The Weekly Dish 20/07/30

Jewish food festival goes virtual: The New Hampshire Jewish Food Festival, normally held in July at Temple B’nai Israel in Laconia, has transitioned this year into a takeout event only, according to a press release. Now through Aug. 10, orders can be placed online and picked up curbside by appointment at the temple at 210 Court St. in Laconia. A drive-through system will be used and masks are required for all customers. The online takeout menu features many of the popular items that have been staples at past festivals, including blintzes (lightly fried crepes filled with cheese), matzo ball soup, homemade traditional brisket with gravy, New York-style knishes filled with ground beef brisket or seasoned potatoes, challah (hand-braided honey-sweetened egg bread) and more. All items are sold frozen and include instructions for heating. Place your order now at tbinh.org.

On the Cooking Channel: Mr. Mac’s Macaroni & Cheese was one of several restaurants across the country that was featured on a July 22 episode of the Cooking Channel’s popular series Food Paradise, according to a press release. Content for the episode, titled “Seafood — Eat Food!” was shot in November at the Mr. Mac’s location in Tyngsboro, Mass. According to the release, the restaurant was transformed into that of a movie set for a day of shooting, featuring Mr. Mac’s VP of Corporate Operations Mark Murphy and Tyngsboro store franchisee Harry Cheema. Visit cookingchanneltv.com for details on future air dates.

The Foundry burglarized: The Foundry Restaurant in Manchester is open for business again after having to close for several days last week due to damages from a burglary on July 21. According to a press release from the Manchester police, the restaurant sustained around $250,000 in damage during the burglary including multiple broken windows and broken items, including liquor bottles, inside the restaurant. Police arrested Michael Grove of Oak Ridge, Tennessee, who police say they found inside the restaurant when they responded to the report of a burglary in progress, and charged him with burglary, reckless conduct, criminal mischief and resisting arrest, the press release said. According to the Foundry’s Facebook page, the restaurant reopened for dinner service on Friday, July 24.

Messy Mike’s trailer on the way: The Derry-based Messy Mike’s Barbecue & Catering Co. is launching a 30-foot mobile food trailer in the coming weeks. Owner Michael “Messy Mike” Massiglia said you’ll soon be able to find his trailer at least every Thursday through Sunday in the parking lot of Rockingham Acres Greenhouse (159 Rockingham Road, Derry). The menu will include various meats sold by the pound, sandwiches and sides, including cornbread provided by Cheryl Holbert of Nomad Bakery in Derry. A former master electrician by trade, Massiglia quit his day job to pursue his barbecuing dream full-time in 2014. Since then he’s catered for all kinds of events across New England, like birthday parties, cookouts, weddings, golf tournaments and corporate gatherings, offering a menu heavy on smoked meats and fresh sides. He also makes his own bottled hot and regular barbecue sauces, which are available for sale online. Visit messymikesbarbecue.com or follow him on Facebook @messymikesbbq for updates on the trailer

In the kitchen with Michael Simmons

Michael Simmons of Manchester is the head chef of Angela’s Pasta & Cheese Shop (815 Chestnut St., Manchester, 625-9544, angelaspastaandcheese.com), overseeing all kitchen operations and developing his own menus every week for lunch and dinner specials. Angela’s has been in business for four decades, offering all types of specialty food items, like cheeses, wines, pastas and heat-and-serve meals, as well as a selection of products from a variety of local businesses and catering menus around the holidays. Since the beginning of the pandemic, the shop has pivoted to offering curbside pickup and local deliveries for its products. Prior to joining the kitchen staff at Angela’s four years ago, Simmons worked in several seafood restaurants on the South Shore of Massachusetts, where he grew up. He also served as the executive chef at the Wildcat Inn and Tavern in Jackson for four years.

What is your must-have kitchen item?

A pair of tongs. It’s like an extension of your hand. Nothing beats a good solid knife either.

What would you have for your last meal?

I would do a Dijon-crusted rack of lamb and a big glass of merlot. I’m really passionate about good food and wine together.

What is your favorite local restaurant?

My favorite restaurant hands down, I would say, is the [Hanover Street] Chophouse [in Manchester]. I really enjoy a nice rib-eye with a glass of wine there. It’s a phenomenal place. The Crown [Tavern] is great too. In fact, they buy our sausages from us for their pizzas.

What celebrity would you have liked to see trying something that you’ve made?

I would have taken Jerry Garcia [of the Grateful Dead] in a New York minute. I just think his influence and his outlook on life were very unique.

What is your personal favorite thing to cook at the shop?

The passion is there for everything I do, but any time I get to venture off into something that I haven’t [done before], I get into it incredibly. A few weeks back I did a braised duck arancini, which had a raspberry compote sauce and crumbled goat cheese on it. It was awesome.

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

Farm to table and locally sourced produce are huge. A lot of grain salads and heart-healthy things like quinoa and avocado are too.

What is your favorite thing to cook at home?

I like to seek out the freshest swordfish I can find and grill it with some rice and a vegetable. That would be my go-to. I’m a big seafood lover.

Fried crab cakes
From the kitchen of Michael Simmons of Angela’s Pasta & Cheese Shop in Manchester (makes roughly 8 three-ounce crab cakes)

½ cup mayonnaise
3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
2 whole eggs
1 teaspoon black pepper
½ teaspoon white pepper
½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon Old Bay seasoning
½ cup breadcrumbs or ground cracker meal
1 pound jumbo lump crab meat

In a bowl, combine the mayonnaise, Worcestershire sauce, eggs, black pepper, white pepper, cayenne pepper and Old Bay seasoning with a whisk. Use the mixture to form little patties with the crabmeat and breadcrumbs. Drop the patties into 350-degree frying oil until crispy. Remove and drizzle with fresh lemon juice (optional).

Intimate vibes, casual eats

Gurung’s Kitchen opens inside Bunny’s Superette

Inspired by the supper club, or the concept of serving creative comfort foods and cocktails in an intimate setting, Stones Social is the newest eatery to join the dining scene in Nashua.

The restaurant opened on June 26 in the former space of Pig Tale on Amherst Street. But according to Aislyn Plath of Stones Hospitality Group, it has been in the works since at least 2015. Her father, Scott, is the owner and founder of two successful restaurants in northern Massachusetts — Cobblestones of Lowell, which has been serving elevated tavern fare since 1994; and Moonstones, an eatery featuring global small plates that opened in Chelmsford in the late 2000s.

“Stones Social has a really intimate and casual neighborhood feel,” Plath said. “We wanted this to [have] almost more of a social club style that offers creative comfort food with a great bar program and really amazing cocktails. … We felt that this space would be perfect for that.”

Stones Social’s menu borrows some items that are popular mainstays at both Cobblestones and Moonstones, as well as new options. Chef Adam Hervieux, who has worked at both locations, has taken over the new eatery’s kitchen.

“We’re doing different menu levels, so at the top level we have bar snacks. That has things like housemade potato chips and housemade pickles,” Plath said. “We also have a mushroom jerky that’s insane, and we do a furikake popcorn, which [has] a seaweed and sesame spice.”

Other options include Buffalo tenders with blue cheese, ahi tuna tataki, pork belly with jalapeno ranch, and Chinese five-spice short ribs with house kimchi.

The menu also features a section of wood-fired skillet options, like the garlic jumbo shrimp; the shawarma beets with hummus, harissa and pepitas; and the dry-rubbed barbecue glazed wings. Sandwiches and burgers include a grilled cheese with the option to add barbecue short rib or kimchi, and a cheeseburger with house relish on a potato bun. For salads, the Spa Sampler Plate has greens, hummus, peppadews and crispy chickpeas, while the “Schrute Farms” beet salad features greens, goat cheese, pistachio, honey mustard and the option to add chicken.

If you want more of a traditional, larger-sized entree, Stones Social offers those too, on the “supper time” section of its menu. It features a seared ahi poke bowl, house macaroni and cheese, pork belly fried rice with egg and edamame, vegetable fried rice, and slow braised short rib with smashed olive oil potatoes and garlic green beans.

A majority of Stones Social’s cocktails, Plath said, are originals for the new space. There is the 603 Spritz, which has vodka, elderflower, a cucumber simple syrup and a little bit of absinthe; the Pink Drink, with hibiscus, mezcal and cranberry juice; and the Marge and Rita, or a passion fruit margarita with a five-spice salt rim. The Moonhattan, a house-infused rye whiskey with vermouth that is a staple at Moonstones, has also made it onto the menu.

“We’re trying to have as much fun with the cocktails as possible,” Plath said. “We’re really focusing on New Hampshire, Maine and Vermont too for our drafts.”

In lieu of sit-down table service, Plath said, Stones Social has more of a fast casual concept. Guests can order food and drinks at the bar and create a tab if they wish. Food runners are then assigned to deliver your order to the table. Takeout and online ordering are also available.

“One of the goals here … was to run with a really tight team and to cross-train our staff,” Plath said. “I like working in a small space like this, because you can see everyone and we’re all here to take care of each other and create a nice energy and atmosphere.”

Featured Photo: The #1 Burger with cheese and house relish on a brioche bun. Courtesy photo.

Stones Social
Where:
449 Amherst St., Nashua
Hours: Wednesday through Saturday, 4 to 11 p.m., and Sunday, noon to 8 p.m. (may be subject to change)
Contact: Visit stonessocial.com, find them on Facebook and Instagram, or call 943-7445

Fuel your appetite

Saucy options at new Milford food trailer

A new food trailer now open on the Milford Oval is offering its own ground burgers, hand-cut fries and hand-breaded chicken tenders, and more than a dozen original sauces — or, in line with its name, “fuel” — like blueberry barbecue, Hawaiian honey mustard, hoisin-plum, curry and chive and Sriracha maple.

Fuel is the latest project of John Goldberg, owner and operator of The Riverhouse Cafe. The trailer made its debut on June 12 outside the Riverhouse, which has added about 40 seats in a roped off area out front, along with an outside bar and live music every Friday and Saturday. Customers who order from the trailer are given a pager to alert them when their food is ready. The trailer features new options not previously available at the cafe, plus rotating specials, and according to Goldberg the response has been very positive so far. He recently brought in chef Jon Talbot, a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America in New York, to oversee Fuel’s menu.

“It’s a simple American menu … but it’s not your ordinary food truck. You’re not getting frozen chicken tenders or anything,” Goldberg said. “We grind our own burgers, we hand-cut our own fries, we dry-rub our own chicken wings and we make our own hot dog buns.”

Fuel features a few salads, all of which have the option of adding smoked chicken, pulled pork or smoked brisket as a protein. The most popular salad, Goldberg said, has been the Rocket Road, which features arugula, pickled onions, figs, almonds and goat cheese. There is also the Chubby King Caesar salad, with romaine, pancetta and jalapeno croutons, and the Trailer Greens, which include lettuce, carrot, tomato, onion and crispy chickpeas. Among the salad dressings to choose from are buttermilk ranch, honey balsamic, creamy poppy seed, and — Goldberg’s favorite — blueberry-riesling vinaigrette.

Items like the Fuel burger, the Hummel dog or the hand-cut fries can be ordered with a beer cheddar cheese. The Fuel burger is a double-stack patty that comes on a brioche roll with lettuce, tomato and house pickles, while the dog features toppings like the beer cheese as well as Maine onion jam and celery salt, house sweet relish or chili.

“The beer cheese is ridiculous,” Goldberg said. “You try it and you can’t stop.”

The trailer serves a falafel on its own homemade pita, topped with lettuce, tomato, cucumber, lemon and tzatziki sauce. You can also substitute smoked chicken for the falafel.

Other options, like the crispy chicken tenders and the smoked chicken wings, are really where you can get creative with all the different “fuel” sauces.

“We can toss them in one and then we give you the other one on the side,” Goldberg said. “I can’t even begin to name them all. We have blueberry barbecue, peach barbecue, Latin barbecue, curry and chives. … All kinds of different stuff.”

Just out in front of the Riverhouse Cafe’s doors is a full-service outside bar where craft cocktails are available. Live local music acts are booked to perform on Fridays and Saturdays all throughout the summer, Goldberg said.

The Riverhouse Cafe moved to its current location at 167 Union Square last year. Goldberg said the plan is for Fuel to provide the food options for those who visit Station 101, a new craft beer and wine bar opening in a renovated 1950s gas station next door. The old Riverhouse Cafe, meanwhile, will likely be turned into a doughnut shoppe.

Mangia Sano, Goldberg’s other restaurant just down the road on Nashua Street, has recently begun offering New York style pizza. It’s currently available for takeout and curbside pickup only.

“Right now, that’s all we do [at Mangia Sano],” Goldberg said, “but we’re going to reopen it under a [reinvented] new brand.”

Featured Photo: Bacon and beer cheddar fries. Photo by Matt Ingersoll.

Fuel
When:
Wednesdays and Thursdays, 5 to 8 p.m., and Fridays and Saturdays, 5 to 10 p.m. (hours are subject to change and may extend later this summer)
Where: 167 Union Square, Milford
Contact: Visit damngoodgrub.com/fuel, follow them on Facebook and Instagram @fuelnh or call The Riverhouse Cafe at 249-5556

The Weekly Dish 20/07/02

Gate City Brewfest canceled: The eighth annual Gate City Brewfest, which had been scheduled for Saturday, Aug. 15, at Holman Stadium in Nashua, has been canceled, the event’s committee announced on its website and social media channels. Those who purchased tickets will either receive a refund or have the option to donate a portion directly to the Nashua Police Athletic League, one of the festival’s fundraising beneficiaries. The next Gate City Brewfest will take place on a date to be determined in August 2021, according to the website.

Smoked to perfection: The owners of the Merrimack-based Big Kahunas Catering have taken over the restaurant space next to Shooters Outpost (1158 Hooksett Road, Hooksett) that most recently housed the Copper Jacket Cafe, which closed last December. Known as Big Kahunas Smokehouse, it’s expected to open later in July, according to owner Amanda Spooner. The eatery will feature all kinds of smoked items, like seasoned barbecue ribs and lechon kawali (crispy pork belly). Local brews, wines and outdoor deck seating with music are all expected as well. Find them on Facebook @kahunassmokehouse, or visit nhkahuna.com or call 494-4975 for updates.

Spirits of community: More than $100,000 was raised for the New Hampshire Restaurant and Lodging Association’s Hospitality Employee Relief Fund through a raffle organized by the New Hampshire Liquor Commission, according to a press release. The raffle featured six of the world’s rarest spirits, including decades-old bottles of Pappy Van Winkle Family Reserve bourbon whiskey, Buffalo Trace O.F.C. bourbon and Sazerac Kentucky straight rye whiskey, as well as selections from Heaven Hill and Michter’s distilleries. Since it was created, the fund has raised about $280,000 for the state’s restaurant and hospitality workers.

Garden lunches: Bedrock Gardens (19 High Road, Lee) has begun offering picnic box lunches to visitors, courtesy of caterer Mary Vezina of Mary V’s Unique Creations. According to Bedrock Gardens program manager Kate Bashline, lunches are pre-ordered and paid for in advance. The lunches feature a sandwich or wrap (each is named after a different garden on the property), along with a small bag of chips, fruit, a cookie and a drink of your choice. Sandwiches include the Tea House turkey wrap with lettuce, tomato, cranberry mayonnaise or cranberry cream cheese; the Spiral Garde ham sandwich with provolone cheese, mayonnaise or mustard on a wheat bulkie roll; and the Garish garden wrap with assorted chopped vegetables and a sweet vidalia onion vinaigrette dressing. Visit bedrockgardens.org/food or call 923-7856 to place an order.

In the kitchen with Carly Feins

Carly Feins of Bedford is the owner of Carly’s Custom Cakes (carlyscustomcakes.com, find her on Facebook or Instagram), a homestead business offering custom desserts to order, including cakes, cookies, brownies, fruit bars and cupcakes. A baking and pastry arts/food service management graduate from Johnson & Wales University in Rhode Island, Feins has been baking since she was 11 years old. She fell in love with the craft after watching her aunt, Lisa Raffael (owner of Delicious Desserts in East Falmouth, Mass.), win on an episode of the Food Network Challenge. Feins, who has autism spectrum disorder, said she wanted to be a role model and an inspiration to others with similar diagnoses by starting her own independent business. In addition to accepting custom orders through her website for pickup or delivery within a 25-mile radius of southern New Hampshire, Feins participates in the Salem Farmers Market every Sunday, from 10 a.m. to noon, at Salem Marketplace (224 N. Broadway). As of last week, her fruit bars and cookies are also available for purchase at the Bearded Baking Co. (819 Union St., Manchester).

What is your must-have kitchen item?

I actually have two of them. My KitchenAid stand mixer and also my kitchen scale.

What would you have for your last meal?

I would get a Caesar salad at the Manchester Country Club without any Parmesan cheese. At home, I would have a homemade brownie ice cream sundae.

What is your favorite local restaurant?

I like Taipei & Tokyo in Bedford … and I also like to support Pizza Bella [in Bedford]. They provided pizza to Bedford High School when I went to school there, and I think they still do.

What celebrity would you like to see trying something that you’ve baked?

It’s a three-way tie between Food Network’s Duff Goldman, Sugar Monster Sweets [owner] Ashley Holt, and Jason Smith, also from Food Network.

What is your personal favorite thing to bake?

I can’t really decide, but basically any of the sugar cookies, cupcakes and whole cakes, because I like to put my own artistic spin on them. I’m an artist and desserts are my canvas.

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

I’ve been seeing a huge interest in no-contact deliveries and … smaller food operations relying on takeout and online ordering. I’ve also been seeing a lot more of a demand for meatless items.

What is your favorite thing to cook or bake at home?

I love cooking for my family. My favorite thing to do is chicken marsala with boiled rice. I also love to make chocolate cake with chocolate ganache.

1-2-3 sugar cookie dough
Courtesy of Carly Feins of Carly’s Custom Cakes in Bedford (who learned this recipe as a student at Johnson & Wales University)

2 pounds (or 4 cups) butter
1 pound (or 2 cups) granulated sugar
3 pounds (or just under 13 cups) pastry flour
170 grams whole eggs (or roughly three extra large eggs)

In a bowl, mix together the butter and sugar. Add the eggs in one at a time, scraping the sides of the bowl as you go with a stand mixer. When all the eggs are in, add the flour. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the fridge overnight or for a minimum of three hours. When ready to bake, turn the oven on to 350 degrees. Knead dough on a flour-coated silicone mat and roll to about a quarter inch thick. Make sure the dough is still cold, as the temperature affects the cookie. Bake for 10 minutes or until golden brown. You can augment with different flavors like lemon zest, or do chocolate by using cocoa powder.

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