Bryan Leary has been the executive chef of the Oak & Grain Restaurant (Inn at Pleasant Lake, 853 Pleasant St., New London, 873-4833, innatpleasantlake.com) since early 2016. In addition to indoor dining open to the public, the Oak & Grain is now offering seasonally inspired a la carte takeout meals. Its menu options change every two to three weeks but often include locally sourced steaks, seafood, soups and appetizers. Three-course brunches are served on Sundays. A New Hampshire native, Leary has amassed experience in all kinds of cooking styles over the course of his career. He graduated from Johnson & Wales University in Rhode Island and later accepted a culinary position at the Scottsdale Fairmont Resort in Arizona. Before coming to the Inn at Pleasant Lake, he worked as a chef at The Grill Room in Portland, Maine.
What is your must-have kitchen item?
Either [a pair of] tongs, or my two-pound meat cleaver.
What would you have for your last meal?
My wife’s enchiladas with charred grilled chicken, and a Coke slurpee.
What is your favorite local restaurant?
I like The Coach House in New London. I also love The Black Trumpet [Bistro in Portsmouth]. Evan [Mallett] is an incredible chef there.
What celebrity would you like to see eating at your restaurant?
Probably [New York chef] Dan Barber. He’s one of my favorites. He’s incredibly smart in terms of food and expanding our horizons into what we should be eating.
What is your favorite thing that you’ve ever featured on your menu?
I really like being able to use product to create something that’s multi-faceted and just unique and different. … So, for example, we’ve done our own Tahitian buttermilk panna cotta from butter we make from local cream.
What is the biggest food trend in New Hampshire right now?
Switching to more of a family-friendly aspect in fine dining. We were strictly French service my first year here … [but] now the atmosphere is more easygoing and approachable.
What is your favorite thing to cook at home?
Barbecue food, because there’s a lot of complexity that goes into it. I love ribs especially.
Seared Canadian sea scallops and citrus-braised pork belly, with yellow curry yogurt, burnt leek puree, herbs and chicken kombu grains
From the kitchen of Bryan Leary of the Oak & Grain Restaurant, at the Inn at Pleasant Lake in New London
For the burnt leek puree:
Split a full leek down the middle. Rub with oil and burn on the grill or saute pan until black. Chop each side into quarters and place on a sheet tray. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes. Remove leek from the oven. Place it in a blender and puree with olive oil just until it is a smooth paste. Season with salt and a little bit of lemon juice. Set aside for plating.
For the yellow curry yogurt: ½ cup Greek yogurt ½ tablespoon curry powder 1 tablespoon yellow curry juice of half a lemon
Mix all ingredients together until incorporated. Set aside for plating.
For the chicken kombu: 1 quart chicken stock (pre-bought or homemade) 2 tablespoons tamari (wheat-free soy sauce) 1 sheet kombu seaweed 1 cup mixed grains (quinoa, sorghum, millet or other grain of choice)
Pour chicken stock, soy sauce and kombu seaweed into a saucepan and simmer for 30 minutes.
For the pork cure: Juice and zest of 1 lime, 1 orange, 2 lemons and 1 grapefruit ½ cup salt ¾ cup sugar ¼ cup bourbon Pork belly
Mix ingredients together and rub on both sides of the pork belly. Place in a hotel pan, wrap and refrigerate for two days. After removing the cure, line the same hotel pan with foil and parchment paper and bake at 350 degrees for an hour and 45 minutes. Let it rest for 20 minutes, then cut up into 1-by-1-inch cubes. Set aside for plating. (Optional: For quicker time, you can use a few strips of bacon and bake at the same temperature for 17 minutes.)
Clean scallops under cold water, then pat dry. In a small mixing bowl, add a little oil and seasoning. Let the scallops sit at room temperature for at least 20 minutes. Add ½ tablespoon of oil to the pan. Carefully place scallops into the pan until golden brown, then flip and remove pan from heat. Let them sit in the pan for two minutes.
Add a small pile of the kombu chicken stock grains in the center of the plate, followed by a few dollops of burnt leeks puree. Place a few pieces of pork belly on top of the puree. Scatter the scallops around the plate, adding a dollop of curry yogurt on top of each. Sprinkle with fresh herbs.
Featured photo: Bryan Leary of Oak & Grain Restaurant in New London
Roasted Red Pepper & Butternut Squash Bisque from O Steaks & Seafood, Hungarian Mushroom Ale from the Concord Food Co-op, Smoked Brisket Chili from Georgia’s Northside — those are some of the soups on the menu for the 12th annual SouperFest, and you can only get them if you order ahead. The event, hosted by the Concord Coalition to End Homelessness, will be held Saturday, March 20, at White Park in Concord. In the past, Souperfest was held inside a school and brought in 800 to 1,000 attendees. Thirty-five soups were prepared mostly by home chefs and served to hungry patrons. “People just had as much soup as they wanted,” said Greg Lessard, board vice chair of the Concord Coalition to End Homelessness. This year, eight local restaurants will be preparing the soup, which must be pre-ordered on the Concord Coalition to End Homelessness’s website, concordhomeless.org. Anyone placing an order will select a half-hour window of time to pick up their soup. With last year’s SouperFest getting canceled in March, Lessard said, soup orders are already pouring in for this year. The other five options are Pumpkin Apple Bisque from The Barley House, Clam Chowder from The Common Man, Vegetarian Chili from Hermanos Cocina Mexicana, Lentil Soup from The Works Cafe and Miso Noodle Soup from Col’s Kitchen. “It’s a wonderful selection. You’re hard pressed to say ‘I’m only taking two of these,’” Lessard said. “The choices are so great you just can’t say no.” Col’s Kitchen is a new face in Concord’s restaurant scene, having just opened in August. O Steaks & Seafood, meanwhile, has been participating in SouperFest since home chefs made up the bulk of the competition. All proceeds from SouperFest will benefit the Concord Coalition to End Homelessness. “[The Coalition] has a number of different programs that support people that are experiencing homelessness,” Lessard said. These programs include an emergency winter shelter, a resource center and more.
SouperFest: Hosted by Concord Coalition to End Homelessness When: March 20, 3 to 5:30 p.m. Where: White Park, 1 White St, Concord More info: concordhomeless.org/souperfest-2021
Featured photo: Hungarian Mushroom Soup from the Concord Food Co-op. Courtesy photo.
Like many Granite Staters at the onset of the pandemic, Pedro Gonzalez of Manchester started cooking at home more often. Fast forward nearly a year and now he and several of his family members and friends are about to open their own eatery on the West Side, focusing on Latin soul and street foods with a New York City bodega-style storefront.
The concept of the Hotbox — fondly referred to by Gonzalez as simply “The Box” — began on a whim last spring with positive feedback for his family’s home-cooked Spanish meals.
“Restaurants were closed … and so our friends would come over and they’d be like, ‘What are you guys cooking? Can I grab a plate?’ We didn’t expect money or anything, so of course we were like, ‘Sure!’” said Gonzalez, a native of Bronx, N.Y. “Then we started showing our plates on social media, and it just took off after that, like wildfire.”
Gonzalez and his wife Kelli, daughter Ally, mother Sonia and family friends Kelley Richard and Kalley Mihalko all now have a hand in cooking or baking different items for the Hotbox. The original plan, he said, was for them to expand their newfound catering venture into a food truck before that later shifted to a brick-and-mortar restaurant. They found their current spot, most recently occupied by Rita Mae’s Restaurant, last August.
Hotbox’s menu will feature a variety of Latin soul and street food items, some of which will be available all the time, others on a rotating basis. Options may include chicken, beef or pork guisado, or a tomato-based sauce, with servings of rice and beans.
“Guisado is very popular in the Spanish community,” Gonzalez said. “We can do a Jamaican-style jerk chicken guisado, or we can do a hot Mexican guisado with spices. … We can do guisado with any meat, but the most popular one we have is our chopped chicken, which we cook in a sauce with onions and peppers.”
You’ll also find several types of empanadas and burritos, as well as Cubanos and fresh pressed sandwiches called “bobos” — the name, Gonzalez said, is a reference to Joseph “Bobo” Benedetti, who founded Benedetti’s Deli in Haverhill, Mass., in the early 1960s.
“I grew up literally five minutes from Benedetti’s Deli,” he said. “We’ll have massive subs, just like the ones I grew up eating.”
But Hotbox will offer more than just Spanish food — an ever-changing a la carte menu Gonzalez calls the “flip-flop” will be available to those who walk in, where you might find everything from pasta dishes to fried pork belly, half-chicken or shrimp. Once one “flip-flop” option is gone, he said, a new one will take its place.
Gonzalez said all kinds of unique dessert creations are expected too. One of the most popular options among their catering customers has been a layered “Oreo lasagna” cake.
Takeout and curbside pickup will be available, while between four and six tables will be set up in the eatery’s dining room by reservation only. Up to six people per party can reserve a table.
“We’re not trying to rush you out of here. We want to have it be a very intimate experience with your party when you come in to eat,” he said. “Our plates are big, too, so there will be leftovers.”
The front of the store will look similar to that of a bodega in New York City, with a few small grocery and household items for sale, as well as marinated meats, cold cuts and more.
Hotbox will be open for lunch and dinner to start, but Gonzalez said the plan is to branch out to serving continental breakfasts, omelets, breakfast sandwiches and other similar options.
Hotbox An opening date announcement is expected in the coming weeks. Follow them on social media for updates. Where: 280 Main St., Manchester Hours: TBA More info: Find them on Facebook @hotboxlfe or email [email protected]
Feautred photo: Jerk chicken plate with white rice and marinated onions. Courtesy photo.
• Green cuisine: If you’re still wondering where to get your plate of corned beef and cabbage this year, visit hippopress.com for our annual St. Patrick’s Day listings at local eateries. Many are offering single or family-sized boiled dinners to go, for pickup on or around Wednesday, March 17, while others are taking the festivities a step further with options like bangers and mash, Irish soda bread, green beer, Guinness cake and sticky toffee pudding. For the most up-to-date availability, check participating restaurants’ websites or social media pages, or call them directly.
• Clam Haven to reopen for the season: Derry’s Clam Haven (94 Rockingham Road), a seasonal takeout eatery known for its fried seafood plates, will reopen for the season on Wednesday, March 17, owner Lisa DeSisto confirmed. DeSisto, who took over ownership of Clam Haven last year and who has also owned Rig A Tony’s Italian Takeout for two decades, told the Hippo that several new menu items are in store for this season, including homemade fish tacos on Tuesdays and clambakes on weekends, in addition to old favorites like fried haddock, clams and scallops, hot dogs, hamburgers, chicken fingers and ice cream. Clam Haven will be open from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. seven days a week through the end of October. Visit clamhaven.com.
• Make it maple: It’s New Hampshire Maple Month and to kick off the annual production season Gov. Chris Sununu will perform the ceremonial maple tree tapping on Saturday, March 12, at 9 a.m. at Connolly Brothers Dairy Farm (140 Webster Hwy., Temple). He’s also expected to recognize the 75th anniversary of New Hampshire County Conservation Districts by signing a proclamation honoring 2021 as the Year of Conservation, according to a press release. Throughout Maple Month many local sugarhouses welcome visitors to partake in maple sugaring tours, view demonstrations and try all kinds of maple-flavored goodies. Visit nhmapleproducers.com to find a participating sugarhouse near you.
• Tastes of France and beyond: Office manager Nathalie Hirte of the Franco-American Centre in Manchester has recently launched Franco Foods, a how-to YouTube series dedicated to French-inspired foods and recipes. New videos are expected to be posted every Tuesday, with each focusing on a different recipe from France or Quebec. Beginning in April, Hirte said, she hopes to branch out to other regional recipes across Europe, Africa, Asia and the United States. A native of Quebec and an avid cooker and baker, Hirte said she originally started Franco Foods last year as a virtual recipe swap among Franco-American Centre members. Visit facnh.com/news/franco-foods to subscribe to her channel.
Hopkinton native Emily Knowlton is the owner of BB Take Home Kitchen (bbtakehomekitchen.com, and on Facebook and Instagram @bbtakehomekitchen), also known as the Balanced Brussel, a weekly take-home meal business that operates out of a stationary food truck. A graduate of the University of New Hampshire with a degree in nutrition and dietetics, Knowlton launched BB Take Home Kitchen last July and, with the help of her mother, Deb, now serves more than 500 meals per month. Near the beginning of each month she’ll post the new menu with items available for pickup on designated weeks. All orders can be picked up on Tuesdays from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. at the truck’s regular spot (185 Main St., Hopkinton), with pre-orders closing the Sunday before. Popular meals as of late have included butternut squash lasagna, ponzu pork meatballs, roasted cauliflower soup, teriyaki salmon with sushi rice, and lemon chicken with rice and vegetables. BB Take Home Kitchen also offers a different family-style meal for pickup on the first Friday of each month, like chicken pot pie or braised beef ragu with pasta.
What is your must-have kitchen item?
A really sharp chef’s knife, because you can utilize it for everything.
What would you have for your last meal?
For me, it would have to be either sushi … or the beef ragu that my mom makes for me on special occasions.
What is your favorite local restaurant?
I like The Coach House in New London, which has the best salmon. I also like The Barley House [Restaurant & Tavern in Concord]. I get their squash salad with the green lentils on it and add shrimp.
What celebrity would you like to see ordering from you?
[Food Network’s] Michael Symon is my favorite Iron Chef. Or, if I were to get on Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives, that would be one of the coolest things ever.
What is your favorite menu item that you have ever offered?
I think it’s probably the teriyaki salmon, which I did a couple of weeks ago. It’s just a super-vibrant dish and I was really happy with the way it came out.
What is the biggest food trend in New Hampshire right now?
I feel like it’s either farm-to-table or craft beer.
What is your favorite thing to cook at home?
My mom made chicken and gravy with rice all the time when I was a kid. I’ve served it on the menu and I also cook it at home.
Chicken korma marinade Courtesy of Emily Knowlton of BB Take Home Kitchen in Hopkinton
2 pounds of any kind of chicken (thighs, breasts, etc.) ½ cup cashews, unsalted 3 tablespoons tomato paste 4 tablespoons minced garlic 1 tablespoon ginger 1 tablespoon garam masala 1 teaspoon paprika 1 teaspoon turmeric 1 teaspoon coriander ½ teaspoon cardamom ½ teaspoon cumin ½ teaspoon cinnamon Salt and pepper to taste 1 cup plain yogurt
Combine all ingredients in a big blender or food processor (it will be a thick-ish paste) and marinate chicken overnight before cooking.
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.
• Danbury Winter Market is Saturdays, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., at the Blazing Star Grange Hall (15 North Road, Danbury), now through April. Visit blazingstargrange.org.
• Downtown Concord Winter Farmers Market is Saturdays, from 9 a.m. to noon, inside the Families in Transition building (20 S. Main St.), next to the Concord Food Co-op. 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: Emily Knowlton of BB Take Home Kitchen in Hopkinton, with mother Deb. Courtesy photo.
Guinness stew from New England’s Tap House Grille in Hooksett. Courtesy photo
North Side Grille in Hudson had ordered roughly 800 pounds of corned beef ahead of St. Patrick’s Day last year. Then came Gov. Chris Sununu’s emergency order on the afternoon of March 16 limiting all restaurants and bars in New Hampshire to takeout and delivery only.
“My phone started going bananas,” owner Roger Soulard said. “Everyone was asking me, ‘Did you just hear what Sununu said?’ and ‘What are we going to do about St. Patrick’s Day?’”
Soulard and dozens of other local restaurateurs were suddenly faced with having to change their St. Patrick’s Day plans overnight. Despite being limited to takeout, North Side Grille served up hundreds of boiled corned beef and cabbage dinners to go and ended up selling out by that evening. Today, Soulard said, takeout is up more than five to six times what it was before, representing about 40 percent of the eatery’s overall sales.
As the ongoing state of emergency in the Granite State begins to close in on a full year, local chefs and restaurant owners discuss how they are tackling St. Patrick’s Day this time around, plus the anticipated return of expanded outdoor dining just weeks away for some.
Corned beef craze
The week of St. Patrick’s Day is among Soulard’s busiest, and this year will be no exception. In fact, he’s even planning to increase his corned beef inventory by a few hundred pounds.
North Side Grille will offer single-serve meals of corned beef with cabbage, potatoes and carrots, as well as two-dinner and four-dinner ordering options. The eatery has also done a few themed specials, like Irish poutine and corned beef macaroni and cheese.
“I’m definitely looking forward to a successful St. Patrick’s Day week,” Soulard said. “I actually plan on doing corned beef as an all-week special hopefully to spread the cheer, if you will.”
Grill 603 in Milford, another local restaurant that has experienced a sharp increase in takeout sales over the last year, is also upping the amount of corned beef to be cooked and served.
“We had already cooked off 200 pounds of corned beef, so we went ahead and put it out on Facebook that we had corned beef dinners to go … and we were overwhelmed by the response,” Grill 603 owner Eric Griffin said. “This year, we’ll probably do about 225 to 250 pounds, and we’ll just run it as long as we can until it’s gone. … Our takeout business is so much higher now, although we have been getting a pretty decent amount of indoor dining too. It seems like people are starting to get more comfortable.”
It’s also a big time of year for Fody’s Great American Tavern, which has been open for more than a decade in Nashua and will soon celebrate its second anniversary at another larger location in Derry. According to co-owner Maria Foden, there will be corned beef and cabbage specials, as well as signature cocktails, Reubens and other creative options like corned beef poutine. The St. Patrick’s Day menu will be available from Friday, March 12, through Wednesday, March 17, at each restaurant location. Both will also be open for lunch.
Great New Hampshire Restaurants will feature corned beef dinner specials across each of its T-Bones, CJ’s Great West Grill and Copper Door locations, with cabbage, potatoes, onions, carrots and homemade soda bread. They’ll be available for takeout or dine-in on March 17.
“We’ve seen sales from indoor dining start to creep back up,” said Nicole Barreira, director of marketing and menu development for the restaurant group. “We keep reiterating the myriad of things we’ve been doing to keep people safe … and once we get back into the warmer weather, we hope to really be on the other side of things.”
In Nashua, Casey Magee’s Irish Pub & Music Hall will be celebrating its first St. Patrick’s Day since opening its doors last June. Owner Matt Casey said the doors will open early at 10 a.m., with a limited menu of specials to be served, from corned beef dinners to Irish bangers and green beer. Live acoustic performances from Steve DeLuca will also be featured on Sunday, March 14, from noon to 4 p.m., and on Wednesday, March 17, from 5 to 9 p.m. — the first time since the pub’s opening that there will be live music inside the building, according to Casey. “We’re going to be open from 10 a.m. to 1 a.m. on that day,” he said. “We’re really excited, but we’re going to try and simplify it and take every precaution that we can.”
The Shaskeen Pub and Restaurant on Elm Street in Manchester will also be opening early for St. Patrick’s Day, at 6 a.m., for breakfast in the morning. Co-owner Neal Brown said a limited dinner menu will follow throughout the day, until 9:30 p.m.
Several local takeout-only specials for St. Patrick’s Day are also available if you’d rather enjoy that corned beef and cabbage at home. In Hollis, Buckley’s Market & Cafe is currently taking orders for a heat-and-serve dinner box for two, which will feature slow-braised corned beef with potatoes, cabbage, turnip and carrots, as well as Irish soda bread, chocolate Guinness cupcakes with Baileys Irish cream frosting, and the option to add a four-pack of Guinness beer. Orders can be made now through March 10, with pickups on March 17.
Presto Craft Kitchen on Manchester’s West Side, according to chef and co-owner Joe Grella, is also taking orders now for corned beef brisket dinners with potatoes, carrots, cabbage and soda bread, as well as Guinness pie, both of which feed four to six people per meal. The deadline to order is March 12, he said, with pickups at the restaurant on either March 16 or March 17.
Chef Alan Natkiel of Georgia’s Northside in Concord had been getting ready to throw an “Irish Taco Tuesday” pop-up event last year at Concord Craft Brewing in time for St. Patrick’s Day.
“Within probably 48 hours of that scheduled event, the order came out from the governor’s office to shut in-house dining down, and I got stuck with 65 pounds of corned beef,” he said.
Natkiel would end up donating fully cooked meals of corned beef, red skin mashed potatoes and fried cabbage to Concord Hospital and Police Department workers. This year, he plans to run a similar special with dark Guinness bread that will be available for online ordering through the website. Pickups will be throughout the day on March 17.
“St. Patrick’s Day really kind of changed my vision of what we could be as a restaurant,” Natkiel said. “Since that time, we’ve dropped meals off at the grocery store, we’ve donated to other hospitals … and I did 75 free turkey giveaways for the holidays. None of that stuff would’ve been possible if not for how well the business has been. We’re a to-go only restaurant that, surprisingly, was structured perfectly to have a safe business model during a pandemic.”
More green cuisine
Beyond a plate of corned beef, cabbage and potatoes, other creative offerings will grace the menus of local eateries this St. Patrick’s Day.
At New England’s Tap House Grille in Hooksett, chef Scott Patnode has created a specials menu of items available for three days from Tuesday, March 16, to Thursday, March 18. In addition to the traditional boiled dinners, you’ll also find panko-crusted Reuben balls blended with sauerkraut and Swiss cheese, a beef medallion Guinness stew, a Baileys Irish cream cheesecake on a brownie crust with a whiskey sauce, and a Guinness-infused chocolate cake covered with ganache and layered with Irish cream frosting.
For those who believe that St. Patrick himself was Italian, Presto Craft Kitchen is offering family-sized portions of green clover-shaped five-cheese ravioli with red, alfredo, rosa or meat sauce. Grella is also offering several St. Patrick’s Day-inspired sweets, like Lucky Charm marshmallow-filled white chocolate cocoa bombs that turn your milk green, candy bars dressed up in edible gold and placed in a leprechaun’s pot, and handmade “end of the rainbow” sugar cookies. All items are available for online ordering.
At Patrick’s Pub & Eatery in Gilford, specials will include Irish lamb stew and bangers and mash, in addition to single- or family-sized portions of boiled corned beef and cabbage, plus a sticky toffee pudding from an authentic recipe owner Allan Beetle brought back from Ireland. There will also be drink specials like green beer available upon request.
“We’re going to start serving them the Friday before [March 12], and they’ll run all the way through to the 17th,” general manager Megan Page said. “We expect takeout and curbside pickup to be a huge part of St. Patrick’s Day. That part of the business is booming right now.”
Moving back outdoors
Expanded outdoor dining on public sidewalks and parking spaces downtown was a major theme for local eateries last year. With spring just a few weeks away, similar programs will be making a return for many cities and towns.
Last month the Manchester Board of Mayor and Aldermen unanimously approved bringing back an expanded outdoor dining plan for restaurants on Elm Street. The program begins March 15 and will last through about Nov. 7, weather permitting. According to Lauren Smith, chief of staff for Manchester Mayor Joyce Craig, the city’s Highway Department plans on reinstating jersey barriers in front of interested Elm Street businesses in mid-March, reserving around 20 of the 120 parking spaces downtown for expanded outdoor dining. Applications for the program are being accepted on a rolling basis through April 30.
Steve Tosti of the XO Bistro said the restaurant will likely apply for the extra space this year, following a successful summer of outdoor dining last year.
“We were filling up outside basically every Friday and Saturday night,” he said. “As soon as it’s nice out again, then we’ll be out there for sure.”
In Concord, the City Council during its February meeting approved expanded outdoor dining to return on April 1 and last through Nov. 15. Businesses interested in acquiring permits for the program can apply for one online through the Code Administration office.
City officials in Nashua are also expected to address the return of some sort of expanded outdoor dining plan on Main Street — as of March 1, that legislation is pending, according to city economic development director Tim Cummings.
In Derry, Foden said her staff has made great use of the restaurant’s four-acre space, adding a large tent as well as heated dining domes on its deck. The town’s Economic Development Committee sent out temporary outdoor dining applications to restaurants last May, and director Bev Donovan said they hope to replicate that process again this year.
Outside seating under tents in the parking lots of each T-Bones, Cactus Jack’s and Copper Door restaurant were also set up throughout the summer. Barreira said that will all be returning.
“We’re actually in the process of purchasing patio furniture and outdoor lighting … to have it be a much nicer experience outside than just a quick setup kind of situation,” she said, adding that this will likely start sometime in April.
Soulard said he’s also looking forward to bringing back expanded outdoor dining to his restaurant. Last year North Side Grille had implemented an outdoor patio spanning three parking spaces by its front door and there were additional seats under a tent.
“It worked phenomenal for us. I was able to put more tables outside than actually inside at 100 percent [capacity],” he said. “We did trivia outdoors on Monday nights … [and] in the times of Covid when there’s nothing to do, it actually kind of became a Monday night hit.”
Rally for NH Restaurants More than 200 eateries have been forced to close permanently due to the pandemic, according to the New Hampshire Lodging & Restaurant Association. Its Rally for NH Restaurants campaign, which continues throughout the month of March, is aiming to inform consumers on the ongoing plight of the industry and encourage them to make a positive impact. “February and March in general are usually slower times of the year for restaurants, so when you pile the pandemic on top of that, it just compounds the issue exponentially,” Association president Mike Somers said. “So we’re trying to do everything we can think of just to engage with consumers. … Most restaurant staff are working extra hard to be as safe as possible.” Visit rallyfornhrestaurants.com, where you’ll find a list of ways to help, as well as the most up-to-date reopening guidance and a directory of participating eateries by region.
Where to get your St. Paddy’s Day meals
From traditional boiled corned beef and cabbage dinners to other Irish staples like bangers and mash, Guinness beer, soda bread and sticky toffee pudding, here is a list of local restaurants and pubs offering St. Patrick’s Day food and drink specials or holding themed events.
• Atkinson Resort & Country Club (85 Country Club Drive, Atkinson, 362-8700, atkinsonresort.com) will run corned beef and cabbage specials on Wednesday, March 17, beginning at 11:30 a.m. Call for reservations or to place a takeout order.
• Auburn Pitts (167 Rockingham Road, Auburn, 622-6564, auburnpitts.com) will be serving corned beef and cabbage dinners and corned beef Reubens all week for St. Patrick’s Day, and hosting live music from 2 to 10 p.m. on Wednesday, March 17.
• Averill House Vineyard (21 Averill Road, Brookline, 371-2296, averillhousevineyard.com) will serve its annual “St. Patrick’s Day Mystery” four-course food and wine pairing event on Wednesday, March 17, at 6 p.m. The dinner includes four mystery dishes prepared just for the occasion, plus wine selections from the vineyard. Tickets start at $59.
• Buckley’s Market & Cafe (9 Market Place, Hollis, 465-5522, buckleysbakerycafe.com) is taking orders for St. Patrick’s Day dinner boxes for two, featuring slow-braised corned beef with potatoes, cabbage, turnip and carrots, whole-grain mustard and horseradish sauces, Irish soda bread, and chocolate Guinness cupcakes with Baileys frosting. The cost is $50 per order, or $60 per order if you add a four-pack of Guinness. Order by March 10. Pickups will be on Wednesday, March 17.
• Casey Magee’s Irish Pub & Music Hall (8 Temple St., Nashua, 484-7400, caseymagees.com) will open early on Wednesday, March 17, at 10 a.m. for St. Patrick’s Day, serving a limited food menu featuring specials like corned beef dinners, Irish bangers and more. Live music from Steve DeLuca will also be featured from 5 to 9 p.m.
• CJ’s Great West Grill (782 S. Willow St., Manchester, 627-8600, cjsgreatwestgrill.com) is running a special corned beef and cabbage plate available all day on St. Patrick’s Day, featuring brined vegetables and homemade soda bread.
• Copper Door Restaurant (15 Leavy Drive, Bedford, 488-2677; 41 S. Broadway, Salem, 458-2033; copperdoor.com) will be offering several St. Patrick’s Day-inspired specials, like corned beef dinners, Reuben sandwiches and potato leek soup.
• The Cozy Tea Cart (104 Route 13, Brookline, 249-9111, thecozyteacart.com) will hold an Irish afternoon tea tasting on Sunday, March 14, from 1 to 3 p.m. at the Gatherings at The Colonel Shepard House (29 Mont Vernon St., Milford). The cost is $39.95 per person and reservations are required.
• The Derryfield Restaurant (625 Mammoth Road, Manchester, 623-2880, thederryfield.com) will serve corned beef and cabbage dinners and corned beef sandwiches as specials for St. Patrick’s Day, Wednesday, March 17. Live music from Eric Grant will also be featured from 6 to 9:30 p.m.
• The Flying Goose Brew Pub & Grille (40 Andover Road, New London, 526-6899, flyinggoose.com) will run several specials for St. Patrick’s Day, including corned beef and cabbage and bangers and mash, according to owner Tom Mills.
• Fody’s Great American Tavern (9 Clinton St., Nashua, 577-9015; 187 Rockingham Road, Derry, 404-6946; fodystavern.com) will run a St. Patrick’s Day menu from Friday, March 12, through Wednesday, March 17, at both locations, featuring items like corned beef and cabbage, corned beef poutine and Reuben pizzas. The eatery also makes Guinness-braised sauerkraut and house Guinness grain mustard, while its cabbage is cider-braised. Both locations will also be serving signature St. Patrick’s Day cocktails and will have live music and giveaways.
• Frederick’s Pastries (109 Route 101A, Amherst, 882-7725; 25 S. River Road, Bedford, 647-2253; pastry.net) has several St. Patrick’s Day-themed goodies available to order, like Baileys Irish cream torte, double chocolate chunk cookies with shamrocks, Guinness cupcakes and tortes, mint chocolate chip cupcakes and Irish flag shamrock cookies.
• Georgia’s Northside (394 N. State St., Concord, 715-9189, georgiasnorthside.com) will be running a special meal for St. Patrick’s Day that will include corned beef, red skin mashed potatoes, fried cabbage and dark Guinness bread. Online ordering will be available through the website for pickup at the restaurant on Wednesday, March 17.
• Grill 603 (168 Elm St., Milford, 213-6764, grill603.com) will serve corned beef dinners as dine-in specials for St. Patrick’s Day, as well as pre-orders for takeout.
• LaBelle Winery (345 Route 101, Amherst, 672-9898, labellewinerynh.com) will host a St. Patrick’s Day beer dinner with Merrimack’s Able Ebenezer Brewing Co. on Saturday, March 13, at 6:30 p.m. The four-course meal will include confit chicken thigh, grilled romaine salad, grilled petite filet and chocolate stout cake, each with wine and beer pairings. Tickets will be sold by the table only (price breakdown is $75 per person).
• McNulty & Foley Caterers (124 E. Hollis St., Nashua, 882-1921, mcnultycatering.com) will be offering a special St. Patrick’s Day meal on Wednesday, March 17, from 11:30 a.m. to 6 p.m., featuring slow-cooked corned beef and cabbage, carrots, potatoes and Irish soda bread.
• New England’s Tap House Grille (1292 Hooksett Road, Hooksett, 782-5137, taphousenh.com) will be offering a specials menu for St. Patrick’s Day that will be available from Tuesday, March 16, through Thursday, March 18. Items will include a traditional corned beef and cabbage boiled dinner, panko-crusted Reuben balls, Guinness stew, beer-battered fish and chips, Guinness-infused chocolate cake and Baileys Irish cream cheesecake.
• North Side Grille (323 Derry Road, Hudson, 886-3663, hudsonnorthsidegrille.com) will be offering single-serve corned beef dinners the week of St. Patrick’s Day, in addition to meals for two and meals for four, featuring cabbage, potatoes and carrots. Dine-in and takeout will both be available.
• Patrick’s Pub & Eatery (18 Weirs Road, Gilford, 293-0841, patrickspub.com) will offer several St. Patrick’s Day specials from Friday, March 12, through Wednesday, March 17, including a traditional corned beef and cabbage boiled dinner, bangers and mash, Irish lamb stew and sticky toffee pudding, available for dine-in or takeout. Patrick’s will also be opening early on St. Patrick’s Day, at 11 a.m.
• Presto Craft Kitchen (168 Amory St., Manchester, 606-1252, prestocraftkitchen.com) is taking orders for corned beef dinners for St. Patrick’s Day, featuring potato, carrot, cabbage and soda bread; as well as Guinness pie with beef tips, mashed potato and vegetables; “end of the rainbow” cookies, gold-coated candy bars, and “cake”-sicles (flavors include Thin Mint, Oreo truffle and carrot cake). Order by March 12. Pickups are on Tuesday, March 16, and Wednesday, March 17.
• The Shaskeen Pub and Restaurant (909 Elm St., Manchester, 625-0246, shaskeenirishpub.com) will open at 6 a.m. on St. Patrick’s Day, serving first pints and a breakfast menu during the morning hours, and a limited dinner menu until 9:30 p.m. Tables and seating will be limited on a first-come, first-served basis (no reservations).
• Soel Sistas Catering & Meal Prep (Nashua, 943-1469, soelsistas.com) is taking orders for braised corned beef and cabbage dinners for St. Patrick’s Day, with options of turnips, carrots and potatoes or rice. Single meal orders and family-style meals for a family of four are available. Order by March 10.
• T-Bones Great American Eatery (25 S. River Road, Bedford, 641-6100; 404 S. Main St., Concord, 715-1999; 39 Crystal Ave., Derry, 434-3200; 77 Lowell Road, Hudson, 882-6677; 1182 Union Ave., Laconia, 528-7800; 311 S. Broadway, Salem, 893-3444; t-bones.com) is running a special corned beef and cabbage plate that’s available all day on St. Patrick’s Day at each of its locations, featuring brined vegetables and homemade soda bread.
• The Village Trestle (25 Main St., Goffstown, 497-8230, villagetrestle.com) will be open from 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. on St. Patrick’s Day for dine-in and takeout, featuring corned beef dinners, Reubens, lamb stew and other specialty items.
• Zorvino Vineyards (226 Main St., Sandown, 887-8463, zorvino.com) will host a four-course St. Patrick’s Day dinner on Saturday, March 13, featuring a pub salad with cucumber-wrapped leafy greens, seared Irish sausage, braised corned beef and cabbage with roasted carrot and turnip, and bourbon pecan tartlets. A cocktail hour will be held from 6:30 p.m., followed by dinner at 7:30 p.m. The cost is $70 per person and includes two wine samples.
Feautred photo: Corned beef brisket from Presto Craft Kitchen in Manchester. Courtesy photo.
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