tunamelt's Profile
Whole Foods Nashua??
The cynic in me suspects some Whole Foods flack in Austin is chortling with glee over his unfailing ability to whip Nashua into a frenzy with these strategic tidbits. ;-)
I have experience with both Wegmans (for 6 years in Rochester) and Whole Foods (for 3 years in Philadelphia). I'd much rather have a Wegmans near me: It offers top-notch produce, cheeses, meats, etc., AND the more humdrum stuff we all need, like toilet paper and Cheerios.
We shopped at WF in Philly mostly out of necessity: Many areas inside the city limits are food ghettos, with sad excuses for fresh produce. But we *always* had to make a second stop elsewhere for household staples. The grocery-shopping two-step gets old quickly.
TM
youthful French restaurants in DC
Thanks so much for these wonderful suggestions!
TM
youthful French restaurants in DC
Greetings from Boston!
A colleague is leaving us for a new job in DC, starting there on June 15. She's definitely a foodie -- has even written some high-profile restaurant reviews as a freelancer -- so for a going-away present we'd like to give her a $100 gift certificate to a DC restaurant.
This colleague is a Francophile, so a French restaurant would be a good bet. She's also 24, so "youthful and lively" would be preferable to "august and fusty." In case it helps, one of her favorite Boston restaurants can be found online at http://www.seldelaterre.com.
Thanks in advance for your advice on any restaurants that might be a good match!
Tunamelt
Lunch in Harvard Sq. Want Yummy Food, Reas. Price. Ideas?
I'm not a huge Sandrine's fan but had a very nice lunch there yesterday. What made it special is that the whole front of the restaurant opens up ... and we were seated right next to the open windows. I suspect they'll do the same tomorrow, since the forecast looks decent. Something to consider if you're planning to meet right at noon and could snag a prime table. Most entrees are in the $10-13 range ... not unreasonable for Harvard Square. They also had a three-course prix fixe for $20.
I had a good Cobb salad ($13) today at Grafton Street. I know it gets mixed reviews here, but I dine there with some frequency and would say it is definitely above-average.
I heartily second Crema Cafe, but it's becoming a bit of a victim of its own success ... generally an absolute mob scene at lunchtime.
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Grafton Street Pub and Grill
1230 Massachusetts Ave, Cambridge, MA 02138
Crema Cafe
27 Brattle St, Cambridge, MA 02138
Sandrine's
8 Holyoke St., Cambridge, MA 02138
Acadia National Park
We had a great dinner at Calypso on Main Street in Ellsworth last fall: http://www.calypsodining.com
I have found the restaurant options in Bar Harbor to be severely limited in the off-season. Granted, this was based on a visit in March ... no doubt you'll have better luck in May. Have fun!
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Calypso
156 Main St, Ellsworth, ME 04605
Bar Harbor
A note of caution: I was in Bar Harbor off-season (late March) a few years ago and they had pretty much pulled the sidewalks in ... it appears to be a strongly seasonal town. We could only find three restaurants open for lunch in the immediate downtown area.
That said ... I suspect you'll have much better luck mid-May than we had late March. Enjoy the trip ... MDI is stunning!
YOu You, Nashua, NH - great sushi, finally made it here.
They must be having a banner week ... we were there Sunday night and had never seen it so mobbed! I was figuring maybe it was a Mother's Day crowd??
Re the occasional complaints about service: Some CHers enjoy displeasure a tad much. I've probably eaten at YouYou 50 times and have never had a major service problem.
Favorite Casual restaurants in Nashua, NH
It's still there. Or at least, it was when I ate there last week.
Restaurant Week coming to Nashua 4/1-7
We went to Surf on Friday night and ordered from the prix fixe menu. Amazingly (for having lived in Nashua 5+ years) this was my first time even setting foot in the place.
I was surprised at not having to wait on a Friday night, although it was probably 8:45 by the time we got there. After some confusion at the hostess table (the hostess was nowhere to be found for a couple minutes) we were seated and our order was promptly taken.
The appetizer options were the weak point of the prix fixe menu, with choices of clam chowder or a house salad with ginger-tamari dressing. Neither of us are clam chowder fans (sacrilegious, I know!) so we opted for the salad. The dressing was yummy, but it was otherwise a very standard salad.
Our (very friendly) waitress brought the entrees before we had finished our salads, which earned her some demerits, but the meal quickly improved from there.
We thought both entrees, a "pretzel-wrapped" salmon and a potato-crusted haddock, were excellent. I had the haddock, which came enveloped in a nest of thin potato strings. It appeared then to have been sauteed, making the potato crispy and wonderful. It was served with a delicious hollandaise sauce over green beans with almonds ... VERY yummy. The salmon was a fillet with a soft pretzel wrapped around it ... interesting concept, and also quite tasty.
Desserts were also good. I had a coconut rice pudding with mango and my wife had a banana-rum cake topped with caramel sauce and a slice of sugared plantain. We were very impressed by both.
On balance it was a great meal, and an absolute *steal* for $20.09 per person.
MMM, Moonstones in Chelmsford, Ma. - Yum!!
This sounds phenomenal ... can't believe I haven't been there yet but this report will nudge it to the top of my must-eat list!
Screaming for Ice Cream!
Hayward's in Nashua has been open a week or two now. If I recall correctly this is earlier in the season than they've opened in past years.
Dinner after Incredibrew, Nashua NH
Nashua is not much of a college town, so nothing is ever really overrun with students.
That said ... if you're concerned about an overly youthful clientele, be aware that the Peddler's Daughter morphs around 9 or 9:30 most nights from a pub-like restaurant into a full-on bar, often with live music. If you want to hear your dining companion, you'd do well to avoid Peddler's Daughter late in the evening. ;-)
I think it's safe to say that Fody's is definitely fancier than The Peddler's Daughter ... despite their name, the dining room vibe is more Victorian parlor than "tavern." I haven't been there since shortly after it opened, as it was not to my liking ... I found the food very salty. But as they're still in business some years later and have received numerous accolades, clearly they have their fans!
BTW, to the list of links that hummingbird so helpfully provided, I'd add Black Orchid, also in downtown Nashua: http://www.blackorchidgrille.com
Restaurant Week-Why?
To anyone who's avoided RW on account of what they've read here I'd say: Give it a try. Form your own opinion and don't just settle for "it must be true; I read it on the internet." Just like any other web site, you have to take what you read here with a grain of salt.
Lunch options in Nashua, NH?
I second Lui Lui and Mehmaan. Both are good options that are very close to Spit Brook Rd. ... although more sit-down places than sandwich/takeout shops.
BTW, re the OP's request on burritos (yes, they exist in New Hampshire!) ... there's Hacienda del Rio, already mentioned, but also La Carreta, which I personally prefer. Both are on DW Highway a short drive north of the intersection with Spit Brook.
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La Carreta Mexican Restaurant
139 Daniel Webster Hwy # 3, Nashua, NH
Indian dinner buffets?
Do any Indian restaurants in the Boston area offer a buffet for dinner? It's common at lunch, but seldom seen in the evening. Thanks in advance for any suggestions!
Angela's Coal Fired Pizza opens in Tyngsboro
Hmm ... this scary news from Angela's makes me think its days are probably numbered: http://www.eagletribune.com/punews/local_story_083001009.html
Rehearsal Dinner Options Near Groton MA
You might consider Lucia's Tavola in Brookline, N.H. It's a little bit of a drive from Groton, but offers Italian food (and fresh homemade pasta) to die for. It's casual and fairly reasonable on price. It's small, but they might be willing to close down for your event and I think the space could accommodate 40-50 people.
The area around Groton is fairly rural and not particularly restaurant-dense -- if you were willing to consider things in Nashua, that would open up a lot more possibilities for you.
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Lucia's Tavola
181 Route 13, Brookline, NH 03033
Lunch options in Nashua, NH?
There are lots of non-chain restaurants in Nashua, but the Spit Brook Rd./Daniel Webster Highway area is generally not the place to find them. Places in that immediate area also tend to offer sit-down meals, as opposed to sandwiches/takeout.
If you are willing to drive downtown, or ever find yourself there at lunchtime, I would highly, *highly* recommend the Seedling Cafe on Water St. They have delicious (and healthy) sandwiches, soups, and salads made by a young husband-and-wife team. I only wish I worked closer so I could grab lunch there more often!
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Seedling Cafe
9 Water St, Nashua, NH 03060
Birthday dinner this Monday night, help please!
My general sense is that most of the major hotels in Newton are clustered along highways and not overly convenient to the T. Moreover, even if you have access to a car, I would NOT recommend trying to drive into Boston if you are unfamiliar with the area. I'm a local and I avoid driving in Boston at all costs!
None of this is a major impediment, as you don't need to go to Boston to have a great meal in this area. The surrounding towns have some very good options (and taxi service is not a problem in Newton).
In Newton itself, Lumiere and 51 Lincoln consistently win raves. In neighboring Wellesley, Ming Tsai's Blue Ginger -- while often polarizing among CHers -- is clearly a dining destination. Nearby Waltham is also a bit of a culinary mecca, with Il Capriccio and La Campania both ranking among the more highly regarded restaurants. In Watertown, a personal favorite is Stellina -- and this is probably the lowest-key of the bunch, per your original request for something informal.
You'd do well to check web sites to make sure these places are open on a Monday night, of course. I am fairly sure La Campania is not open Sundays or Mondays.
Good luck, enjoy your visit, and happy birthday!
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Il Capriccio
888 Main St., Waltham, MA 02453
Lumiere Restaurant
1293 Washington St., West Newton, MA 02465
Blue Ginger
583 Washington St., Wellesley, MA 02482
Stellina Restaurant
47 Main St, Watertown, MA 02472
La Campania
504 Main St, Waltham, MA 02452
51 Lincoln
51 Lincoln Street, Newton Highlands, MA 02461
Sunday night specials?
Rialto's been having a Sunday evening lamb-roast special ($20) for a little while now: http://www.rialto-restaurant.com/news/index.php#sundayroast
I was there last night and a friend who ordered the lamb *raved* about it. I'm not even a big lamb eater but I had a taste and have to agree that it was wonderful.
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Rialto
1 Bennett Street, Cambridge, MA 02138
Winter 2009 Restaurant Week Reviews
I went to Rialto last night and agree that they are doing a great job this year during RW. There were four of us who sampled widely across the RW menu, and nobody complained about anything they were served. The service was perhaps a few notches below what you might usually expect there -- mostly having to with delays in our drinks reaching us, which the server quickly and apologetically rectified -- but we still went away very happy.
Winter 2009 Restaurant Week Reviews
I love Meritage's "themed" tasting-plate desserts ... what a cool concept. On the one occasion I ate there, the service was a class act (including our server warning us away from less-popular menu items) ... so I'm not surprised that even during RW they'd excel in that area. In general I'd think RW would be a great time to dine at Meritage, as our total came to close to $300 for a party of four.
Breakfast-Lawrence-Tewksbury-Andover, MA
What is FRYMAX, some kind of egg substitute? Can you fill us in?
Manchester NH--need help from CH comprades i.e. lexpatti, gryphonskeeper, tunamelt, lurkers, etc
Sorry, but I'm not overly familiar with Manchester ... hopefully persons more knowledgeable than me will weigh in here. Have fun getting to know your new environs!
Breakfast during the week in Cambridge?
While both were dissed to some extent in the other thread, I'd recommend Zoe's (between Harvard Sq. and Central Sq.) or S&S Diner (Inman Sq.) These are my faves, even if nobody else agrees!
I've eaten at Zoe's often and none of the vague gripes in the other thread resonate with me. The food has always been great (for a diner), it has good ambiance, is clean, and the service is usually at least decent. The prices are also reasonable for what you get. It can be mobbed on a weekend morning when the Harvard students are in town but I don't imagine you'd have trouble midweek.
I have less experience with S&S, but really enjoyed the breakfast I had there once. They have an excellent array of breakfast options. My experience there was midweek and the place was pretty empty.
Happy eating!
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S & S Deli Restaurant
1334 Cambridge St, Cambridge, MA 02139
Zoe's
1105 Massachusetts Ave Ste 10, Cambridge, MA 02138
Awesome Sushi north of Boston - what's your vote?
I realize I am replying to two-year-old complaints, but ...
I've never had problematic service at You You. On the contrary, I've usually found it exceptionally attentive, and they always seem to genuinely appreciate your business. It's been one of my favorite places in Nashua for years. I can't speak to how "adventurous" the sushi may be, but I've never once felt that it wasn't fresh.
The ambiance/decor is also fresh and pleasant, and they have an array of other Japanese, Korean, and Thai dishes as well. I love their spicy tofu pad thai.
Etsogo in downtown Lowell also has fantastic sushi.
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Etsogo Restaurant
16 Merrimack St, Lowell, MA 01852
You You Japanese Bistro
150 Broad St # 4, Nashua, NH
St. Patty's Day ideas
Here's a bit more info, btw ...
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The Peddler's Daughter - Nashua
48 Main St, Nashua, NH 03064
St. Patty's Day ideas
The Peddler's Daughter in downtown Nashua is a fun Irish-style pub. I have really enjoyed the food there, and think it is reasonably authentic Irish fare -- how often do you see boxty or Irish sausage in puff pastry on menus? -- so it's worth a trip even if you're not a big drinker.
It always gets raucous there after about 9 or 9:30, so ... if you're more about food than drink, you might want to aim earlier than that.
I have no idea what the Peddler's Daughter has planned for St Patty's Day, but based on what you've posted I imagine you'd like it.
Small Plates in Cambridge
I've only been there for lunch but have always enjoyed it. For those who found it too expensive and/or crowded, it might be more your cup of tea at midday. Once the weather warms up, you can eat outdoors in the back ... I had a great lunch back there one sunny day last summer.
