works great. The marinade spices up the thighs and tenderizes the meat. I've made it with skin on/bone-in and skinless/boneless thighs and it was good both ways. http://www.alldayidreamaboutfood.com/2012/01/crispy-rosemary-sriracha-chicken-thighs.html
Keene NH Lunch
Elm City has average pub food (apps, burgers, sandwiches,etc) , decent beer. Haven't been there in at least a year, though. I've only been to the Ramunto's up in Lebanon, NH, but thought the pizza was good there and they had lots of toppings choices. Have not been to Port Authority.
Keene NH Lunch
Lucas Mediterranean Cafe is ,my favorite restaurant in Keene proper: http://www.lucascafe.com/cafe/home.html
Thai Garden on Main Street has very good Thai Food:
http://www.thethaigardengroup.com/
Fritz Belgian Fries on Main Street: Belgian fries with variety of sauces; burgers and sandwiches. http://www.fritztheplacetoeat.com/our-menu.shtml
Looking for Best Destination Restaurants in VT, NH, ME
New Hampshire is in Northern New England. Did you mean Northern New Hampshire?
Looking for Best Destination Restaurants in VT, NH, ME
Ssome western New Hampshire destination spots:
L.A. Burdick's Restaurant in Walpole, NH http://www.burdickchocolate.com/restaurant.aspx
Pearl Restaurant and Oyster Bar in Peterborough, NH http://www.pearl-peterborough.com
Chesterfield Inn, Chesterfield, NH http://www.chesterfieldinn.com/breakfast.html
Pickety Place, Mason, NH http://www.pickityplace.com/
Fireworks Restaurant now open in Keene, NH
If it remains true to the original in Brattleboro, it will be a great addition to Keene. Looking forward to going there soon. Thanks for the review.
Does anyone have the recipe for Captain Marden's Shrimp Pasta Dish?
Dear daughter asked me to make a shrimp pasta dish similar to that served at Captain Marden's (Wellesley, MA restaurant) for Christmas eve dinner tomorrow. The menu describes it as baked gulf shrimp, tomato sauce, mozzarella and parmesan cheese, over linguini. I think I can put these ingredients together based on this description, but if someone has the actual recipe, I would greatly appreciate if you could share it. Thanks!
Chicken thighs
Mark Bittman's Chicken Adobo is great using all skin on, bone in thighs. http://www.nytimes.com/2002/01/23/dining/the-minimalist-twice-cooked-full-of-flavor.html
Need Newton/Framingham rec
Sel de Terre at the Natick Mall is between Newton and Framingham and would be a good choice for weekend brunch or dinner.
I also recently had a very good experience at the Legal Seafood in Framingham and the menu has a lot of "American" cuisine options to choose from.
breaking up sausage in the frying pan
I take the sausage out of the casing and break it up by hand. I then microwave the sausage for a couple minutes to drain away some of the fat and then finish it off in a skillet adding back a little of the fat if necessary to get browning/crispiness on the sausage crumbles.
Ma Po Tofu/Dofu Recipe?
Is there a substitute for the spicy bean paste or work around for it? I live in a rural area where the best I can find is LKK chili garlic sauce and black bean garlic sauce. I love Ma Po Tofu and don't want to spend a fortune on shipping charges to "import" these ingredients via UPS.
Dublin, NH - dessert
You can kill two birds with one stone (good ice cream as well as candy) at Ava Marie's on Grove Street in Peterborough. https://avamariechocolates.com
Bravo at the MFA 7/11 Report
I had brunch yesterday (7.31.11) at Bravo with four other dining companions. The brunch was $33 for two courses or $39 for three. Among the dishes that we had which we thought were really well done was a crabcake appetizer that came with nicely dressed small salad, and main dishes which included salmon with crispy skin, pork loin and roasted chicken. The size of the dishes were not stingy IMO. There was live music (piano and bass players), a relaxing environment and nice service.
We looked at the basement cafeteria (food did not look very good) and middle range option on the first floor (very crowded, loud and a long line) before deciding on Bravo. As museum members, we received a 15 percent discount on the bill and thought that the brunch as a decent value.
When we received our bill, however, it came with a note that the restaurant would be closing soon (early August) for remodeling of both the room and the menu and would re-open sometime in September. If you're planning to go, I would suggest you call ahead and make sure it will be open when you plan to visit the museum.
Where can i find BISCOFF spread??
Market Basket in NH carries it and it's usually stocked in the vicinity of the Nutella, so I would imagine in the MB's in the Boston area would carry it as well. As the other poster noted, however, it is like crack in a jar so be very careful and do not get addicted!
Going to NH... duty free or not
The NH State Liquor Outlets are actually very fair on pricing and often have a great selection on wine (US and imported) as well as spirits. You can check them out online for locations/hours. They are running a 15% off on French wines through July 31st.
http://www.liquorandwineoutlets.com/
Whole Foods Nashua??
I wish WF would also consider Keene since they could draw from not only all of southwestern NH, but Southern Vermont, Northwestern Mass, and the upper Connecticut River Valley. However, if they proceed with the store in Nashua, I'm sure I will make the trip there from time to time, even if I have to fight the traffic on DW.
Dublin NH
If it's a nice day, the Dublin General Store on Route 101 has good sandwiches and homemade baked goods and they have a deck with tables outside in the back. In Peterborough, Harlow's Pub has a lot of kid friendly choices (sandwiches, wraps, soups and salads). They also have a deck in front to sit outside if it's nice. Sunflowers Cafe is about a 15 minute drive from Dublin ( (take Route 137 south from 101 in Dublin to Main Street/Route 124 take a right and it's on the left). They have a lot of kid friendly options for lunch (burgers, mac and cheese, sandwiches, salads and great sweet potato fries). Kimball's Farm in Jaffrey has sandwiches, fried seafood, lobster rolls and ice cream. Take a left on Route 124 to get to Kimball's. Have fun at the Friendly Farm.
Peterborough NH closings
We have been lamenting the loss of Cantine and Acqua Bistro, but our new go-to favorite is Sunflowers Cafe in Jaffrey. I had a really nice entree of scallops the other evening and they were cooked perfectly. Other dining companians had haddock, fish and chips (with great sweet potato fries) and a vegetarian ravioli. Everyone in our group left happy. I've heard rumors that Aylmer Given (who had Aylmer's where Sunflowers is now) may be the chef at the soon to open replacement for Acqua Bistro in Depot Square, but that is just a rumor as far as I know.
-----
Acqua Bistro
18 Depot St Unit 100, Peterborough, NH 03458
nhdailydeal.com
Unfortunately, the NH daily deal for BF was only for the dining room and not for take out. Agree that it's a good place to pick up some baked goods, soup or a sandwich, but the dining room is expensive and underwhelming.
Canned pumpkin near Nashua
Hannaford in Rindge had organic canned pumpkin puree not too long ago. You might want to check their stores near Nashua. It was quite a bit more expensive than Libby's, though.
Fix for too much Asian fish sauce in soup recipe?
Added the green onions, lime juice and basil just before serving which helped significantly. I also added a bit of brown sugar which seemed to calm the fish sauce down. Thanks for the advice. It actually turned out pretty well in the end.
Fix for too much Asian fish sauce in soup recipe?
I haven't finished the dish yet with the basil, green onions and lime. Hopefully, that will do the trick. it's not so much the saltiness that's overpowering, but the musky taste of the fish sauce that seems to have taken over the soup. I've been cooking it all day in a slow cooker and perhaps that made the fish sauce more prominent. Thanks for all the advice!
