Year: 2021

Back of the fridge

What’s lurking behind the milk?

Do you ever just do a deep dive into your fridge? It’s full of surprises.

That tub of “homemade” tartar sauce from that time you made fish and chips back in ’18. A mystery plastic container full of a thick, black liquid that smells like soy sauce and other less definable stuff. Or a bottle of Worcestershire sauce that’s been in there for who knows how long.

The same thing happens with beer; sometimes, brews just get lost in there.

I opened my beer fridge in the basement, which is a perfect replica of the tiny fridge I had in my college dorm room, and discovered I was getting down to the bottom of the barrel, so to speak.

There were a number of seasonal brews that weren’t in season — at least not this year. There was a canned, ready-to-drink “Bellini” cocktail, several of my wife’s hard seltzers and just a bunch of other really, really random offerings. And also a Founder’s KBS? None of it made sense.

It made me think of the Saturday Night Live digital short with Bill Burr where he’s “sampling” Sam Adams Jack-O Pumpkin Ale and says, “This is the kind of beer somebody brings to a party at your house, and then it just sits in the fridge for, like, eight months….”

We all have those beers in our fridge, and sometimes those beers we’ve been passing over for months can pleasantly surprise you.

Here are three back-of-the-fridge beers that I ended up enjoying.

Merry Monks Belgian Style Tripel Ale by Weyerbacher Brewing Co. (Easton, Pa.)

I don’t know why I held off on drinking this one for so long and I don’t even want to think about how long this one has been in my fridge. I like Belgian tripels a lot so there was no real excuse for it but there’s just something about the labeling on this brew that made it really hard for me to take it seriously: There’s a couple of, you guessed it, monks carrying a barrel, and, I don’t know, you’ll have to make your own call. But I finally dove in and regretted waiting so long to get after this one. It’s incredibly flavorful — fruity, spicy, sweet and well-balanced, and full of warming alcohol. This style is just kind of exciting. This was perfect on a very chilly early spring day.

Blood Orange Wheat by Jack’s Abby Craft Lagers (Framingham, Mass.)

Crisp, refreshing and not overly “wheaty,” this is an excellent choice for a warmer day. I think I was scared of the blood orange but I needn’t have been; while you can definitely pick up the citrusy sweetness from the orange, it’s not overwhelming. I am still, admittedly, fearful of this style because I might have had too many Blue Moons back in college, if I’m being honest. This is clean, bright and easy.

Flannel Friday by Harpoon (Boston)

This is another one that has had a remarkable hold on the back of my fridge. This beer is entirely inoffensive. It’s a little hoppy but it’s got a little malt character too that catches you by surprise. This is like the coming together of a pale ale and maybe a red ale? You get some citrusy zip from the hops and then maybe a little caramel from the malts — not bad at all.

What’s in My Fridge
Weekend Plans by Mast Landing Brewing Co. (Portland, Maine)
“Oh yeah” was the first thing I said after taking a sip of this one. IPAs abound these days, as we all know, so when you grab one that jumps out at you as fantastic, you remember it. Mast Landing continues to grow on me with its array of quality offerings from stouts to IPAs. This is hazy and juicy and so easy to drink it’s full-on scary. It seems crazy-talk to refer to a single brew as the perfect IPA, but that declaration rang awfully true as I enjoyed this one on a relaxing late March Saturday afternoon with friends. Cheers!

Featured photo: Blood Orange Wheat by Jack’s Abby Craft Lagers. Photo courtesy of Jeff Mucciarone.

Rebecca Wheeler

Rebecca Wheeler is the owner of The Traveling Taco (rebeccascrazytacos@gmail.com, and on Facebook and Instagram @thetravelingtaconh), a food trailer specializing in multiple types of tacos, taco salads, nachos and soups that she runs with the help of her friend Olivia Turcotte. Since launching the trailer in December, Wheeler has dabbled in a variety of her own creative takes on tacos, from Jamaican jerk chicken to chipotle orange pulled pork and roasted sweet potato and black bean, in addition to those with more traditional fillings like seasoned ground beef. The Traveling Taco was a weekly mainstay at Pats Peak Ski Area in Henniker throughout the winter season. In addition to being available for catering and private events, Wheeler is planning to participate in several events later this spring and summer, including Taco Tuesday nights at Lake Shore Village Resort in Weare, as well as at select shows at Northlands (formerly Drive-In Live) in Swanzey.

What is your must-have kitchen item?

Hands down, it would have to be my knife.

What would you have for your last meal?

King crab legs and a delicious salad, probably an arugula salad with some kind of goat cheese and a balsamic drizzle.

What is your favorite local restaurant?

Harlow’s Pub in Peterborough. I like the Blairwich sandwich. It’s a roast beef sandwich and it has pepper jack cheese, horseradish mayo and jalapeno peppers.

What celebrity would you like to see ordering from your food trailer?

The first person that came to mind was Snoop Dogg, so I’m going to go with him. … I feel like he’d be smiling and ready to eat some tacos.

What is your personal favorite menu item that you have offered?

My favorite … has been the black bean and sweet potato tacos, [which also] had guacamole and a drizzle of salsa verde.

What is the biggest food trend in New Hampshire right now?

Food trucks, especially now, because I feel like you can dine out from a food truck and it feels more normal … than when you go eat inside of a restaurant.

What is your favorite thing to cook at home?

One of our favorite meals in my family is surf and turf. A really nice grilled steak and then maybe crab or seared scallops to go with that.

Jalapeno tomato cheddar bisque
From the kitchen of Rebecca Wheeler of The Traveling Taco food truck

5 jalapenos (depending on size and spice level desired)
5 shallots
2 28-ounce cans diced tomatoes
1 pint heavy cream
1 cup cheddar cheese
Splash of sherry
Sea salt and black pepper
Slice shallots and jalapenos and saute in a soup pot with a little olive oil. When they start to caramelize, add a splash of sherry and diced tomatoes, then simmer. When the flavors all come together, blend until smooth. Finish by adding heavy cream and cheddar cheese. Season with sea salt and black pepper.

Food & Drink
Farmers markets
• Cole Gardens Winter Farmers Market is Saturdays, from 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., at Cole Gardens (430 Loudon Road, Concord), now through April 17. Visit colegardens.com.
• Downtown Concord Winter Farmers Market is Saturdays, from 9 a.m. to noon, at 20 S. Main Street in Concord, now through late April. Find them on Facebook @downtownconcordwinterfarmersmarket.
• Salem Farmers Market is Sundays, from 10 a.m. to noon, inside the former Rockler Woodworking building (369 S. Broadway, Salem). Visit salemnhfarmersmarket.org.

Featured photo: Rebecca Wheeler

Tastes of Puerto Rico

Empanellie’s opens in Nashua

Steps away from Main Street, a new eatery now open in downtown Nashua is serving up authentic Puerto Rican cuisine, including made-to-order hot pressed sandwiches, loaded french fries and an eclectic assortment of sweet and savory empanadas.

Empanellie’s, which arrived last month near the corner of Main and West Pearl streets, also features a daily Latin food buffet and a selection of locally sourced cold desserts. Owner Nelson Mercado, who was born in San Juan, Puerto Rico, and came to Nashua at the age of 6, said the restaurant gets its name by combining the word “empanada” with the name of his mother, Nellie, who is one of several celebrated cooks in his family.

Mercado, who also owns Made Men Barbershop & Lounge a few blocks down the same street, said talks to open an empanada restaurant originated last year with his clients as a great addition to the growing diversity in Nashua. He began renovating the empty storefront that would become Empanellie’s just before the onset of the pandemic, briefly pausing on the project for a few months before jumping back in.

The first things you may notice when you walk into Empanellie’s are its bright warm colors and vibrant aesthetics — Mercado said they represent the uplifting of cities and neighborhoods in Puerto Rico that were affected by recent natural disasters like Hurricane Maria. Much of the restaurant’s featured decor is also representative of different traditions on the island.

Empanellie’s general manager, Francisco “Franky” Arocho, who is also from Puerto Rico and has been in New Hampshire for nearly a decade, said the empanadas are among the top sellers. Each empanada shell is six inches wide when folded and a couple of inches thick, stuffed with anything from beef or chicken with cheese to all kinds of experimental fillings. One such option that has been popular lately, he said, has been the pastelón empanada.

“Pastelón is basically a lasagna, but made out of sweet plantains. If you’re Puerto Rican then you always ate that when you were a kid at home,” Arocho said. “We decided to incorporate that inside of an empanada, so it’s a mixture of beef, cheese and sweet plantains.”

A buffet offering various meats, rices, fruits, vegetables and more is also available with an always changing menu of items sold by the pound.

“I think if you grab a little bit of everything, the most you’ll pay is probably $14,” Arocho said. “It’s not a set menu either. It can change every day, but we try to have what sells the most.”

Other items are made to order, like the sandwiches — those options include a traditional Cubano with ham, pork, Swiss cheese, pickles and mustard; a tripleta, or a three-meat blend of chicken, pork and steak that’s topped with potato sticks, cheese and a house sauce; and a jibarito, or a sandwich made with flattened plantains in place of the bread.

“The jibarito is a very famous sandwich from Puerto Rico,” Arocho said. “We smash the plantains, fry them up and then add lettuce, tomato, cheese and whatever meat you like.”

Empanellie’s also serves alcapurrias, a popular Puerto Rican fritter dish featuring mashed green bananas stuffed with meat and served with a house dipping sauce; and papas locas, or loaded french fries with chicken, pork, steak, barbecue sauce, cheese and hickory-smoked bacon. Similar dishes can be prepared with sweet plantains in place of the fries.

For dessert, you’ll find some flavors of sweet empanadas like strawberry and Nutella, apple pie, and guava and cream cheese, plus a collection of items sourced from Dulces Bakery of Manchester. The tres leches, for instance, are cakes soaked in three different types of milk, topped with homemade whipped cream and served in refrigerated single-portion cups. They come in a variety of flavors, from vanilla and salted caramel to Nutella, guava, pineapple, and dulce de leche.

Eventually, Arocho said, they hope to expand their menu offerings to include breakfast empanadas and sandwiches, and they’d like to feature live music.

Empanellie’s
Where: 83 W. Pearl St., Nashua
Hours: Tuesday through Saturday, 11:30 a.m. to 8 p.m., and Sunday, noon to 6 p.m. (hours may be subject to change)
More info: Follow them on Facebook and Instagram @empanellies or call 417-7875. A website is expected to be launched soon.

Feautred photo: Photo courtesy of The Flight Center Taphouse & Eatery

Taking flight

Flight Center opening second location in Manchester, introducing speakeasy concept

When you walk inside The Flight Center Taphouse & Eatery’s newest location in southern Manchester, on track to open later this month, you’ll be asked a simple question — are you here for your “flight” or are you here to “pick up your luggage?”

Depending on your answer, you’ll then be led to one of two uniquely different operations under one roof, or “a concept within a concept,” as Flight Center founder Seth Simonian coined. One side, featuring a dining room and bar with brick-oven pizzas, sandwiches, appetizers and more than 50 craft beers on tap, will look and feel familiar to patrons of the eatery’s Nashua counterpart. The other side, facing away from the main road, is home to a 1920s-inspired speakeasy-style bar, similar to others in New Hampshire, like CodeX Books. Antiques. Rarities. (B.A.R) in Nashua and Chuck’s BARbershop in Concord.

“All you’re going to see is a wall of suitcases, and it’s soundproof, so you’re not going to hear anything from the other side,” Simonian said. “You have to press the right suitcase to signal the host on the other side of the door to know that you’re there to let you in and greet you.”

Liu Vaine, one of Simonian’s partners, has helped build several of the other speakeasy-like spaces across New Hampshire after being inspired by the concept in New York City. Much like this one, the entrances to these “secret” bars are hidden behind some type of structured facade.

“Liu and I had been tossing around the idea of what The Flight Center and CodeX would look like in the same building,” said Simonian, who is also a managing partner in local eateries like the 1750 Taphouse in Bedford and Cheddar & Rye in Manchester. “[The speakeasy] will be called The Lost Luggage, [but] you’re not going to see that on a sign anywhere.”

Simonian said the group’s original plan was to pursue opening a brewery in the now-closed British Beer Co. location in Westford, Mass. When those plans fell through, they learned that the Massachusetts-based chain’s Manchester location had become available.

“We came into this space … and realized it was perfect for what we had been talking about,” Simonian said.

Several mainstays of The Flight Center’s food menu in Nashua — including the pretzels with house beer cheese, the chicken wings, the tater tot “totchos,” and the brick-oven pizzas — will all be on the menu in Manchester, along with some new items like house burgers, and entrees like steak and frites and shrimp and grits. New house desserts are in the works too, like Black Forest brownies and seasonal cheesecakes prepared with select types of beers or liquors.

In addition to the always rotating line of beers on tap, there will be a selection of bourbons, whiskeys and scotches, plus an expanded offering of wines.

The speakeasy side, which encompasses about a third of the building’s overall interior space, according to Simonian, features a craft cocktail menu of its own.

“The idea is that it’s a very high-end craft cocktail experience, where your bartenders have the ability to build a cocktail to your mood,” Simonian said. “At CodeX, there is a cocktail menu that you’re ordering 14 to 15 drinks from, and then they’ll also build you a cocktail based on your needs. You’ll see something very similar here.”

The Flight Center Taphouse & Eatery
Featuring the in-house speakeasy-style bar The Lost Luggage. An opening date is expected in the coming weeks. Follow them on social media or email them for updates.
Where: 1071 S. Willow St., Manchester
Hours: TBA
More info: Find them on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter @flightcentermht, or send an email to info@flightcenterbc.com

Feautred photo: Photo courtesy of The Flight Center Taphouse & Eatery

The Weekly Dish 21/04/08

News from the local food scene

• Cheers to beers: Breweries all over the Granite State are celebrating New Hampshire Craft Beer Week, which kicked off on Wednesday, April 7, and will continue all the way through Saturday, April 17. Be sure to check in with your favorite breweries on their websites or social media channels — many will showcase special beer releases and host virtual or in-person trivia nights, live music performances and other events — or visit nhbrewers.org for the most up-to-date happenings. Our coverage of Craft Beer Week can also be found on page 30 of The Hippo’s April 1 edition.

• Spring into deliciousness: Local gourmet food products, cookbooks for sale and onsite food trucks will all be part of the Great New England Spring Specialty Foods & Artisan Show, a two-day rain or shine event happening on Saturday, April 10, and Sunday, April 11, at the Hampshire Dome (34 Emerson Road, Milford). In addition to more than 100 booths featuring artisan and food vendors both indoors and outdoors, the show will feature live music, cash door prizes, raffles and more. Tickets are $5 per person (free for kids ages 14 and under) and are valid for both days — show times are from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday and 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Sunday. Visit gnecraftartisanshows.com.

• LaBelle Market coming soon: LaBelle Winery owners Amy LaBelle and her husband Cesar Arboleda recently announced the name of their new culinary market and gift shop coming soon to Derry. LaBelle Market, according to a press release, is scheduled to open by mid to late May in the space that formerly housed the onsite pro shop of Brookstone Events & Golf (14 Route 111, Derry). “The concept … came about after many years of traveling in the United States and abroad,” LaBelle said in a statement. “I often visited markets selling incredibly fresh, local and unique products, and always found shopping at them to be fun and inspiring.” According to the release, the market will feature prepared and made-to-order foods, including baked goods, specialty sandwiches, salads, grain bowls and wood-fired pizzas. Grocery items will include assorted breads, artisanal cheeses and prime cuts of beef. The market, which is adjacent to the new Americus Restaurant, will be open seven days a week, from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m., with both indoor and outdoor seating available. Visit labellewinerynh.com for updates on its opening.

• NOCA to introduce new flavors: Spiked still water company NOCA, launched in 2019 by University of New Hampshire graduates and friends Alex Febonio, Galen Hand and Richard Roy, has announced plans to move its production to the Granite State and will also be releasing new flavors in April, according to a press release. The original product line of NOCA, which stands for “no carbonation,” features three flavors of filtered water with a fermented cane sugar base: dragon fruit mango, watermelon lime and triple berry, all with an ABV of 4.5 percent, according to the NOCA website. The new flavors, which are expected to roll out this month, will include pineapple, cherry, peach, lime and lemon, according to the release.

On The Job – Beth Daisy

Beth Daisy

Occupational therapist, Future in Sight NH

Beth Daisy is an occupational therapist and supervisor of occupational therapy at Future In Sight NH, a Concord-based nonprofit providing services for the blind and visually impaired community in New Hampshire.

Explain your job.

We work with people to help them be able to do the activities and things that mean a lot to them, and to increase their independence. For example, if it’s important for somebody to keep cooking despite their disability, we can help with that. … We also help people with reading, paying their bills and participating in leisure activities.

How long have you had this job?

I started with them in January 2020, and I’ve been supervisor since September.

What led you to this career field?

I was in the Marine Corps for 21 years … and I spent 18 years flying helicopters, including medical helicopters, so I saw a lot of harsh realities. … I wanted to find an organization with values that were similar to mine, where I could really capitalize on my experience with technology to help people overcome disability.

What kind of education did you need?

The base-level education nowadays for occupational therapists is a master’s degree. … I also got a graduate certificate in assistive technology, and that’s what really opened my eyes to how much technology is benefiting people with disabilities. … I’ve taken advantage of a lot of continuing education courses offered through the American Occupational Therapy Association to really connect the dots between the theory and the practice. … Future in Sight also does a great job of providing job training. I was able to go out and shadow another occupational therapist, then ease my way into evaluating and treating clients on my own.

What is your typical at-work uniform or attire?

It’s casual attire. Sometimes I have to get down on my hands and knees to plug in or set up [tech devices], so I have to wear something practical.

How has your job changed over the last year?

I think Covid and isolation [have led to] more emphasis on technology and have really pushed more people, especially seniors, to get a little more motivated to start using technology and smart devices. Now, around a third of my older adult clients have some sort of smart device.

What do you wish you’d known at the beginning of your career?

Rarely are you seeing a client with just … vision impairment. Oftentimes, there are also underlying mental health issues, such as anxiety and depression. You need to … include the person’s emotional well-being and mental health needs in your treatment plan.

What do you wish other people knew about your job?

I think there’s a lot of hesitation, especially from older adults, about receiving help for their vision loss. You see them trying to figure out how to rehabilitate on their own, and I think that’s because there’s just a lack of awareness that there are services out there for individuals with vision loss and their family members. Nobody should have to try to deal with that on their own, because there are experts out there who can help.

What was the first job you ever had?

I was a sailing instructor at the Greater Lawrence Community Boating Program on the Merrimack River.

What’s the best piece of work-related advice you’ve ever received?

If you’re ever thinking about sending an angry email, don’t do it!

Five favorites
Favorite book: West with the Night by Beryl Markham
Favorite movie: The English Patient
Favorite type of music or musician: Musicals. I’m currently obsessed with Hamilton.
Favorite food: Indian
Favorite thing about NH: All the outdoor opportunities — hiking, biking, kayaking, you name it.

Featured photo: Beth Daisy

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