kparke30's Profile
Favorite Vermont Cheese
My favorite is Constant Bliss also from Jasper HIll Farm.....I must admit, I am a fan of the Cabot Extra Sharp for my "everyday" cheese fix too!!
CSA Fail?
West Newbury CSA aka Long Hill has been quite good this year, of course heavy on the greens & roots due to weather, really no tomatoes in share (but have been available for sale....). Fall squashes began making their appearance last week & PYO (part of share) has remained viable all season. No indication of a short season, I'll keep my fingers crossed!
Farmers' Markets, CSAs, etc week of 6/8/09
West Newbury CSA @ Long HIll officially started distribution yesterday. Biggest heads of lettuce I think I've ever seen, gorgeous daikon & regular radishes, huge bok choy, mesclun mix, cilantro, beautiful baby spinach, other things I may be forgetting. Was a mob scene in the afternoon as I'm sure everyone was so eager for the season to start.
Looking for old fashioned drive-in restaurants.
No car-hops, but full of nostalgia if you grew up in this area, is Skip's Snack Bar on 110 in Merrimac MA. Good burgers, curly fries, etc......car shows, picnic tables to eat outside.
West Newbury/LongHill CSA?
I'm buying into the West Newbury (aka Long Hill Orchard) CSA & was wondering if anyone's done it in past years & if so, how was it? I understand they've only been doing it since '07 & they work with Piccadilly from Winchester NH.
Haverhill - Keon's or Evenfall
Was at Keon's last month for my own anniversary & was very good. Went on weeknight & should have thought to call ahead to reserve a table. Ended up staying seated at bar & worked out fine. Food was terrific, service stellar, as good as any bistro in Boston. Enjoy & happy anniversary, whereever you end up.
St Patrick's Day ideas
Peddler's Daughter in Haverhill or Nashua - neither caters to the college crowd per se, they have good food & their website says they'll have music later today. JP McBride's in Haverhill also has good food & a band, but does cater to a slightly younger crowd.
Enjoy the day!
Besides Harrow's, anywhere to get a good pot pie?
Also good are pies at Chicken Connection, Rt. 97 (No. Broadway) Haverhill.
Cheese Shop North of Boston?
Finally checked out Joppa Fine Foods yesterday, was very pleased to see excellent selection of cheeses. Owners worked at Formaggio so the cheese display & helpfulness is very reminiscent of Formaggio, as is many pantry items in store. Very nice wine & beer selection as well as cakes from Buttercream in N'port! Purchased Roaring '40s Blue, Mimolette & Shelburne Falls Farmhouse Cheddar...enjoyed all very much.
I then proceeded on down the road to Tendercrop & of course went a bit crazy....stocked up on some unique pantry items, some of their own gorgeous chard, apples, carrots, etc. Also some pre-marinated steak tips & chicken. I usually prefer to purchase my meat w/o marinade but am looking forward to trying these as they appear to be very popular.
All in all an excellent 'foodie' afternoon!!
Help in Haverhill
Keon's Bistro, George's (both downtown), Evenfall (across from Joseph's - won Best of Boston this year)...good pub food at Peddler's Daughter & The Tap.
Breakfast in Haverhill?
nah....and I believe they are open late on Fri & Sat or when they have a car show out back but that's it. Otherwise just bf & lunch. It's decorated inside like a '50s diner with I Love Lucy on the TV, etc.
Breakfast in Haverhill?
I know what you mean, it does look odd from the outside. Since they've been open I've seen it go from no one in there to it being rather crowded on weekends. They have great burgers too. The food is good, not over the top by any means but I like it better than the A1 which I find to be a little pricey for what you get.
Market Basket heebie-jeebies
As someone who worked at the Westgate Haverhill store for years while in HS & college, I can tell you there are definitely good stores & bad stores. All the MBs/DeMoulas' are especially reflective of the community in which they reside. I go there now & see many of the same albeit older, faces that I knew 20 years ago.
That said, most people seem to feel that the fish, meat & deli is sub par at MB. My experience recently is that, at least at the Westgate store, the quality of the fish has been excellent. I got a beautiful piece of tuna a few weeks ago, unbeatable price of $4.99/lb! It was better than some I've gotten at 'fish' markets in the past. I've heard their haddock has recently been excellent & again, the prices unbeatable.
Personally I love MB for the community feel, a selection of ethnic & uniquely New England foods you just don't find at Shaw's or S&S & store brands & prices that are great. I recently moved back to the Merrimack Valley from Boston & have seen my food bill fall sharply! I feel fortunate to have a family run, community centric market that's held out all these years from selliing out the the Big Guys.
Breakfast in Haverhill?
Blast from the Past Diner is my pick for weekend breakfast. It's part of Burke's Ice Cream on River St., just after Jaffarian on the right as you head downtown. If they have it on special, I always have to get the ham steak breakfast, ask for baby potato pancakes & grilled english or Italian bread if they have it. All of their bennies are great too.
Five Guys Burgers and Fries, Dedham, MA
Went last week & thought the food was terrific! Burgers were big, fresh & delicious, fried were great. Liked the simple menu & no extra charge for toppings. Quick, very hot & looking forward to going back.
Jaqueline's II in Haverhill, anyone?
Hey Guys, I realize it's late but I 2nd the cheer for BS, always decent....on the George's/Vault thing....it wa in the Gazette/Trib so seems like it's not just a rumor. Space is larger so if it's due to Good Business, sounds like a nice move.
Jaqueline's II in Haverhill, anyone?
You mean near Bradford Seafood, near St. James Church? Haven't been but eager to try, just gotta be a little wary in that area. Although I read someone's renovating the whole block the old Bannon's Spa is on so fingers crossed the area improves!
What would you add to this roast beef sandwich to make it PERFECT?
I love marinated mushrooms in a rb sand.....or you could use a chunk of feta instead of Boursin! Either will give it some tang - maybe try both!
Roast beef sandwich joint with decent rolls?
Harrison's in North Andover has always been pretty reliable!
Who makes the best pizza in New England?
Napoli's Pizza in Haverhill.....been there forever & I've never had anything like it anywhere else!
Where can I buy hulled barley?
Ocean State Job Lot on Rt 1 in Norwood carries a full line of Bob's Red Mill products, most likely they will have it!
Essems Hot Dogs - where can I get them north o Boston?
Actually, the name escapes me but it's the place across from the Mercedes dealer & the old DQ on River St., next to the car wash? Ramone's maybe? Can't recall, used to have decent Middle Eastern food, not sure anymore, just coming back into the area after a few years away. Off topic, I've heard that Barrett's on Merrimack St. is good for sandwiches. It's in the old Barrett's dept store spot, owned by someone from that family.
Essems Hot Dogs - where can I get them north o Boston?
Hey Lexpatti - you should find Essems at most Market Basket/DeMoulas locations, also Haverhill Beef carries what they call 'natural casing' franks which is most likely Essems but you may want to ask to be sure. Essem hot dogs are pretty easy to find north of Boston. In fact, I passed a deli on River St. in Haverhill the other day that had a sign in the window - '2 Essems' as a lunch deal. Yum. Good luck.
Arepas
I second Viva mi Arepa on the Dedham/West Rox line! Great little place, easy to spot on the corner of Washington St. When you walk in, you think you're actually in Venezuela. They often have soccer or Hispanic CNN on the TV; counter speaks little English.
Romantic Bar West of Boston between 128 and 495
Hmmmm...tough one....is Rt. 9 in/around Framingham an option for you? If so, perhaps Rat Pack Cafe? Better option the earlier you are there, particularly on a weekend night if that's when you're visiting. Could be very quiet & romatic, but the later it gets, it the noisier. Kind of reminds me of a 'hotel bar' as it has a grand piano in the center. Dark & cozy too.
Tasos Euro Cafe, Norwood Airport
Agreed. Recent foray for lunch was good, not great. Very average food IMO. Ordered chicken kabob, greek salad. Nice place to spread out & read or watch TV if you have the time b/c it's so big inside, but may not go out of my way for the food alone again!!
Cheese Shop North of Boston?
HI Everyone, by 'north of Boston' I basically mean anywhere as far north as Portsmouth/Kittery. Thanks for all the suggestions, I definitely can't wait to check them all out!!
Cheese Shop North of Boston?
I'm looking for a good cheese shop, or store that has a good quality cheese selection north of Boston. Moving out of Boston area soon so I'll miss ease of access to Formaggio & Boston Cheese in Rozzie!
Thanks for any suggestions!
Solo Dining
My goal with my posts was to create a dialogue, which it obviously has. My goal with that breakfast was to be agreeable & give the place a chance. Which I did.
It's obvious there is no 'right' answer...but I will take Ted's advice & "get on with important matters." Ironic advice after so much time & energy is spent replying on a Foodie blog, but...I appreciate your animated posts!
