Author: Matt Ingersoll

Second Brook Bar & Grill now open in Hooksett

For Jeanne Foote and her husband, Tom, who grew up in the North End of Manchester, opening their newest restaurant just over the town line in Hooksett is a homecoming of sorts. In fact, Second Brook Bar & Grill, a casual comfort and homestyle eatery that opened last month, is named after the nearby brook by the railroad tracks that they frequented as high school students.
“Second Brook, for me, was about making lifelong friends and good memories, and that’s what we’re trying to do here,” Foote said. “New friends are coming in, old friends are coming in. … It’s like a class reunion here every other day of the week. It’s so much fun.”
Foote spent more than a decade working at The Puritan Backroom and at Billy’s Sports Bar before going to Durham to open Bella’s Casual Dining in 2012. On Christmas Day last year, just months after Bella’s closed its doors, she said, she was en route picking up Chinese food to her son’s house when she noticed the vacant building space that would become Second Brook Bar & Grill, which was most recently occupied by DC’s Tavern.
“We had a concept in mind,” she said, “but then Covid hit, so we had time to think about what we really wanted, what our name was going to be, and who we were going after.”
Jackson Poulson, who worked at The Country Tavern in Nashua before its permanent closure in May, was brought on as head chef to help construct the eatery’s menu. Many of Second Brook’s tables and booths also come from The Country Tavern, Foote said.
“[Poulson] had some really good recipes, and I had some really good recipes from Bella’s, so we just kind of collaborated,” she said.
The boneless chicken tenders, for instance, are hand-tossed and deep fried, and available as plain, barbecue, Buffalo or garlic Parmesan flavors. The appetizer menu also contains popular staples like shepherd rolls with an au jus demi-glaze, pan seared scallops with a bacon lemon butter sauce, eggplant Napoleon with pesto alfredo and deep fried Buffalo chicken balls.
All soups and chowders are made in house, like the Cajun shrimp chowder and the French onion soup. The menu also features fresh pasta dishes and plated entrees, like Bella’s chicken pot pie with carrots, peas and corn; the baked stuffed Jumbo shrimp with homemade stuffing; and the pulled pork casserole with onion straws, mashed potatoes and cheddar cheese.
The corned beef Reuben is one of the leading sellers on the menu’s sandwich section, according to Foote, but other options include a crispy coconut chicken wrap with house honey mustard Craisins, almonds and goat cheese; a barbecue pulled pork burger with cheddar cheese, coleslaw and pickle chips; a beer battered fish fillet served on a grilled brioche roll with lettuce; and a vegetarian wrap with roasted zucchini, squash, mushrooms and eggplant.
Second Brook’s bar menu has more than a dozen domestic and local craft beers, as well as some white and red wines and all types of specialty cocktails.
Between two and three lunch and dinner specials are also usually available per day, Foote said. Featured desserts are a brownie sundae and a New York-style cheesecake with strawberries, although you might see some specials there too.

Second Brook Bar & Grill
Where: 1100 Hooksett Road, Unit 111, Hooksett
Hours: Monday, and Wednesday through Saturday, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., and Sunday, 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Closed on Tuesdays.
More info: Visit secondbrook.com, find them on Facebook and Instagram @secondbrookbarandgrill or call 935-7456

Featured photo: Seafood sampler with shrimp, haddock and scallops baked in white wine and butter. Courtesy photo.

News from the local food scene

• Virtual sweetness: The Toadstool Bookshops of Nashua, Peterborough and Keene will hold a virtual author event via Zoom on Saturday, Oct. 10, at 11 a.m. featuring Erin Renouf Mylroie, who will present her new cookbook 101 Greatest Cookies on the Planet. She’ll also conduct a baking demonstration using one of the recipes from her book, which features ideas for all types of cookies for every season. The recipe she’ll go over will be on how to make maple shortbread cookies. Visit toadbooks.com/event/101greatestcookies or visit one of the three shops to purchase the book.

• Food trucks at Canobie: Canobie Lake Park (85 N. Policy St., Salem) will host its final food truck festival weekend of the season on Saturday, Oct. 10, and Sunday, Oct. 11, when several local food trucks will be set up inside the park from noon to 3 p.m. each day. Both days will feature Massachusetts-based food trucks Trolley Dogs, North East of the Border and The Chubby Chickpea. On Saturday, Prime Time Grilled Cheese, a Manchester food truck specializing in artisan grilled cheeses, will be there, while the Walking Gourmet food truck, based in Windham, will be at the park on Sunday. Park admission with advance registration is required ($39 for adults, $29 for seniors and attendees under 48 inches tall, and free for kids ages 3 and under). Visit canobie.com.

• Lamb shanks to go: There’s still time to order your lamb shank dinner to go at St. George Greek Orthodox Cathedral (650 Hanover St., Manchester). Dinners of lamb shanks, rice and green beans will be available for pickup at the church on Saturday, Oct. 17, from 4 to 7 p.m. The cost is $20 per person and orders must be placed by Oct. 11 by calling the church office. The church had canceled its annual Glendi food festival earlier this year, usually held in mid-September, but has been holding smaller drive-thru events featuring Greek eats to promote social distancing. Visit stgeorgeglendi.com or call 622-9113.

• Halloween at the market: Costumes are encouraged during the Bedford Farmers Market’s final day of the season, a Halloween themed market, on Tuesday, Oct. 13, from 3 to 6 p.m. in the parking lot of the former Harvest Market (209 Route 101, Bedford). The market will feature a variety of specialty treat tables throughout the afternoon. Visit bedfordfarmersmarketnh.org.

Copper Kettle To Go opens in Wilton

Chris and Megan Gordon really want you to feel at home inside their new Wilton cafe — they’ve even added their own kitchen table to the main dining space. But Copper Kettle To Go in Wilton, which quietly opened its doors on Sept. 17, is more than just a cafe. It’s also a grocery shop offering take-and-bake meals and a downstairs taphouse featuring a rotation of local brews.

Even though much of their preparation for the new cafe has taken place amid the pandemic, Chris Gordon said he and his wife, who previously owned the Copper Kettle Bakery in Brookline, have taken it in stride. After all, their mission from the beginning was to bring families back together around the dinner table at home with their offerings, which include pastas and sauces, fresh baked goods, spinach pie and other comfort meals.

“We wanted to bring something to the community here that we knew we were missing,” he said. “It’s difficult to find fresh vegetables that are already prepared and food that’s cooked in heartier meals, or just basic things like a nice homemade spaghetti sauce. … I think that one of the things with Covid that’s actually been almost a positive thing for us was that it taught people that our business model can exist and that it can be strong.”

If you’re visiting the space, which is directly across from the Wilton Town Hall Theatre on Main Street, just to shop, you don’t have to leave the upstairs level of the cafe. There are several designated areas across the space, including for raw meats, fresh produce, and seasonings and spices. A refrigerated case is stocked with prepared dinners in 8×8 or 13×9-sized pans (including comfort items like macaroni and cheese and chicken pot pie), plus dairy products like butter and cream and a small selection of canned beers. Across the room, a pantry section features various nonperishables like boxed pastas and rice.

“The floor plan was designed in a free-flowing path, with signs above that categorize everything, sort of similar to a grocery store,” Gordon said.

But if you’re sitting down to enjoy a meal, there’s space for that too. Gordon said a few lunch and dinner menu items are available for diners of either the upstairs cafe or downstairs taphouse. They’ll likely change all the time, with a few constant offerings, like the Bennington Railrolls, named after the Milford-Bennington Railroad behind the building.

“They are steak and cheese egg rolls served with a garlic aioli, and they’ve been our leading seller,” he said. “Nearly every customer ordered them when they came in the first week.”

Other recent items have included loaded baked potato soup; shepherd’s pie; a grilled vegetable sandwich on a sub roll, served with summer squash, zucchini, peppers, onions and mayonnaise; a pulled pork sandwich on a sesame seed bun with barbecue sauce from Tim’s Drunken Sauces & Rubs; a BLT with hand-cut smoky bacon, lettuce and tomato, served on rye or white bread; and a pot belly burrito with cilantro lime rice, wrapped and smothered in enchilada sauce with cheese and house espinaca on top.

“We’ll roll something out all the time that’s new, fresh and exciting,” Gordon said. “We’re big-time foodies, and we love nothing more than to bring something new in. So you can expect the menu to change quite frequently.”

Visitors can also venture downstairs to the taphouse, which includes additional seating on wooden bar tables Gordon built himself. Eight taplines, many representing local breweries like Henniker Brewing Co., Laughing Crow Beer in Amherst, 603 Brewery in Londonderry, Concord Craft Brewing Co. and the Contoocook Cider Co., are expected to rotate periodically.

“We’ll definitely keep the juicier IPAs in here, and then maybe bring out some porters or stouts in the winter months and some more lighter stuff as we get warmer again, to really match the seasons,” Gordon said. “Just like our food menu, it will be a really free-flowing kind of thing.”

A door from the taphouse leads outside to a deck overlooking the Souhegan River. Gordon said both the taphouse and the deck are also available to rent for private events or functions.

Copper Kettle To Go
Where: 39 Main St., Wilton
Hours: Wednesday, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., and Thursday through Sunday, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Visit: copperkettletogo.com

Featured photo: Loaded baked potato soup. Photo courtesy of Copper Kettle To Go.

Drive-thru and to-go food festivals across New Hampshire

Despite the absence of traditional food festivals and fairs this year, organizers are reimagining events as drive-thru or to-go only in an effort to promote social distancing. Several of them will be taking place across southern New Hampshire over the next couple of weeks.

Though the Deerfield Fair was canceled back in June, there will be fair food available on the days it would have taken place. The Taste of the Fair, a pre-buy ticket only event, will be held on Friday, Oct. 2, Saturday, Oct. 3, and Sunday, Oct. 4.

According to Debora Wyman of the Deerfield Fair Association, attendees must reserve a blocked time on the hour in advance (the ticket page can be accessed through the fair’s website, deerfieldfair.com) and show up at the fairgrounds 15 minutes before. Times are between 11 a.m. and 9 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, and 11 a.m. and 6 p.m. on Sunday. The cost of admission is $5 per person and a maximum of 200 tickets per time block per day are being sold.

When you arrive at the fairgrounds, there will be signage and event staff directing you where to drive through and park. Several fair vendors selling items like fried dough, fried Oreos, cotton candy, fried pickles, pizza, french fries, sausages, caramel and candy apples, pretzels, and corn dogs will be set up along a designated section of the fairgrounds.

Masks are required and electronic payments are encouraged, as there will not be an ATM onsite. To prevent congregating, there will be no seating on the fairgrounds. Each group, Wyman said, has 45 minutes to purchase their food before leaving the fairgrounds to allow the next group to come in. All surfaces will be sanitized during the 15 minutes in between each allotted time block.

Dan Keough of Dan’s Fried Dough, a featured vendor at the Deerfield Fair for 45 years, said he approached the association with the idea for the event after experiencing success at similar festivals in Vermont and Massachusetts over the last few months.

“We’ve been doing the best we can to get a variety of food vendors,” he said.

Also happening this weekend, St. Philip Greek Orthodox Church in Nashua will host a two-day drive-thru event on Friday, Oct. 2, and Saturday, Oct. 3, from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., offering a menu of homemade Greek items usually enjoyed during its annual festival in the spring, like baklava, spanakopita and stuffed grape leaves.

According to event volunteer Joyce Powell, the menu for this event has expanded to include spit-roasted lamb and pastichio (Greek lasagna), two options that weren’t available from the first drive-thru festival. Dinners are available for purchase, which come with Greek-style rice and green beans, and dessert options have been expanded to include koulourakia, or Greek butter cookies.

“We’ve also added a cookbook of recipes made by some of the women of the church, and some face masks that were handmade in Greece,” Powell said.

Advance ordering online is encouraged, but call-aheads will also be accepted on each day.

In Concord, Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church is hosting its next Greek meal to go next weekend. Orders must be placed by Oct. 7, with pickups at the church on Sunday, Oct. 11, from noon to 1 p.m. The meal will include a half Greek lemon-roasted chicken with rice pilaf, a salad and a dinner roll, for $15 per person. The church will also offer similar meals over the next several months, including on Nov. 8 (stuffed peppers), Dec. 13 (dolmathes, or stuffed grape leaves), Jan. 10 (pork souvlaki) and Feb. 7 (Greek meatballs).

Glendi, a long-running three-day Greek food festival in Manchester, was also canceled earlier this year, but St. George Greek Orthodox Cathedral members and volunteers are holding smaller food events. Following a “Gyro Day” drive-thru pickup event that was presented on Sept. 26, the church will hold a lamb shank dinner to go on Saturday, Oct. 17, from 4 to 7 p.m.

Orders must be placed by Oct. 11 by calling the church office — the dinner will include lamb shanks, rice and green beans for $20.

Upcoming drive-thru and to-go food festivals
• The Deerfield Fair will host the Taste of the Fair on Friday, Oct. 2, and Saturday, Oct. 3, from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., and Sunday, Oct. 4, from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., on the Deerfield Fairgrounds (34 Stage Road). Advance tickets online are required — visit deerfieldfair.com to pick a designated time slot. Only 200 tickets will be sold per hour, per day, and masks are required.
• Join St. Philip Greek Orthodox Church (500 W. Hollis St., Nashua) for its next pop-up drive-thru food festival on Friday, Oct. 2, and Saturday, Oct. 3, from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Pre-ordering in advance is required — items include lamb, pastichio, dolmathes, Greek meatballs and spanakopita, plus pastries and sweets like baklava and koulourakia. Visit nashuagreekfestival.com.
• Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church (68 N. State St., Concord) is offering its next Greek dinner to-go on Sunday, Oct. 11, from noon to 1 p.m. (order by Oct. 7). All meals include a half Greek lemon-roasted chicken with rice pilaf, a salad and a dinner roll, for $15. Visit holytrinitynh.org.
• St. George Greek Orthodox Cathedral (650 Hanover St., Manchester) will serve a drive-thru lamb shank dinner on Saturday, Oct. 17, from 4 to 7 p.m. (order by Oct. 11). Meals include lamb shank, rice and green beans, for $20. Visit stgeorgeglendi.com.

Featured Photo: Greek Food Festival in Nashua. Courtesy photo.