I’m finally attacking the intimidatingly large stack of books I’ve bought over the past year and never actually read. One of the most fascinating is Hear Me Talkin’ to Ya: The Story of Jazz as Told By The Men who Made it, by Nat Shapiro and Nat Hentoff (1955, Rinehart and Co.). Leaving its problematic subtitle aside (ahem, Bessie Smith, Ma Rainey and a parade of other unamused female musicians) the most fascinating part of the jazz story so far has been the descriptions of Storyville. Storyville was the celebrated red light district in New Orleans where, legend has it, jazz music was born. In New Orleans tradition, it has become mythologized so much that it has taken on a brassy, tarnished aura of being joyful and exotic. Nowhere more so than in the names of the “sportin’ men” and working girls who lived there: Flamin’ Mamie, Crying Emma, Big Butt Annie, Naked Mouf Mattie, Boxcar Shorty, Titanic, Bull Frog Sonny, Street Rabbit, Three Finger Annie, Charlie Bow Wow, Yard Dog, Knock On The Wall, and Tenderloin Thelma are all intriguing. Each of them deserves a song, an adventure movie, a mystery novel or at least a cocktail dedicated to them.
The two names that jump out at me, though, are Boo Boo and Big Boo Boo.
I don’t know who Boo Boo was. I don’t know how he got his name. I don’t know who Big Boo Boo was, though I like to think of the two of them as partners — Boo Boo being the brains of the operation, and Big Boo Boo lurking in the background, occasionally cracking his knuckles. If we were to make a movie about them, we would learn in one of the last scenes that Big Boo Boo had a beautiful tenor singing voice.
This is all conjecture on my part. For all we know, the Two Boo Boos might have been two women, calling to potential customers from their balconies.
Anyway, here are two drinks to honor them:
Boo Boo Shooter
It makes sense that if we are going to make a pair of drinks dedicated to Boo Boo and Big Boo Boo one of the drinks needs to be little and one needs to be big. This is the little one.
Ingredients: ¼ oz. hibiscus syrup (see below) 1 oz. jalapeño rum (see below) ½ oz. passion fruit juice cocktail (yeah — see below for that, too) ¼ oz. fresh squeezed lime juice 1 (seriously, just one) drop rose water
Add each ingredient to a chilled shot glass or very small juice glass. Drink it.
This is spicy, and sour, and floral. It’s rather delicious, but it hangs around in your mouth and your head for easily 10 minutes after you have drunk it, reminding you of all the exotic places you haven’t visited yet.
Hibiscus syrup: Bring 10 ounces of water and 9 ounces of sugar to a boil and boil it for a few more seconds, until the sugar seems to disappear. Take it off the heat and add ½ ounce of dried hibiscus flowers and 1 ounce of fresh-squeezed lemon juice. Stir, let it sit for half an hour, then strain it into a bottle, and store in your refrigerator. Depending on your hibiscus blossoms, the color will range from an exotic purple to a deep magenta.
Jalapeño rum: Roughly chop 4 or 5 jalapeño peppers, and put them into a large, wide-mouthed jar. Add a bottle of white or silver rum (again, probably not the good stuff; any subtleties of flavor will be completely covered up). Shake twice per day, then strain and bottle after 4 days.
Passion fruit juice cocktail: Find this in the juice aisle at your favorite supermarket.
Big Boo Boo
Yes, this is largely a scaled-up, highball version of the Boo Boo Shooter.
Ingredients: 1 oz. hibiscus syrup 2 oz. jalapeño rum 4 oz. passion fruit cocktai 1 oz. fresh squeezed lime juice 3-4 oz. plain seltzer or soda water (right now I like Topo Chico Mineral Water; it’s aggressively bubbly) 3 drops (again, seriously, only three) rose water
Fill a shaker with ice. Add hibiscus syrup, rum, passion fruit juice, and lime juice.
Shake until very cold
Pour into a large glass filled with ice. Strain it, don’t strain it — this drink does not stand on ceremony.
Add seltzer, and stir gently to combine.
Add rose water.
This drink tastes a lot like its namesake shooter but provides a more protracted experience. After a few sips you may decide that this drink is too spicy, or too sour, or too weird for you. A moment later you will find yourself going back for another taste. Then another.
Eventually you will probably find yourself back in the kitchen, making another, with a confused frown of concentration on your face. Which I think Boo Boo and Big Boo Boo would appreciate.
Featured photo: Big Boo Boo and the Boo Boo Shooter. Photo by John Fladd.
Napa and Sonoma offer a perfect spot for pinots and chards
Napa and Sonoma counties, known for producing some of our nation’s greatest wines, have been described as having a Mediterranean climate. While the valley floor of Napa and Courthouse Square in Santa Rosa can reach summer temperatures well into the 90s, the two counties have several cooler microclimates produced by air movement over the diverse terrain.
These counties lie north of San Francisco and San Pablo Bay. Combined they are about 50 miles long and almost 50 miles wide and are bordered on the east by the Vaca and Howell mountains, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean. The Mayacamas Mountains, a range that is more than 50 miles long, running from just north of the San Pablo Bay to Mendocino County, separates Napa and Sonoma counties with slopes that vary from hilly knolls to peaks that can climb to well over 4,000 feet. These mountain ranges and their lower, stepped hills, referred to as “benches,” augment the climate of the two counties, contributing to several microclimates throughout the area.
San Pablo Bay is a shallow estuary that mixes the fresh water of several rivers with the salt water of San Francisco Bay. This low-lying and gently sloping land shared by these two counties is known as the Los Carneros AVA (American Viticultural Area). The cold, brackish water of the bay evaporates into the hot, arid air of the two valleys to the north to produce cool foggy nights that can last well into the morning hours.
This climate is ideal for growing chardonnay and pinot noir grapes, varietals grown in the Champagne regions of France for the production of Champagne. The cooler climate of Carneros is attractive to the cultivation of these same varietals and is used in the production of California sparkling wines. With more than 6,000 acres cultivated in vineyards, the Carneros District was the first wine region in California to be defined by its climate characteristics rather than political boundaries. Elevations of these vineyards range from 400 feet in the foothills of the Mayacamas mountains to near sea level at the bay’s edge. With the combination of poor soil and cooler climates, the wines developed from grapes grown in this region have higher levels of acidity.
Our first wine is a chardonnay, Bouchaine Vineyard 2016 Chêne d’Argent Estate Chardonnay (originally priced at $32.99, reduced to $16.99 at the New Hampshire Liquor & Wine Outlets). Bouchaine is the oldest continuously operated winery in the Carneros district. The land was first owned by a native of Missouri, Boon Fly, who planted grapes and fruit trees in the late 1880’s. The land changed hands and was eventually purchased by its current owners, Gerret and Tatiana Copeland. This wine has a light, transparent gold color. The nose is light, with notes of citric and green apple along with a bit of smokiness. To the tongue the taste is full, citric, with a bit of grapefruit, yeasty brioche, and that same smoky sense, derived from some time in oak barrels. The finish is quite long. This wine will pair well with roasted chicken or grilled pork or can just be slowly sipped.
In the northern region of Sonoma County, 50 miles from San Pablo Bay, is Anderson Valley. About 15 miles long and running along the banks of the Russian River, it extends into Mendocino County. Elevations can range to 2,500 feet above sea level. Vineyards are planted from the valley floor to the benchlands of the nearby mountains. While we typically think of Napa and Sonoma counties as having hot summers, this area is different. Owing to its proximity to the Pacific, and flanked to the east by the Mayacamas Mountains, it is one of the coolest wine-producing areas of the state. Receiving about 40 inches of rain each year, it is also one of the wettest of the various grape-growing and wine-producing regions of Sonoma County.
The 2019 V. Sattui Anderson Valley Classico Pinot Noir (originally priced at $48.99, reduced to $23.99 at the New Hampshire Liquor & Wine Outlets) is a classic Burgundian pinot noir. V. Sattui, based in Napa, purchases these Anderson Valley grapes and trucks them to its winery in St. Helena — a common practice among wineries in Napa and Sonoma counties. The color is an almost transparent garnet red; the nose is of raspberries, which recede on the tongue to a dry and full-mouth sense of pepper spice with just a touch of leather. Given the cool climate, the wine is light with a low alcohol content at 13.8 percent. This wine will pair well with seafood or chicken.
Featured photo: Bouchaine Vineyard 2016 Chêne d’Argent Estate Chardonnay, 2019 V. Sattui Anderson Valley Classico Pinot Noir
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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• Derry market to return this June: After taking a one-year hiatus last year due to Covid-19 concerns, the Derry Homegrown Farm & Artisan Market will return on June 2, according to a Feb. 22 press release issued by its board of directors. The market will be held rain or shine every Wednesday through Sept. 29 at 1 W. Broadway in Derry, and will feature a selection of local produce, fresh seafood and meats, eggs, gourmet cheeses, artisan breads and more. The board had made the unanimous decision to cancel last year’s market just one day before it was scheduled to begin for the season. “As this will be our first season under Covid conditions, the market may look somewhat different this year and masks will be required,” the press release read. “While we enjoy making this a fun community event, the health and safety of patrons, vendors and volunteers will be paramount this year.” Visit derryhomegrown.org.
• Meet the makers: Join the New Hampshire Food Alliance for a virtual tasting event as part of the 2021 New Hampshire Food System Statewide Gathering, to be held on Thursday, March 11, from 5:15 to 6:30 p.m. The event will highlight short presentations from three featured New Hampshire food producers — Wood Stove Kitchen, Winnipesaukee Woods Farm and Wayfarer Coffee Roasters — followed by a Q&A session about their items. The event is free and registration is open to the public. Visit nhfoodgathering.weebly.com/meet-nh-makers.html.
• From brunch to burgers: The Bedford Village Inn (2 Olde Bedford Way, Bedford) will hold its next Champagne brunch on Sunday, March 14, in its Great Hall, with multiple seating times throughout the day beginning at 9 a.m. The brunch will feature unlimited mimosas and a buffet that includes a raw bar, a chef-attended omelet station and a grand dessert buffet. The cost is $75 per person (21+ attendees only) and reservations are required. The Inn has also kicked off Burgerama for the month of March, featuring unique burger and slider specials in its Tavern all month long. Different burger specials are available on different days in March — visit orderbvi.com/burgerama to view the menu.
• LaBelle Winery presents kids’ cooking TV series: LaBelle Winery owner and winemaker Amy LaBelle has partnered with New Hampshire PBS to present a series of pre-recorded interactive cooking classes geared toward kids ages 6 to 16, according to a press release. The series, called Amy LaBelle’s Cooking with Kids, is hosted by LaBelle and available to view online. According to the release, the idea for the series stems from LaBelle’s love of cooking with her two sons, 13-year-old Jackson and 10-year-old Lucas. Since 2018 she has also hosted successful monthly hands-on cooking classes for kids at the winery’s Amherst location. Four online classes have been produced. Visit nhpbs.org/cookingwithkids. In a March 2 press release, LaBelle Winery also announced the name of its new restaurant opening later this year in Derry. Americus, which is due to open in mid-May, will feature a menu of New England contemporary farm-to-table cuisine with an international flair, according to the release.
I know that many people, especially gardeners under the age of 40, use the internet to find the answers to their questions. That is fine, but the internet is full of “fake news” and spurious assertions. I do use the web, but if I want to learn about something in depth, I reach for a book. People who write books generally write about things they know. Garden books are written by gardeners.
Some years ago I taught a class in sustainable gardening at Granite State College, part of the University of New Hampshire system. I asked my students to buy The Garden Primer by Barbara Damrosch. This paperback is a compact 800 pages of readable, educational information about nearly every aspect of gardening. It came in out on 2008, but is still in print. Everyone could benefit by owning it.
For a book on vegetable gardening there is none better than Vermont’s own Ed Smith’s The Vegetable Gardener’s Bible. With more than a million copies sold, this book goes into detail on every veggie you could grow — when and how to plant, how long seeds last, when to harvest, and much more.
Are you interested in flower gardening? My first choice of books would be Tracy DiSabato-Aust’s book, The Well-Tended Perennial Garden: Planting & Pruning Techniques. She is obviously a well-experienced gardener and designer, and one who has learned to get her flowers to re-bloom, or bloom at a shorter height, and who knows how much sun and water each needs. Staking? Dividing plants? It’s all there and more.
For the serious flower gardener or landscape professional I would recommend a 1,100-page book by Allan M. Armitage: Herbaceous Perennial Plants: A Treatise on their Identification, Culture, and Garden Attributes. This book came out in 1989 and it is now its fourth edition, which came out in 2020. My goal for the winter is to read it, or the relevant parts, cover to cover. Why? Because I can learn from a man who is not only a Ph.D. professor but a hands-on gardener of many decades.
There are plants in the book that I absolutely lust for. Unusual plants that will fill niches in my diverse garden beds. It also tells me why some plants I have tried have died out. It informs me about named varieties to look for that have special attributes.
Dr. Armitage is opinionated and often funny. I like that. It has some photos, but certainly not one for every flower mentioned. This is not a coffee table book, but a book for plant collectors, landscapers — and fanatics. At just under $80, I think it’s a bargain.
Trees? The most prolific and best informed expert, in my opinion, is Michael Dirr. I use his Manual of Woody Landscape Plants: Their Identification, Ornamental Characteristics, Culture, Propagation and Uses every week of the year. It has informed me about any tree or shrub I want to know about. Now in its sixth edition, it sells new for $81.80, but it is available used for much less (usually earlier editions).
Professor Dirr also has written many other books, several of them with terrific color photos (in contrast to his Manual, described above, which has only drawings). I spent one winter going through his Dirr’s Encyclopedia of Trees and Shrubs with its descriptions of 3,700 species and cultivars and 3,500 photos.
Pruning is key to keeping your woody plants looking good. My favorite pruning book is by Lee Reich, The Pruning Book. With both diagrams and photographs, this book covers many species and their specific needs. His book Grow Fruit Naturally is another excellent book you might want.
Soil is the key to good gardening but a topic that is usually boring and scientifically described. Want an easy explanation of how it works? Try a book by Dianne Miessler, Grow Your Soil: Harness the Power of the Soil Food Web to Create Your Best Garden Ever. It explains very well how soils work, what soil test results mean, and how to correct deficiencies. You don’t need to be a scientist to read this one ($16.95 in paper).
Stone is a key element in many gardens, part of the “bones” of a garden. Dan Snow, a Vermont dry stonewaller and stone artist, has written a number of fine books on using stone. Listening to Stone and In the Company of Stone both offer practical and philosophical advice and share many fine photos of his projects.
Gordon Hayward, a Vermont landscape designer and prolific author, also has an excellent book on how to use stone, Stone in the Garden: Inspiring Designs and Practical Projects. Want to build a stone path or a retaining wall? Hayward simplifies the process. As with Dan Snow’s books, great photographs full of ideas.
Sydney Eddison is another prolific garden writer with many fine titles. Her The Gardener’s Palette: Creating Color in the Garden taught me a lot about the use of colors in the garden. Her advice is always practical and nicely explained.
So invest in some books this winter, curl up in a comfy place and see what you can learn that will help you, come spring.
Featured Photo: Two fine books on perennial flowers. Courtesy photo.
