Author: John Fladd

The DIY pour

Self-service might be the future of NH wine bars

By John Fladd

jfladd@hippopress.com

A bill is working its way through the state Senate and looks likely to head to the governor’s desk. SB79, introduced in March by Sen. Tim Lang, would enable “the use of self-pour automated systems by liquor commission licensees.” It would allow some bars and restaurants to serve beer and wine to customers using automated self-serve technology.

Vine 32 Wine and Graze Bar in Bedford already uses such a system. According to co-owner Tom Bellemore, Vine32’s system, which has been in place for three years, is currently the only one in operation in New Hampshire. He said that the State has been watching his wine-bar carefully.

“Three years ago, they allowed us to open with our concept and said that depending on how Vine 32 does … if it was successful or not, that would determine if they wanted to pass legislation or codify it into law,” Bellemore said.

While some new customers can be intimidated by using an automated system, Bellemore said, they quickly get comfortable using it.

“From a customer’s point of view,” he said, “you would walk into our establishment, you have the hostess stand to greet you. If you’ve been there before, great. If you haven’t, even better. We’ll kind of give you a rundown on how the machines work, a tutorial, and we’ll give you an RFID card, which it’s like a debit card. It’s got a little chip on it, and that’s what a customer would use to put in the machine. There is a wall of machines, and each machine has a key that you would put your debit card, wine card in. And from there, there’s 32 different rotating wines to select from, which you could choose as a customer. There are three increments to choose from on each wine: a [1-ounce] taste, half a glass [4 ounces], or a full [6-ounce] glass. A lot of people tend to congregate where the wine machines are, to explore and find the wines they like or don’t like. And then they would have a seat. We offer a small menu, kind of bite-sized appetizers, served on a charcuterie board.”

Vine32 has a sommelier, WSET Level 4-certified Genevieve Wolfe, to answer customers’ questions.

Being able to sample new wines and customize their pour-size is attractive to customers, but Bellemore said there are significant advantages for a wine-bar owner as well.

First, a wine-bar can serve a limited number of wines at a time and doesn’t have to keep a huge cellar with dozens of varieties. “Seasonally, we swap out all 32 wines we offer,” Bellemore said. “Every six weeks there are a couple of new ones, but certainly every season. Obviously, there’s more whites in the summer and more reds in the winter.”

Also, a self-serve system can unobtrusively provide a wealth of data. Bellemore can track exactly which wines are most popular and under what conditions, which helps him decide what to order. It also allows a customer to keep track of what wines they prefer. “We can look at every time every time you come in,” Bellamore said, “so a customer can tell us, ‘I really like that wine I was drinking that one time, but I don’t remember what it was.’ We can search your name, print out a receipt of all your activity, and give you a list of every wine you’ve drunk.”

And finally, the system sets a limit on how much wine a customer can buy using their card, which reduces conflict when a drinker gets cut off.

“If you pass a certain amount of volume for drinking,” Bellamore said, “it shuts you off. I’ve grown up in bars. I’ve seen a lot of ‘sober+’ people get upset. Here, we just say, ‘Hey, it’s the machines, right?’ Which kind of takes the emotion out of it. And every single time they’re just like, ‘Yeah, what can you do? It’s the machine, right?’”

SB79

To read original and amended versions of SB79, visit legiscan.com/NH/drafts/SB79/2025.

Vine 32 Wine and Graze Bar

Where: Bedford Square, 25 S. River Road, Bedford, 935-8464, vinethirtytwo.com
Hours: open Tuesdays through Thursdays 5 to 9 p.m., Fridays 4 to 10 p.m., Saturdays 2 to 10 p.m., and Sundays 2 to 6 p.m.

Featured photo: Photo by John Fladd.

Exposing gyros’ secrets

Sometimes lamb, sometimes pork

By John Fladd

jfladd@hippopress.com

Alex Lambroulis would like to clear up a couple of misconceptions about gyros.

Greek people pronounce gyros “YEE-rose” but most Americans pronounce it “JYE-rose.” Either way, it refers to spit-roasted meat served on pita bread with shredded lettuce, tomato, thin-sliced onion and cucumber, topped with a garlicky yogurt sauce called tzatziki.

Lambroulis is one of the owners of Karv Greek Kouzina in Windham.

“Traditionally, a common misconception,” he said, “is that a gyro is always made with lamb and beef. But growing up in Greece, every street corner has a gyro place and they’re all actually pork. We pretty much save lamb and beef or lamb in general for special occasions on the rotisserie and things like that. But that being said, we do offer it here [at Karv]. The lamb and beef is a good combination of how lamb can sometimes be an acquired taste for Americans and can be a little bit more on the gamey side if there’s too much of it. And also truthfully, obviously, the price point of it is important, too. Lamb is way, way, way more expensive, so in order to make it affordable for customers, [we use] layers of lamb and beef together.”

Another lamb-y misconception is how big a part it plays in a Greek diet.

“I think it’s just important to know that we don’t truly eat lamb all the time in Greece,” Lambroulis said. “It’s more reserved for special occasions. And also, the farmers like to save sheep for the milk that they produce.” Feta cheese is usually made from sheep’s milk, for example.

Another misconception Lambroulis would like to clear up is that gyros are not the same as shawarma, which also comes from the Mediterranean and is made with spit-roasted meat.

“The pita bread first off is different,” he explained. “Shawarma is more like a pocket pita and then they kind of roll it in it. Whereas gyro is a pocketless pita, it’s a little fluffier and it’s a little bit more round. And then the sauce, you know, the tzatziki versus whatever shawarma, which would be more tahini-ish. So there’s that and the flavor of the spices and the meat itself, you know, how we marinate it.”

Karv’s name comes from a play on words, Lambroulis said.

“The word ‘karvouno’ means charred or broiled or charcoal-cooked,” he explained. “We cook the meat on a rotisserie and it’s broiled. So that’s kind of like half of that word. Plus obviously, we actually carve the meat off the rotisserie.”

Lambroulis was one of the original owners of the Gyro Spot in Manchester.

“I originally opened the Gyro Spot on Elm Street back in 2012 with my mom,” he remembered. “And that was very successful for us. About three and a half years ago I sold it just because I needed a break; my wife and I had our first son and I wanted to be present for him, and him not growing up in the back of a restaurant. Now that he’s started day care I’ve partnered up with a business partner and we decided to do a similar concept as before but something a little bit more. [Karv] still has counter service, but we have runners bringing the food out, and it’s a little bit more of an expanded menu.” In addition to six types of gyros, the new menu includes Greek favorites like falafel, spanakopita (a spinach and feta dish made with phyllo dough), and a variety of main courses, bowls and sides.

“We have smoothies,” Lambroulis added. “We have a whole Greek bakery section, with pastries that are imported from Greece. Our pita bread is imported and it literally only has four ingredients, so that makes it a little bit more on the health-conscious side. Don’t get me wrong, we have french fries and we have fried dough balls and super fun stuff.”So it’s just, I don’t know, it’s fun being creative and coming up with these wacky kinds of twisted flavors.”

Karv Greek Kouzina

Where: 1 Delahunty Drive, Windham, 377-5278, karvgreek.com
Hours: open seven days a week, 11 a.m to 9 p.m. Eat in, or order takeout online over the phone or in person.

Featured photo: Three gyros. Photo courtesy of Karv Greek Kouzina.

The Weekly Dish 25/05/15

News from the local food scene

• Flowers, snacks, flowers, cocktails and flowers: Local Street Eats (112 W. Pearl St., Nashua, 402-4435, local-streeteats.com) has teamed up with Fortin Gage Flowers (86 W. Pearl St., Nashua, 882-3371, fortingage.com) for a Bloom-tastic Pop Up event Wednesday, May 21, from 6 to 8:30 p.m. You will be provided with everything you need to craft a bouquet, with expert guidance from Amber Morgan, owner of Fortin Gage. Also, enjoy a complimentary glass of prosecco. A menu will be available for purchase throughout the event. Tickets are $40.

• Dinner and foul play: LaBelle Winery Derry (14 Route 111, Derry, 672-9898, labellewinery.com/labelle-winery-derry) will host a murder mystery dinner party Saturday, May 17, from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. called “Murder on Mount Olympus.” Enjoy a Greek-inspired chef-selected menu; then, after dinner, engage in clue-finding to figure out the murderer’s identity and motive. Prepare for a night full of comedy and mystery set in Ancient Greece and performed by professional actors. Tickets are $101.

• Mediterranean cooking: The Culinary Playground (16 Manning St., Derry, 339-1664, culinary-playground.com) will hold a workshop called “Intro to the Mediterranean Diet” on Sunday, May 18. A registered dietitian and culinary instructor will teach students the health benefits of this time-tested lifestyle while they practice knife and cooking skills as they make three meals: Breakfast Egg Cups, Tuscan White Bean Kale Soup and​ ​Mediterranean Sheet Pan Salmon with Roasted Vegetables. Registration is $82.

• Homemade cheese: Learn “Cheesemaking at Home” Saturday, May 17, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Prescott Farm Environmental Education Center (928 White Oaks Road in Laconia; prescottfarm.org). The class is for ages 16 and up. Registration costs $35.

The next Saturday, May 24, learn “Foraging and Cooking Wild Dandelions” at Prescott Farm from 10 a.m. to noon. Registration costs $30.

Pink and Fruity

Every cocktail sends a message.

A draft beer from a major brewery sends one message. Garnishing it with an orange wedge sends a slightly different one. Dropping a shot of whiskey into it for a Boiler Maker sends another one entirely.

Then there are the flamboyant cocktails, the ones that send out very different vibes than a Boiler Maker — though if you could find a cowboy bar that served both, it would be a super-precious discovery. I love the idea of an older guy with a weather-beaten face, calloused hands, and a thousand-yard stare delicately sipping a pink margarita.

So, for the open-minded cowboy in your life:

Pink Margarita

  • 2 ounces Tanteo jalapeño-infused blanco tequila
  • 1 ounce fresh squeezed lemon juice
  • ¾ ounce amaretto
  • ¼ ounce grenadine
  • Brightly colored confectioner’s luster dust

Wet a finger in water or lemon juice, and dampen the outer surface of a cocktail glass.

Outside, or over a sink, spritz the damp outer surface of the glass with luster dust. Much like glitter from a child’s art project, luster dust has a half-life of about six months, and if you do your spritzing just standing casually at your kitchen counter, you will still be finding sparkly surprises at the holidays.

Combine the tequila, lemon juice, amaretto and grenadine over ice in a cocktail shaker. Ask your digital assistant to play “Freedom! ‘90” by George Michael. Cap the shaker, then shake until your hands get uncomfortably cold and you hear the ice starting to crack.

Strain into your lustery cocktail glass.

Even though it’s actually made from almonds, amaretto has a deeply satisfying, deeply fruity flavor. Tequila goes very well with fruit, of course, and just as well with almonds as it turns out. Grenadine is also fruity and fits in with this theme, but it is mostly here to provide color. It is deep red, but in such a small amount it gives the proceedings a gently pink color — not a flamingo chewing bubble gum shade of pink — just gently and reassuringly pink. The flavor of jalapeño in the background gives this drink a bit of a spine, and keeps it from being a three-swallow cocktail.

We all have some pink in us.

Featured photo: Pink and Fruity. Photo by John Fladd.

The Weekly Dish 25/05/08

News from the local food scene

• Gutted by fire: As reported by WMUR in an April 24 online article, the historic Windham Restaurant in Windham has been forced to close its doors following a kitchen fire on April 23. “An online fundraiser has already collected thousands of dollars in donations,” the WMUR article read, “which [owners] the Lahers said will go to their employees while they focus on reconstruction.”

• Taco Tour: The Taco Tour runs Thursday, May 8, from 4 to 8 p.m. on Elm Street in downtown Manchester. This year’s Taco Tour will feature tacos and taco-related dishes from more than 100 downtown restaurants and businesses, and local food trucks. See the story on page 18 of last week’s Hippo; find the issue in our digital library at hippopress.com. For more see tacotourmanchester.com.

• Cookie decorating with Mom: Make some cookies for mom in advance of Mother’s Day at the Mother’s Day Cookie Decorating Workshop at Alan’s of Boscawen (133 N. Main St., Boscawen, alansrestaurant.com) tonight at 6 p.m. The cost is $45 per person and you get to take a decorated cookie set home.

• The foods of Greater Nashua: The Taste of the Towns will run Thursday, May 8, from 6 to 9 p.m. at the Sheraton Nashua (11 Tara Blvd., Nashua) offering bites, sips and more in support of Nashua Center (nashuacenter.org). Tickets cost $75 per person. See nashuacenter.org/taste-of-the-towns.

• So many rieslings: Learn more about a diverse family of wines on Thursday, May 8. WineNot Boutique (25 Main St., Nashua, 204-5569, winenotboutique.com) will host a blind tasting of rieslings with owner Svetlana Yanushkevich from 6 to 8 p.m. Svetlana will lead participants through eight different rieslings, from sparkling and bone-dry to richly sweet, offering something for everyone. Tickets are $40 through eventbrite.com.

• Wine, brunch and a cuppa: Averill House Vineyard (21 Averill Road, Brookline, 244-3165, averillhousevineyard.com) will host a Mother’s Day High Tea Brunch and Wine Pairing on Sunday, May 11, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. It will include the following items per guest: a cup of hot tea, a pre-set four-course High Tea-inspired brunch, and a pre-selected flight of four wine samples (must be 21+). Non-alcoholic flight available upon request. There will be multiple seatings, beginning at 11 a.m. Tickets are $59 each through exploretock.com.

• “Drink me”: There will be a Mother’s Day Mad Hatter Tea Party Sunday, May 11, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Local Street Eats (112 W. Pearl St., Nashua, 402-4435, local-streeteats.com). Step into a world of charm, elegance, and delicious surprises with the extraordinary women in your life with a one-of-a-kind experience you won’t forget. Visit local-streeteats.com/events/mothers-day-mad-hatter-tea-party.

In the kitchen with Carolyn Trepanier

Bar Manager at Spice Restaurant & Bar (300 Main St., Nashua. 417-7972, thespicenashua.com). “I got into bartending in 2004. I was a server and … the owner … said, “…Carolyn, get on the bar.” I got thrown to the wolves, but I made it work,” Trepanier said.

“For me, a craft cocktail means pairing the … stand-out ingredients of the restaurant you’re working for with a drink that complements them. For instance, a couple of weeks ago, I was looking at our peanut sauce and the crushed peanuts that we use for our summer rolls and the pad thai. I just brought some peanut butter whiskey in. I’ve made peanut butter cup martinis before. This time I elevated it. I took a glass, I did a chocolate drizzle, I whipped peanut butter in it with a spoon to make an additional drizzle. I rimmed it with the peanut sauce and then I rimmed that with crushed peanuts. And I used two chocolate liqueurs and peanut butter whiskey. And it’s amazing.”

What is your must-have item behind the bar?

A cocktail shaker. As a mixologist, you need it to properly mix the ingredients in there. I don’t like it when someone just does a transfer [and pours a drink back and forth between two glasses]. I like it shaken. That makes sure everything’s infused in together.

What would you have for your last meal?

A rib-eye, medium rare, with scalloped potatoes au gratin, creamed spinach and a blueberry cobbler.

Aside from Spice, where do you like to eat?

I like Surf [207 Main St, Nashua, 595-9293, surfseafood.com]. There’s a salad there that I really like. As a matter of fact, I like it so much that we’ve started making a version of it here. Aside from that, I like Italian food. I like a place that’s cozy and quiet and a little dim that serves authentic Italian.

Who is a celebrity you would like to see drinking one of your cocktails?

Gordon Ramsay, though I don’t know if he drinks. Howard Stern if he still drank but he doesn’t drink anymore. I like people who are feisty and confident.

What’s your favorite drink on your menu?

My mai tai. I’m very proud of it. It’s a recipe I came up with. I altered another popular recipe, with one ingredient being omitted and made it my own and it’s been very popular.

What’s the biggest cocktail trend you’ve seen recently?

Fruit wheels — dehydrated fruit wheels. At first I was not a fan of it, I didn’t think they looked very appealing. However, I looked into the purpose of it and it definitely serves its purpose. It offers an essence of that ingredient throughout the whole beverage as opposed to squeezing a citrus fruit in where you get the pulp, which people may not want … that may be textural.

What do you drink when you’re at home?

A margarita or a white wine — a pinot grigio. In the summertime, though, I do keep the fixings for an Aperol spritz, or a raspberry white Russian.

Lychee Martini from Carolyn Trepanier
This is very popular — very light.

3 ounces vodka — you could use a gin, but it might fight with the lychee.
1½ ounces lychee juice or puree — we have the puree here, which to me makes a visually more pleasing drink; it’s more cloudy, it’s got something to it.
A dash of dry vermouth, which is a very surprising ingredient.

Stir together with ice in a mixing glass, and strain into a martini glass. Garnish with a whole lychee.

Featured Image: Carolyn Trepanier. Photo by John Fladd.

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