Food – Page 24

The Weekly Dish 23/05/04

News from the local food scene

• Farmers market news: Opening day for the Concord Farmers Market is set for Saturday, May 6 — one of the longest-running outdoor markets in southern New Hampshire, it features more than 40 vendors during its peak time of the season. The market will continue every Saturday, from 8:30 a.m. to noon, through October, on Capitol Street in Concord, adjacent to the Statehouse lawn. See concordfarmersmarket.com for a full list of this year’s vendors.

• For the choco-holics:Learn how to make chocolate bark during a 21+ class at Van Otis Chocolates (341 Elm St., Manchester). Classes are scheduled for Thursdays, from 5:30 to 7 p.m., dates offered May 11, May 18 and May 25, and will include tours of Van Otis’s chocolate factory. Participants will get to make their own chocolate bark customized with different flavors and mix-ins and will also be able to bring home their favorite bottle of wine and about 8 ounces of bark per person. After the class, guests will also receive a special discount to be used in the store that same day only. The cost is $50 per person and tickets can be purchased online via Eventbrite. See vanotis.com or find them on Facebook @vanotischocolate for more details.

• Wine is love:Join Balin Books (375 Amherst St., Nashua) in welcoming LaBelle Winery owner and winemaker Amy LaBelle on Saturday, May 6, at 2 p.m. — she’ll be there to present and sign copies of her debut book, Wine Weddings: The Ultimate Guide to Creating the Wine-Themed Wedding of Your Dreams. Released Dec. 16, the book offers advice on planning and hosting weddings of every size and type, covering everything from choosing invitation designs and wedding favors to creating your own menu of signature drinks and wine choices. It’s also filled with photographs taken at weddings hosted at both of the winery’s locations, in Amherst and Derry, and LaBelle even shares the details that went into planning her own wedding. Admission is free and the event will also include a wine and cheese pairing. See the event page on Facebook @balinbooks or call the shop at 673-1734.

• Food truck frenzy: It’s a weekend of food trucks! The Great Bay Food Truck Festival returns to Stratham Hill Park (270 Portsmouth Ave., Stratham) on Saturday, May 6, with limited VIP admission from noon to 1 p.m. and general admission from 1 to 4 p.m. Also happening on Saturday, May 6, is Northwood Parks & Recreation’s food truck festival, from 1 to 5 p.m. Both community events will feature unique options from a variety of area food trucks. See greatbayfoodtruckfestival.com or northwood.recdesk.com for details on each respective event.

Sloe gin fizz

I opened the door to the back seat of my car and went to put my briefcase in but saw something out of the corner of my eye and stopped short.

A couple of times a week, when I stop at the convenience store to pick up some iced coffee, I will treat myself to one of the individually wrapped chocolate-covered graham crackers on the counter by the cash register. For reasons that remain obscure to me, I must have bought one, then tossed it into the back of my car the day before.

I picked it up and examined it. Although still hermetically sealed, it had clearly had a rough 24 hours. As it sat in the hot car throughout the previous day, the chocolate had melted. It had been cold overnight, though, and it had firmed back up. Not wanting to waste a gift from Past Me, I ate it before getting into the front seat.

“Look at you!” I said to it, as I unwrapped it. “You had a rough day, but you pulled yourself together, and here you are, back on the job. Thank you. I appreciate your work ethic.”

I was suddenly struck by a rare moment of perspective and clarity. I was standing in my driveway, actively working to validate the feelings of a graham cracker. I had clearly turned some sort of emotional corner.

So now, as I decompress from a week where I, too, feel as if I’ve been melted and refrozen and tossed aside, I would very much like a nice drink. Clearly though, my judgment is somewhat suspect at the moment. It is time to fall back on a classic, one that has weathered decades of this sort of week. Maybe something fizzy.

Sloe gin fizz

2 ounces sloe gin
1 ounce fresh squeezed lemon juice
¾ ounce simple syrup
extremely fizzy seltzer – I like Topo Chico

Combine the sloe gin, lemon juice and simple syrup with ice in a cocktail shaker. Shake thoroughly.

Strain into an ice-filled Collins glass.

Top with seltzer, and stir. If you have a bar spoon — one of the ones with a long, twisty stem — this is a good time to use it.

Garnish with one or two cocktail cherries. If you decide to use one, it will be a special occasion when you eat it at the end of the drink. I like to use two, though. I feel like this whole experience might be a bit traumatic to a cherry, and I like to give it some company.

Sloe gin is a sweet, low-alcohol liqueur. It is not too sweet, though, and could use a little help from the simple syrup to stand up to the lemon juice. The lemon juice, in turn, balances the sweetness and provides brightness to the endeavor. The seltzer dials back the intensity of the other ingredients and provides a spring-like fizziness. This is a delicately sweet, low-octane treat to start your weekend off, giving yourself at least as much validation as you would give to a graham cracker.

Featured photo: Sloe gin fizz. Photo by John Fladd.

In the kitchen with Kelley-Sue LeBlanc

Kelley-Sue LeBlanc — a.k.a. “KSL” — is the owner of The Sleazy Vegan food truck (thesleazyvegan.com, and on Facebook and Instagram), which offers a rotating menu of seasonally inspired whole-food plant-based breakfast and lunch items. In addition to maintaining a regular schedule of public appearances in southern New Hampshire, The Sleazy Vegan participates in events and offers catering services. LeBlanc, who grew up in Nashua, originally launched The Sleazy Vegan last year as a ghost kitchen in Manchester before expanding into a food truck a couple of months later. Find The Sleazy Vegan next at the McAuliffe-Shepard Discovery Center (2 Institute Drive, Concord) on Thursday, April 27, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., and at Derryfield Park (Bridge Street, Manchester) on Friday, April 28, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. LeBlanc is also among the roughly 90 participants of this year’s Taco Tour, returning to downtown Manchester on Thursday, May 4, from 4 to 8 p.m.

What is your must-have kitchen item?

I’ve learned in the last year that I need to have at least two of everything, because we have two kitchens and we bop between them regularly. The one thing that I take with me between them is my chef’s knife. I process a lot of veggies and having a super-sharp blade makes everything more fun and safer!

What would you have for your last meal?

Vegan pho, spiced up with hoisin, Sriracha and fresh cilantro. Pho is my go-to for whatever ails me, and it always makes me feel better.

What is your favorite local restaurant?

I can’t possibly name one. … I’m going to use the opportunity [to] holler at my other vegan and vegetarian providers. The Green Beautiful [in Manchester], Troy’s Fresh Kitchen [in Londonderry] and Col’s Kitchen [in Concord], because they deserve to be seen and heard, and we all deserve to be fed well!

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

Oh, I think about vegan celebs that I’d love to feed all the time, but the first thought that came to mind just now was Adam Sandler. It would be cool to have him get “grinders and hoagies” from the Sleazy Vegan food truck in Manchester. A new kind of “lunch lady.”

What is your favorite thing on your menu?

Honestly, the thing I love about our menu is that it changes so much and it reflects what is available in season hyper-locally. If I had to pick one thing, though, I would have to choose the breakfast burrito. It’s so hard to get breakfast out as a vegan and if you do find something, it’s not typically as hearty a meal. … I load it with black beans, peppers, onions and scramble that with Just Egg [a plant-based egg substitute made from mung beans], then onto a tortilla … and [topped] off with paprika potatoes, avocado and vegan sour cream.

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

Back in 2019, I was looking to do a market research analysis project to understand if southern New Hampshire would support a vegan restaurant and a non-alcoholic bar. Covid put a cork in that research project, but my questions have been answered. … We are seeing loads of expansion in vegan and vegetarian options and I’m also seeing more in the mocktail and non-alcoholic bar space. I hope that both of these markets continue to blossom.

What is your favorite thing to cook at home?

Soup. I just love soup and I love that I can use up whatever is in the fridge or pantry to make something unique and satisfying.

Spicy Thai peanut sauce
From the kitchen of Kelley-Sue “KSL” LeBlanc of The Sleazy Vegan food truck

½ cup peanut butter
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 teaspoon minced ginger
1 teaspoon Sriracha
1 Tablespoon tamari sauce
1 Tablespoon rice wine vinegar
1 Tablespoon hoisin sauce
1 Tablespoon lemon juice
2 to 4 Tablespoons green tea
½ a jalapeno pepper
Cilantro
Thai basil
Peanuts

In a bowl or a blender, mix the peanut butter, rice wine vinegar, tamari, jalapeno, lemon juice, hoisin sauce, garlic, ginger, cilantro and Thai basil. Use the green tea to add more liquid as needed to obtain the desired consistency. Top it off with some crushed peanuts.

Featured photo: Kelley-Sue “KSL” LeBlanc, owner of The Sleazy Vegan food truck. Courtesy photo.

Rolling over hunger

Hampstead Eats food truck festival returns

Hampstead Congregational Church is gearing up for its third annual food truck festival fundraiser. Known as “Hampstead Eats,” the event is due to return on the church’s grounds on Saturday, April 29, and will feature tasty options from area food trucks and vendors, in addition to live music and a food drive to support the New Hampshire Food Bank.

“It’s been a great turnout both years,” event coordinator Roxanne McGaffigan said. “A huge part of this event is community. Community for people to come out to eat together, and then community to just be bringing awareness to food insecurity.”

McGaffigan said she launched the festival in 2021 in part as a fundraiser for the renovation and upkeep of the town’s Congregational Church. A small portion of the proceeds received from admission ticket sales is also donated to the Food Bank.

Attendees ages 5 and up pay an admission fee to gain access to the trucks, and all food selections are priced per item. The trucks will all be parked along the church driveway.

“There’s limited parking behind the church … and then there’s parking at the Hampstead Middle School at the end of the street on School Street, which is just two buildings over,” McGaffigan said.

Nearly all of the featured vendors that have participated in Hampstead Eats the last two years are making a return this time around. Chef Koz’s Crescent City Kitchen offers scratch-made Creole and Cajun-inspired dishes, while The Whoop(ie) Wagon is known for serving up all kinds of creative takes on whoopie pie flavors.

The Traveling Foodie is also back. Co-owner Jamie Mandra said they expect to offer several of their signature menu items, including “Love in a Cup,” a layered barbecue dish you eat with a fork, as well as their Southern fried chicken sandwich, birria biscuit bombs and Mexican street corn bowl.

A newcomer to this year’s festival is One Happy Clam Seafood & More — it’s operated by Rick Metts, longtime former owner of Clam Haven in Derry. Kona Ice, which offers several flavors of tropical-themed shaved ice, will be providing free cup upgrades for those who bring a nonperishable item to donate to the Food Bank, McGaffigan said.

Festival-goers are welcome to bring blankets or chairs out on the nearby church lawn to enjoy live performances, which will include Sons of the Solstice, followed by the Space Heaters.

Third annual Hampstead Eats food truck festival
When: Saturday, April 29, noon to 5 p.m.
Where: Hampstead Congregational Church, 61 Main St., Hampstead
Cost: $5 admission fee for attendees ages 5 and up (cash or checks are accepted, as well as PayPal, accessible through the QR code on the event flier); foods are priced per item
More info: Search “Hampstead Eats” on Facebook, or call the church office at 329-6985
Event is rain or shine, and well-behaved leashed dogs are welcome.

Participating vendors

• Armstrong’s Gourmet Popcorn (mindblowingpopcorn.com)
• B’s Tacos (nhtacotruck.com)
• Boogalow’s Island BBQ (boogalowsbbq.com)
• Chef Koz’s Crescent City Kitchen (find them on Facebook @crescentcitykitchennh)
• Chubb’s Fries & Dough (find them on Facebook @eddiemencis)
• Kona Ice (kona-ice.com)
• One Happy Clam Seafood & More (find them on Facebook @onehappyclam)
• Pat’s Cider Donuts (patsciderdonuts.com)
• Presto Craft Kitchen (prestocraftkitchen.com)
• The Traveling Foodie (jrmcateringllc.com)
• The Whoo(pie) Wagon (thewhoopiewagon.com)

Featured photo: Photos courtesy of Alas de Frida Mexican Restaurant & Bar in Manchester.

But first, tacos

Taco Tour returns to downtown Manchester

After a successful revival year in 2022, Taco Tour returns on Thursday, May 4, and will feature its largest roster of participating vendors yet, along with two stages of live local music acts throughout the evening.

The Greater Manchester Chamber took the reins of Taco Tour last year, the first to take place since 2019.

“The crowd size was huge,” event director Cole Riel said of last year’s Taco Tour. “To have such a crowd in downtown Manchester, something we just didn’t see happening a lot since Covid, was a big win for the city and it has brought a lot of momentum for us into this year.”

Of about 1,000 of last year’s attendees surveyed by the Chamber, Riel said 73 percent reported discovering a new restaurant that had opened in the area, and 83 percent said they planned to come back to downtown Manchester in the near future. Collected data and feedback from last year’s Taco Tour among restaurants and attendees, Riel said, has aided the Chamber in making several key improvements to the event this time around.

“Everyone has to sign up to do a minimum of 1,000 tacos to be involved, which was not a parameter for participation in the past,” he said. “For most folks that we talked to, it’s between 1,500 and 2,500 tacos, and then some will continue to sell a little bit after. … So everyone now has a better sense of the scale that they will need going forward, and having that in place is going to be huge for everyone to prep.”

He added that the Chamber will also take active steps to manage long lines that form.

“There were a number of lines that kind of zig-zagged all over, and so we’ll have volunteers,” he said, adding that “end of the line” markers will be in place. “Folks can go online to sign up to volunteer and help us keep the lines organized.”

Around 90 restaurants, food trucks and other businesses have signed up to serve tacos this year. They’ll be set up all along Elm Street, which will be closed to vehicular traffic between Bridge and Granite streets. As in previous years, no price of admission is required — taco lovers are invited to simply come down to Elm Street any time during the event’s four-hour period and eat as many tacos as they can for $3 apiece.

“Attendees should expect everyone to be cash only,” Riel said. “That’s the easiest way that we found for speed of processing, and then at the same time too, obviously, cellular issues with so many people in a tight area … can always cause some hang-ups.”

Tacos won’t just be served on Elm either — eateries and other businesses will be set up along many connecting side streets, some of which will have some closures of their own.

“I’m excited for our friends who will be over on Hanover Street,” Riel said. “We have Industry East, who I’ve been told is coming from the trophy this year. Then we also have City Hall Pub, which wasn’t open when we had the event this time last year, so we’re excited to welcome them. … We also have The Potato Concept coming, and they’ll be doing a ‘PoTaco.’”

Other participants this year include bluAqua Restrobar, serving an alligator and andouille taco with steak chimichurri; The Wild Rover Pub, which will have a shepherd’s pie taco; and the newly opened Alas de Frida Mexican Restaurant & Bar, offering chipotle chicken tacos with grilled onions. Several vegan and vegetarian options are also expected — The Sleazy Vegan food truck, for instance, will serve a jackfruit taco with a mango-jalapeño salsa, while The Green Beautiful Vegan Cafe plans to have a “meaty” mushroom taco with red cabbage slaw, pickled peppers and an avocado crema, alongside a side of vegan street corn.

A downloadable map is expected to be available online at TacoTourManchester.com soon. Free shuttle buses will be making regular stops at several key points around the city, including Murphy’s Taproom, the Restoration Cafe and the Currier Museum of Art.

“That’s kind of a different path that people can take that won’t be busy,” Riel said. “It’ll be sort of like a ‘Choose your own adventure’ Taco Tour, just to help people out with planning in advance and making the map easier to understand.”

New to this year’s Taco Tour is live entertainment, including a concert stage at Veterans Memorial Park that will feature Jeffrey Gaines, Frank Viele and local rock group Best Not Broken. On a bandstand by the intersection of Bridge and Elm streets, performers will include Colleen Green, Manchester power pop band Donaher, and reggae rock group Supernothing.

Similar to last year, attendees can go to the event website to cast their vote for the best taco. The winning vendor will receive $1,000 to give to a nonprofit of their choice, in addition to a “Golden Taco” trophy. The “Most Creative Taco” will also be awarded this year — that winner will get a glass taco trophy created by StudioVerne of Manchester.

“We’ll keep voting open through Friday [May 5], … and then we’ll alert the winner sometime that weekend,” Riel said.

Taco Tour Manchester
When: Thursday, May 4, 4 to 8 p.m.
Where: Participating businesses stationed on Elm Street and various connecting side streets in downtown Manchester
Cost: $3 per taco (cash only)
Visit: tacotourmanchester.com
Event is rain or shine and is dog-friendly. Elm Street will be shut down to vehicular traffic between Bridge and Granite streets for the duration of the event, as will a few side streets.

Featured photo: Downtown Manchester’s Taco Tour returns on Thursday, May 4. Photo by Ethos & Able Creative.

The Weekly Dish 23/04/27

News from the local food scene

• Spectaular!: Tickets are on sale now for the New England Wine Spectacular, happening on Thursday, June 15, from 6 to 9 p.m. at the DoubleTree by Hilton Manchester Downtown (700 Elm St.). The large seminar-style showcase is the premier event of New Hampshire Wine Week, which, for the first time in its nearly 20-year history, is set to take place in June this year as opposed to January. The Spectacular will feature more than 1,700 different wines to try, paired with all kinds of New Hampshire-sourced foods. General admission tickets to the Spectacular are $65 per person (21+ only), with proceeds benefiting the New Hampshire Food Bank. See nhwineweek.com.

• Last call — for a few months: Downtown Manchester’s 815 Cocktails & Provisions will temporarily close for renovations after service on Saturday, May 6, according to a recent announcement posted on its social media pages. “We are gutting the entire space and reopening with a brand spanking new restaurant,” reads the post, which said renovations will likely last “into July.” Visit 815nh.com.

• Mike’s Italian Kitchen coming to Nashua: Nashua eatery MT’s Local Kitchen & Wine Bar is planning on “bringing Italian homestyle cuisine back to Main Street” as it shifts focus to a new concept. Soon to be called Mike’s Italian Kitchen, the restaurant will hold its last day of service on Mother’s Day and then close for about two weeks for renovations. Part of Michael Timothy’s Dining Group, the first iteration of the eatery opened in August 1995 as Michael Timothy’s Urban Bistro. Visit mtslocal.com/mike-s-italian-kitchen.

Cornmeal cookies

Cornmeal may not be an ingredient you consider when making cookies. However, after trying a cornmeal cookie on a trip to Kentucky, I was hooked and knew I needed to create my own version. Think of these cookies as short, sweet corn muffins that have a nicely crisp edge. Enjoyed with a cup of coffee or glass of milk, they are a delicious treat.

The majority of the ingredients in this recipe are straightforward with only two notes. If you are a regular reader, you will notice that I specified the type of salt. Although it’s a small amount, the taste of the cookie can be altered by the salt. If you use kosher salt, you will need a pinch more. However, kosher salt is a bigger crystal, which may mean that there will be tiny pockets of saltiness in the cookies. That isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but it is worth nothing. With smaller crystals, table salt guarantees even distribution of salt.

The other ingredient of note is the cornmeal. I recommend using medium grind, as I think it adds a nice amount of crunch to the cookie. You can use coarse grind, but that may make the texture almost pebble-like. Fine grind is an acceptable substitute, but that does mean you will lose some of the crunchiness.

Make a batch for your next gathering. I am pretty sure you will be the only person who brings cornmeal cookies. You may even get requests for the recipe!

Cornmeal cookies
Makes 4 dozen

1 cup unsalted butter softened
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 large eggs
2 cups all-purpose flour
1½ cups medium-grind cornmeal
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon table salt

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Combine butter and both sugars in a bowl.
Beat on a medium-low speed, using either the paddle on a stand mixer or a hand mixer, for 4 minutes.
Add eggs one at a time, beat after each addition, scraping sides to combine.
Add vanilla to dough, and mix until combined.
Add flour, cornmeal, baking soda and salt, stirring until combined.
Line a baking sheet with a piece of parchment paper, then scoop heaping tablespoons of dough onto the prepared tray.
Bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until the edges are golden brown.
Allow to cool for 4 minutes, then transfer to a baking rack to cool completely.

Featured photo: Cornmeal cookies. Photo by Michele Pesula Kuegler.

In the kitchen with Gaby Maroun

Gaby Maroun is the head chef of Sevmar Mediterranean Bistro (401 Main St., Unit 108, Salem, 870-0018, sevmarbistronh.com), which opened inside the town’s 97 Shops Plaza in January. Co-owned by Maroun’s daughter, Jocelyn, Sevmar gets its name by combining the family’s last name with that of Kelvin Severino, owner of the national demolition company ADEP Group and Jocelyn Maroun’s business partner. The restaurant features traditional Mediterranean appetizers, entrees, salads and other items with a modernized twist, along with a full bar, a Sunday brunch menu, catering options and more. Maroun immigrated to the United States from Lebanon in the 1980s and has been involved in cooking authentic Lebanese cuisine ever since. In addition to Sevmar, his recipes have set the tone for other successful eateries in town, like Jocelyn’s Mediterranean Restaurant & Martini Lounge on Route 28, as well as Salem Kabob and Cedar’s Mediterranean Food.

What is your must-have kitchen item?

An infrared grill. I even put one in my house.

What would you have for your last meal?

I like a good lasagna.

What is your favorite local restaurant?

Trattoria Amalfi [in Salem].

What celebrity would you like to see eating at Sevmar Mediterranean Bistro?

Elvis!

What is your favorite thing on your menu?

The marinated grilled chicken.

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

People like to eat fresh food and real ingredients. Every restaurant has hummus now.

What is your favorite thing to cook at home?

I like to cook any food from my garden, [like] green beans, cucumber tomato salads, eggplant and grape leaves.

Taboule
From the kitchen of Gaby Maroun of Sevmar Mediterranean Bistro in Salem

⅓ cup extra virgin olive oil
3 Tablespoons lemon juice
¼ cup extra fine bulgur wheat
2 bunches parsley (about 2 cups, chopped)
2 firm chopped tomatoes
1 chopped red onion
2 ounces freshly chopped mint (or ½ teaspoon dry mint)
Pinch of salt, pepper and allspice

Mix all ingredients in a bowl until well combined.

Featured photo: Gaby Maroun, head chef of Sevmar Mediterranean Bistro in Salem. Courtesy photo.

Mexican eats downtown

Alas de Frida now open in Manchester

Since 2015, Maricela Cortes and her husband, Isaac Sacramento, have been serving up authentic Mexican cuisine atEl RincónZacatecano Taquería in Manchester. A new restaurant now open just a few blocks north on Elm Street is serving as the couple’s sister establishment, introducing an eclectic menu of items not available atEl Rincón, in addition to a larger bar space.

It’s called Alas de Frida Mexican Restaurant & Bar, and it’s the newest dining spot to debut downtown. The eatery and bar has taken over the old space of The Birch on Elm, as that restaurant continues renovations in its new home in the former Noodz storefront across the street.

Alas de Frida gets its name from the famous late Mexican painter Frida Kahlo. Artwork and quotes from Kahlo are displayed throughout the restaurant and bar’s interior.

“I read a lot about her and [she’s] my inspiration,” Cortes said.

The menu features options that are all fresh and authentic, but it’s nearly completely different from what you’ll find at El Rincón. Perhaps one of the more notable changes is the addition of birria, an item Cortes said she is frequently asked about by customers.

“Over there [at El Rincón], a lot of people are always asking, ‘Do you have birria,’ and I say ‘No,’ and so I wanted to have birria because it’s very popular,” she said.

In fact, the menu includes almost an entire page dedicated to birria dishes. Although traditionally served in Mexico as a goat meat-based stew, Alas de Frida’s birria features slow-simmered barbacoa beef, with onion, cilantro and a cup of consommé, or the stewed broth, for dipping. You can get them as tacos, or try birria-inspired dishes like birria plates with rice and beans, loaded birria nachos or even noodle bowls of birria.

Cortes, who comes from the east-central Mexican state of Puebla, has also added several native dishes to the menu. The mole poblano, for instance, features grilled chicken covered in a mole sauce and roasted sesame seeds and served with a side of rice and corn tortillas. There’s also an appetizer called the Mexican wings, which are tossed in a spicy house sauce made with charcoal-grilled serrano peppers, tomatoes and garlic.

Alas de Frida is open six days a week for lunch and dinner — its lunch specials run the gamut from huevos rancheros and scrambled egg burritos to flautas (filled flour tortillas), quesadillas, enchiladas and fajitas.

Tacos, meanwhile, are served with blue corn tortillas, another new feature Cortes said is exclusive to Alas de Frida. Ground beef, shredded beef or chicken tacos are available a la carte, while other options served three per order include al pastor (marinated pork and grilled pineapple pieces), carnitas (slow-cooked seasoned pork) and vegetarian, with grilled mushrooms, bell peppers, onions, zucchini and squash. Cortes is also working toward soon adding trompo tacos al pastor, featuring meat that’s shaved off a rotating vertical spit.

Alas de Frida’s bar is much larger than its sister restaurant, enabling Cortes to offer an expanded menu of specialty cocktails. There’s a selection of more than a dozen house margaritas, in addition to domestic and imported beers, and pages’ worth of tequilas to choose from. Scratch-made horchatas are also available, as well as a few creative takes on mocktails.

Alas de Frida Mexican Restaurant & Bar
Where: 931 Elm St., Manchester
Hours: Tuesday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., Friday and Saturday, noon to 11 p.m., and Sunday, noon to 9 p.m. Closed on Mondays.
More info: See “Alas de Frida Mexican Restaurant & Bar” on Facebook, find them on Instagram @alasdefrida_nh or call 518-7172

Featured photo: Photos courtesy of Alas de Frida Mexican Restaurant & Bar in Manchester.

Pies, greens and submarines

The Ricochet opens in Derry

Derry native Joey McCarran fondly remembers Romano’s Pizzeria, a town institution for nearly two decades. After several years spent on the West Coast post-college, McCarran and his wife, Lauren, are now back in his hometown — they’re known as “Jo and Lo,” and they’ve just opened a new restaurant together in the same storefront he used to frequent growing up.

The couple’s own experiences traveling across the country and returning home, McCarran said, inspired the name of their new eatery: The Ricochet. Gourmet pizza pies, calzones and hot subs are among the stars of the menu, which also features appetizers, salads, craft beers and cocktails.

“We like to say that the whole thing about this place and what we tried to do here is that it’s a feeling,” he said. “You’re going to ricochet off the walls here but at the end of the day you’ll end up where you’re supposed to, and that’s kind of what we were thinking we did. … We were here, there and everywhere. We hadn’t really planned on moving back to New Hampshire, but I grew up here, my family is still around, and I wanted our daughters to be able to come back.”

The couple took over the space last July and have been hard at work ever since on renovations and menu development. Ricky Alback, who McCarran said had been an employee at Romano’s at the time of the ownership change, has stayed on to serve as The Ricochet’s head chef.

“Ricky and I, we’ve been working tirelessly over here, just to make sure that we have something that we really like and that we can share with everybody,” he said. “It’s been fun to hear all of the feedback. Some days everybody orders all of our sandwiches, and we’re like, ‘Wow, I guess we were a sub shop today!’ … Then we might have a pizza day, and all of the pizzas will be gone.”

McCarran also recently started a company called Little Wild, which aims to provide locally grown hydroponic produce for area restaurants and other wholesale customers.

“I’ve got an investment down at a farm in Haverhill, Massachusetts, that’s going to [have] 30,000 square feet of hydroponic produce production,” he said. “All that produce will be coming to The Ricochet. … The idea is that … a restaurant like ours can really benefit from a local supplier that is consistent and can keep delivering, so customers will want to come back.”

The Ricochet boasts a unique aesthetic McCarran likened to a zen garden, with low lighting and plenty of vibrant plants. While it has been somewhat heavy on the takeout clientele at least to start, he said he has steadily noticed a surge in the volume of dine-in customers as of late.

Pizzas, McCarran said, feature a thin crust reminiscent of a southeastern Connecticut style.

“My wife is actually from the Mystic area, and so we really like that style of pizza,” he said. “We do a small and a large, and then any of our pizzas can also be a calzone.”

Among the several fan favorite pies out of the gate have been the El Jefe, featuring local pulled pork, barbecue sauce, red onions, pineapple and bacon; the Reaper, a spicier pizza with ghost pepper cheese, chorizo and hot honey; and the Figgy P, which has fig jam, Gorgonzola cheese, fresh mozzarella, thinly sliced prosciutto and a balsamic drizzle.

Subs feature rolls McCarran picks up fresh every day at Tripoli Bakery, just over the state line in northern Massachusetts. Many of the tried and true classics are represented, from a house meatball sub with marinara and provolone cheese, to a BLT, a chicken Parm and a steak bomb.

Salads, meanwhile, start with a garden or romaine base before they can be built in all kinds of different ways with proteins, toppings and dressings. There’s also a modest selection of made-to-order appetizers, like onion rings, crispy cut fries, chicken tenders and wings.

The Ricochet is also fast becoming known for its beverage program, which includes a rotating lineup of craft beers and creative cocktails. McCarran has even partnered Ali and Rob Leleszi of Rockingham Brewing Co. to brew a house Mexican-style cerveza, which he calls “the perfect pizza beer.” It’s available on tap now and will soon come canned when the second batch is ready.

“The beer is called Cerveza de Lechuza, and Lechuza was the beach [where] we would be pretty much every day when we lived out in Malibu,” McCarran said. “It directly translates to ‘owl beer,’ and so that’s how we always talk about it. Like, ‘Hey, come sit with us and have an owl.’”

Despite its small space, The Ricochet features a small stage in the corner of its lounge space for live performances. McCarran is also working on adding outdoor seating at the end of the plaza.

The Ricochet
Where: 35 Manchester Road, Suite 10, Derry
Hours: Tuesday, 4 to 8 p.m.; Wednesday and Thursday, noon to 8 p.m., Friday, noon to 9 p.m., and Saturday and Sunday, noon to 8 p.m.
More info: Visit ricochet.pizza, find them on Facebook @thericochetderry and on Instagram @lovethericochet, or call 434-6500

Featured photo: Photos by Annie Hardester, on Instagram @annie.the.baker

Category: Food