Hamilton House of Pizza -- Tuna Sub and Baklava

I'm beginning to understand why food critics don't go to restaurants that regular people go to. There's not much to say about fast food joints or your typical mom and pop pizza places, and I think that hits the mark pretty well for Hamilton House of Pizza in Hamilton, Massachusetts.

There was nothing particularly bad about my meal, but there wasn't anything superlative about it either. The baklava was dense and sweet, but adequate enough, the Tuna Sub was appetizing but a little overpriced.

Inside, the place is quaint, there's a few tables, over the counter service, your typical  illuminated "House of Pizza" menu posted above the counter, just like in most other little towns everywhere in the U.S

With a drink, this came out to around $10, which seems to be the standard everywhere for a non-fast food meal these days. you probably won't find this from most other critics, but maybe I have to calibrate my standards as food gets more expensive everywhere. If i'm in the area again, i'll have to take a look to see if you can get more for $10, because I was satiated, but not blown off my feet by this.

Meal: Baklava, Small Tuna Sub and Drink
Speed of Service: 5 minutes
Time of Meal: 6:00 PM, Weekday
Price: $9.42

Chapanga's -- Teriyaki Burger

I had seen a menu flyer for this place a month or two ago, so when I was driving by I figured I would give it a shot.

That shot has been taken and I can't say that it hit the bullseye, I but I think it got at at least part of the target.

My order on this visit was a terriyaki burger with fries and a sprite. The terriyaki marinade was not particularly evident but the onions and peppers were well done and I can't complain that the meal wasn't satisfying or that the service was bad.

The problem was in the price, if this meal was $8.00 I would highly recommend it, but at what I spent, I felt as though I should have gotten much more.

That price shift may be what's needed to get these guys more customers, although it was a weekday, I also came in during the lunch rush and the place was nearly deserted. Then again, that also may have been due to its location nearby several other restaurants and slightly away from the center of town. The floor plan of this place looks as though it was once a Denny's or something, but it seemed the way it was decorated inside that they were going for a slightly, if not completely, higher price ranged customer.

I might try them for breakfast sometime, and I can't say they're bad, but I can't say they're a fantastic choice either.

Meal: Teriyaki Burger with Drink
Speed of Service: 5 minutes
Time of Meal:  Noon, Weekday
Price: $15.25

Triple 888 -- Goi Ga

Nestled inside a little, ugly strip mall on Route One in Peabody lies an outstanding, if non-descript, Vietnamese place called Triple 888.

I was there during the lunch rush and it was about half filled, and after my order I think the only reason why it was not packed was because the owners do not do a better job at marketing this place.

My order was a variation on Goi Ga (basically a kind of Vietnamese Cole Slaw salad with strips of chicken) with shrimp, and I think it would have appealed to pretty much any pallette. It wasn't bland, it had a little bit of a kick, but it wasn't overwhelming either. And the shrimp and chicken were very good, one shortfall with authentic oriental restaurants is that they prefer dark meat chicken and keeping the scales on the shrimp, which I have to admit isn't my cup of tea.

The service was very courteous, and the meal was served at a good clip, if there's any problem with this meal it was the price, but I think it was just about on target, maybe $9.50-$10.00 with tax and tip would have been  the perfect price in my opinion.

No doubt if you're speeding by, you'll more than likely miss this place, but if you can keep an eye out for it, you'll have a good lunch if my experience was any indication.

Meal: Goi Tom Thit Ga
Time of Meal: Noon, Weekday
Speed of Service: 10 minutes
Price:$11.60

Center Court Pizzeria and Grill -- Buffalo Chicken

If you have never been to Lynnfield, Massachusetts before, you're probably not going to see Center Court Pizzeria and Grill at first glance. It's nestled behind a row of stores on the main drag in this little quaint shopping plaza. That is probably the worst thing about this place, but while there weren't too many negatives, I can't say my experience had a whole lot of positives either.

My Buffalo Chicken meal (seen above) came with fries (below the foil) and a salad, and I also bought a drink, but although I left full and without complaints in terms of portions, I think they could have shaved a dollar or two off the price.

Other than that, this place was fairly non-descript. Local paraphrenalia and sports stuff on the walls, your typical illuminated primary color-centric menu overhead, solid but not spectacular food, and done at a fair speed by people who weren't rude.

If you're within about a half mile radius, I would say this place is a decent choice. Outside of that, I can't say there's much that would pull anyone here.

Meal: Buffalo Chicken with drink

Time of Meal: 5:30 PM, Weekday

Speed of Service: 10 minutes

Price of Meal: $11.13

Amigo's -- Alamo Burrito

Amigo's Mexican, a little place just off the Oval in Milford, New Hampshire, isn't too shabby when it comes what you'll find for Tex/Mex cuisine in the area. However, I wouldn't say it's perfect by any means.

On my visit, I ordered an Alamo Burrito, which has "Chalupa" beef (braised with some kind of marinade I couldn't place) along with barbeque sauce, carmelized onions and a few other things that made a nice melange of flavors and textures. 

An assortment of hot sauces, seasoned french fries and refried beans made for a filling and enjoyable meal. In addition the service was also good, and the decor was cosy: there was definitely a comfortable feeling to what felt like was once an old converted first floor of a house or an older business that was once here.

The problem was the price. I would have expected more for what I got at the price I paid. Maybe without the drink it would be in the ballpark, so I can't complain too much though.

All in all, Amigo's found an amigo in me, but they shouldn't rest on their laurels, there is still room for improvement.

Meal: Alamo Burrito with Drink

Time of Meal: 12:00 PM weekend

Speed of Service: 10 minutes

Price: $15.04

China Eatery -- D7 Combination

Before I ate here, I had never been in downtown Wakefield, Massachusetts before, so I had alot of hopes pinned on this little hole in the wall Chinese joint. Fortunately for me, they didn't disappoint. 

They had just undergone some kind of change in management recently, apparently there was a name change or a different menu, as I overheard some of the regulars talk about it with the cashier as I ate. And the fact that they were concerned that they were losing what they thought had been a pretty good Chinese place speaks fairly well for what I found on this day.

This isn't at the gourmet weight class by any means, but rather it's a greasy spoon type Chinese meal, and the portions and food quality were beyond what I had expected walking in. I think the weakest part of the meal I ate, which was a combination of Kung Pao Chicken, Beef Terriyaki and Fried Rice, was the sauce with the Kung Pao. It was a little watery and flavorless, but it didn't detract overall from the meal. The meat was above average, the vegetables that came with the Kung Pao was above average, the rice was slightly above average, and the portions left enough for leftovers. 

From my experience here, it's hard to find any real fault with China Eatery, and i'd recommend it for someone who's looking for a quick lunch in downtown Wakefield.

Meal: D7 Combination Plate with Drink

Time of Meal: 3:30 PM, Weekday

Speed of Service: 10 Minutes

Price of Meal: $9.90

Taste of Siam - Gai Kapow

While Taste of Siam in Stoneham has a few flaws, overall it is a great little restaurant. Let's get the flaws out of the way first from this lunch special experience.

The portions could have been a little bigger. I would say there were a little below average for the price. However, the parking outside was a much bigger problem; Stoneham doesn't seem to have great parking overall, but this location in particular makes it tough to stop in.

That being said, I was pleased with my meal. It was flavorful, but not overwhelming, and came with two appetizers a cup of soup and jasmine rice.

The wait staff was also very courteous and I thought the small flower made out of the straw wrapper for the thai iced tea straw as well as the simple but stylish decor choices were added bonuses as well.

Would I suggest this place? Sure. However, if you can't find a parking spot its not so good that you should circle around the block.

Meal: Gai Kapow
Price: $12.75
Speed of Service: 5 minutes
Time of Meal: 12:30 weekday

Boloco: The Original

Ok, there are only potentially negative things about Boloco, a burrito chain here in New England.

The first is that if you're really politically conservative, you might feel uncomfortable. They have a Jimmy Carter milkshake, they make a big deal about being socially responsible with their food all over the place, and they kind of insult you if you're not an expert on recycling (their trash cans have two options: recyclables and "other", and under "other", the example they give is "I'm too confused"). Then again, the "Bo" in Boloco stands for Boston, but the fact that it's liberal is understandable.

The second problem is probably a problem that Boloco would want to hear: there aren't enough of them around.

They have a couple of locations in Boston, one in Framingham, one in Concord, one in Lebanon, and one in Burlington,VT. And that's it. This place reminded me of Chipotle, but Chipotle is nationwide, and this place could be too eventually, although it's a slightly different experience.

First off, the burritos can fit in your hand here, they're more rollup style than with a traditional, football like burrito like you'd find at Chipotle that explodes with ingredients. Secondly, there are a ton of different options, and the few times i've been here, all of them are pretty good. Thai or Terriyaki burritos? Yep. Cajun or Buffalo? No problem. Want to customize with a couple dozen ingredients? Sure thing. Chipotle gives you the traditional Mexican options, but Boloco does this too.

They also have an online frequent customer program, which is definitely a neat bonus compared to Chipotle.

But other than that, these two exceptional burrito chains have a fairly similiar feel, and if you're near a Boloco anytime soon, definitely give it a shot. You won't be disappointed.

Meal: "Original" sized burrito
Price: $6.95
Time of Meal: Multiple
Speed of Service: Averaged around 5 minutes

Sunshine Oriental Restaurant L16 Lunch Special and Cucumber Rolls

There was a time when I once worked in Concord, and during that time, the abundant portions and pleasing flavors of Fusion on Loudon Road made it one of my favorite Chinese Restaurants in the area.


Fusion's gone now, and while its location has been taken over by a placed called the Sunshine Oriental Restaurant, its successor hasn't taken its mantle.

The best word to describe Sunshine is "adequate". The server was nice, the cucumber roll was well priced and fresh, and the combo meal(pork fried rice, crab rangoons and beef terriyaki) was decent save for a piece of pork that was a little too fatty.

Yet, Sunshine cannot be called spectacular by any sense of the imagination, especially compared to the days when Fusion was here: you would get much more and much better food for the same price.

It would certaintly explain an empty dining room during a lunch rush.

Meal: L16 Lunch Special and Cucumber Rolls
Price: $10.30
Speed of Service: 5 minutes
Time of Meal: Weekend 12 pm

Wendy's Spicy Bacon and Blue Chicken Sandwich Meal

I have to admit that when I was told Wendy's new small Spicy Bacon and Blue Chicken Sandwich combo would be 7.95, I was somewhat incredulous.

It seemed like the perennial stepchild of the national fast food scene was looking to horn into the premium fast food burger niche without pulling out all the stops.

But while I can't vouch for the price, they may just have hit the mark on entering that niche with this meal.

They made a point of mentioning that they now have sea salt on their fries, which is indeed an upgrade, but this sandwich would have stood on its own to be sure.

Lettuce, blue cheese crumbles, applewood smoked bacon, a bulkie roll(or "hawaiian roll" as I've seen it called in some random ads, at least I think they were ads for Wendy's, they all kind of blur together at this point) and their spicy chicken filet. Nothing spectacular, but a very solid meal and a step above what you'd find with your average fast food fare.

Meal: Spicy Bacon and Blue Chicken Sandwich Meal
Time of Meal 1:00 pm weekday
Speed of Service 3 minutes
Price $7.95

Pattie Shack -- BBQ Buffalo Burger and Sweet Potato Fries

Much is said about Five Guys these days, and rightly so. They've become a national hamburger chain by taking the hamburger back to what it was before the mass production of McDonald's and Burger King and what have you.

Now imagine a distinctly New Hampshiresque Five Guys.... That's the Pattie Shack on Elm Street in Manchester.

Like Five Guys, Pattie Shack has irregularly shaped by hand, exceptionally tasting hamburger and very customizable toppings, but Pattie Shack makes a bigger deal about the toppings, the menu next to the counter seems to stretch on to the point where it's a difficult decision out of all the good choices.

I decided to take it simple and go with the BBQ Buffalo Burger and some Sweet Potato Fries, and I was definitely not disappointed. If you're wearing business attire, like many of the people around me in the tight spaces of this restaurant, you'll definitely need a napkin because they load up on the extras.

For what I recieved, the price was more than appropriate, and the servers seemed happy to see me, even if they were only behind the counter. Parking wasn't great, but it's downtown Manchester, so that's not a huge negative, and that was really the only negative.

After this meal, i'm wondering if the Pattie Shack will follow Five Guys lead and expand into the next national phenomenon.

Meal: BBQ Buffalo Burger and Sweet Potato Fries
Price: $8.75 without tax
Speed of Service: 10 minutes
Time of Meal: 12 PM, Weekend

Thai Chili -- Larb Kai and Thai Iced Tea

Thai food has a reputation for being spicy, and that reputation is duly deserved at Thai Chili in Salem.

The Larb Kai I ordered was certainly not a subtle combination of flavors and textures, it was an attack on my taste buds, almost as though it were a competition to see how spicy you can take your food.

If there were more white rice and Thai Iced Tea, it might have been palatable, but it was a bit too much for me, and I generally enjoy spicy food.

There is much better, much more nuanced and balanced Thai food elsewhere in New Hampshire, but the taste of this food wasn't the key problem, it was the price. With all told, not including the tip, this salad and a Thai Iced Tea came out to around $22. Anything above $15 for this meal, maybe $11 or $12 given the fact that it was an ordeal to eat it due to its overwhelming spicyness, is too much. $22 is way too much.
Massachusetts is only a mile or two down the road here. You can probably find a better meal there than this place if you don't want to check elsewhere in town.
Meal: Larb Kai and Thai Iced Tea
Time of Meal: 5 PM, Weekend
Speed of Service: 10 Minutes
Price $22.00

Wings Your Way -- Special Reserve

Wings Your Way on Elm Street in Manchester is actually a chain, but it's small enough of a chain (only two locations, I believe) that it maintains its genuine atmosphere, which in this case is that of a frat house or in the case of what I ordered: one of those TV eating competitions.

Then again, I knew what I was getting into beforehand, so it's not a complaint but a warning: if you like hot boneless Buffalo Wings, you'll probably be happy with Wings Your Way's Special Reserve.


The heat is a slow heat, an aftertaste, and it lingers and multiplies after each piece of chicken, with the Ranch/Blue Cheese giving enough for your taste buds to steel you forward for more.

It was an experience for me, but just to be warned, I like spicy stuff. Afterwards, your stomach is filled, but your tongue is filled afterwards as well with a feeling of satiety, that the preset taste perceptions you had before have now been enhanced, at least for an hour or so after you eat.

I want to head back to try some of their other flavors, they hit it out of the ballpark with just the Special Reserve, and the waitresses were happy to give me a frequent diner card, that might have just done it for me. Parking's a problem, but it's downtown Manchester, so that is to be expected.

Meal: Special Reserve Chicken
Price: $ 13.99 without tax
Speed of Service: 10 minutes
Time of Meal: 1 PM, Weekday

Bellagio's -- Canadian Poutine

I've only been to Canada once, but I regret the fact that while I was there I did not get any Poutine, perhaps the most quintessential Quebecois food stuff imaginable.

I'm probably not going back anytime soon, but fortunately there are plenty of places around here with the dish, and Bellagio's on Broad Street in Nashua is one of those places.


And this Poutine wasn't too bad, although it wasn't fantastic. Pretty standard stuff: tin of French Fries, gravy, little curds of cheese. A little more cheese would have been nice, but whatever.

Not sure what else to say about this other than Poutine is perhaps the least healthy thing you could eat, and this Poutine was no different: at times you need to stop and feel your heart yelling at you.

By the way, Bellagio's also has an Italian version of Bellagio's where the gravy is replaced with tomato sauce.

Meal: Poutine

Price:$6.95 without tax

Time of Meal: 1 PM, Weekday
Speed of Service: 10 minutes



Mei's Cuisine -- U12 Luncheon Special

I've said this before, but i'll say it again just in case you've never heard me say it before: General Tso's Chicken may have originally been made with dark meat, but it shouldn't be made with it now, especially it it's stringy and just an amalgam of several dark meat pieces cobbled together with fat.

However, if you do it right, dark meat is perfectly acceptable with General Tso's, and Mei's Cuisine in Suncook achieves this.

How do they do it? With very small croquette pieces. Each piece of dark meat gets its own little morsel. The sauce was ok, but if the meat is the key thing to the dish, and Mei's does fine with it there.

I ordered the U12 Luncheon Special, which gives Chicken Fingers aand Fried Rice along with the General Tso's, and at a decent price to boot. It's unfortunate that the place was empty when I was there, because this meal wasn't too bad, and I would suggest it to anyone driving from Hooksett to Concord on the west side of the Merrimack River.

Meal: U12 Luncheon Special

Price: $6.95 plus tax

Speed of Service: 7 Minutes

Time of Meal: 12:00 PM, Weekend

Yama's II -- Pajun

One night I was in Hanover, New Hampshire and it was bitterly cold, so I was looking for a place to get some food on the main drag before I went home to avoid having to brave the harsh weather going up and down the town's sidewalks.

So, I decided on Yama's, a Korean place a block or two away from the Hopkins Center on South Main Street, and I was happy I made that decision.

There were a few options, but what I settled on what the kimchee filled Pajun, basically a crispy, doughy pancake. If you've ever had scallion pancakes at a Chinese place, this is basically the same thing, except replace the scallions with kimchee and make it bigger.
It was a good choice for what I was looking for that night: not a huge meal, it was on the appetizer menu, but it filled me up and at a good price too.



Meal: Pajun
Price: $8.95 without tax
Speed of Service: 10 minutes
Time of Meal: 8:30 PM, Weekday

Grand 38 -- # S5

I apologize to anyone in advance who might live in Pelham, but for the most part it seems to be a fairly run down place in comparison to some of the other nearby towns, and this should probably be taken into account with any analysis of food service in town.

This account comes from Grand 38, which I accidentally mistook for another Chinese restaurant in town since I hadn't been to Pelham in a long time. A case in point of that shabbiness could be found here, there was a huge cracked pane of glass appearing as though it was about to shatter on the front door.

Grand 38 straddles two genres of Chinese restaurant found in the United States: the glorified bar and the take out counter. Normally, a Chinese place will have one or the other, but this one has both, and I think the owner/manager/whatever was surprised when I confused the two: I ordered my meal, an S5 special (Beef Terriyaki, Crab Rangoon and Fried Rice) and sat down in the dining room even though he gave me a take out platter without asking me whether it was here or to go.

The food was adequate, nothing to write home about, but edible enough to fill you up. I can't complain there, and the price for what you get proved to be a pretty good ratio.

Ultimately, if you're in Pelham, Grand 38 is a pretty decent option from my experience. But it wouldn't stack up if it were nearby in say, Nashua or Salem or Lowell.

Meal: S5 Special

Price: $6.00 plus tax

Speed of Service: 5 minutes

Time of Meal: 12:30 PM Weekday

Feng's Asian and Sushi -- L08 Lunch Special

Sushi isn't as exotic as it once was around these parts. There was a time not too long ago if your restaurant had sushi, even simple, Americanized sushi like California Rolls, that was chic. Now though, it's fairly common, even for MSG riddled mom and pop places.

So yeah, I should have given Feng's Asian and Sushi the benefit of the doubt because they seem to specialize mainly in Chinese, and it seems to be a little dumpy, even if Sushi still held the same panache. But I didn't. They made a point that they had Sushi, so instead of ratcheting down the difficulty and ordering Chicken Fingers like most mom and pop places, I went for the General Tso's special, and let me tell you, Feng's has failed that test miserably.

You can see the picture above, the Crab Rangoons are very thin, almost looking like runny cheese, but they were the best part of the meal. The croquettes were strung together parts of inedible dark meat, the rice grains were hard, the sauce was salty and watery, I don't think there was anything redeeming about this meal, I threw it out after only a few bites.

The people there were nice, but nice is only a bonus. You slap extra credit onto an F, and it's what, an F+? That's the best way to describe my experience here. I can't be too angry, because I expected more than I should have, but they asked for it.


Price - $7.07
Meal - L08 Lunch Special (General Tso's, Fried Rice w/Crab Rangoon)
Speed of Service - 10 minutes
Time of Meal - 11:30, Weekday

Maki of Japan - Chicken Terriyaki

The vast majority of restauant food out there is not superlative in either a positive or negative sense and that rings true with the case of Maki of Japan at the Burlington Mall.

I suppose that is to be expected given the fact that it is fast food, but it is still worth noting how average it is.

I am at a loss to describe the Chicken Terriyaki and Fried Rice with any distinctive characteristics, it is solid but not fantastic.

Likewise, the price and service was within the ball park, if a little higher and ruder than one would like. The wait time for the food was the only significant negative, but even that wasn't particularly negative if only due to a last minute rush that probably added a minute or two for the cooks.

There are plenty of options at the Burlington Mall, and while you can't go wrong with Maki of Japan if only judging from my experience, I can't say definitely that it is the best choice in this food court.

Meal - Chicken Terriyaki with fried rice and drink
Price - $8.11 
Speed of Service - 10 mins
Time of Meal - 6:30 PM, Weekend

Shotcakes -- Red Velvet/Vanilla "Shotcake"

Out of the corner of my eye at the burlington mall I saw a place called "shotcakes"d and figured I needed to check it out if only for the name.

While you'd expect a pastry themed firing range or a hard liquor themed strip club with a name like that, it turned out to be a place that sold cupcakes with a "shot" of ice cream.

While I am not sure this is some revolutionary concept, it certainly was worth a try. Would I try it again? Probably not.

Don't get me wrong, the icecake (cupcream?) Was all well and good, but it did not blow me away, and the positives were outweighed by the negatives of this ultimately peculiar place, primarily out of confusion towards things like the poor line design, whetheter or not the tay of cupcakes in display cases up front can be transformed into shotcakes, which is not clearly evident by the menu, and the lingering thought that I could probably get the same experience by going to the supermarket and buying ice cream and cupcakes and just eating them simultaneously at home.

Then again for the uninitiated, I suppose its worth a "shot".

Meal - Red Velvet Vanilla "Shotcake"
Price - $3.63 
Speed of Service - 5 minutes
Time of Meal - 7 PM, Weekend

Tilt'n Diner -- Buffalo Chicken

For tourists heading up to the Lakes Region, particularly for the Tilton Outlet Malls (I don't get why it's an attraction, but that's another story), the Tilt'n Diner is a long established tradition, but if we're judging only by this visit, it won't be a tradition for me.

I ordered the Buffalo Chicken plate, and was incredibly underwhelmed. The meat was stringy, the sauce was fairly bland, the waitress was indifferent and the price for what I got was astronomical.

As I got the check, it hit me: people come here because it looks like a place where they can buy T-Shirts to comemorate their trip to Central New Hampshire. But I didn't want to buy a T-Shirt, I wanted to buy lunch.

There is a Thai restaurant kind of behind the diner, kind of kiddy corner between it and a Dunkin Donuts. Maybe i'll try that next time i'm up this way.

Meal: Buffalo Chicken and Soda

Price: $15.06

Speed of Service: 15 Minutes

Time of Meal: 4 PM, Weekend



Main Moon -- # 22 Combo

Main Moon isn't Rochester's best Chinese restaurant, but it passed my test when it comes to General Tso's Chicken.

They use dark meat, but they have small morsels, so it's not a fatty dark meat. That distinction is critical since without it, the Fried Rice and Crab Rangoons that came with this combo I got this day wouldn't have been enough to justify the price, which is right on the money with all three parts of this meal.

And i'm glad this place passed that test: this greasy spoon isn't anything to write home about, but it does the job and it hits the mark when it comes to traditional American Chinese comfort food.

Add that to the fact that it's fairly conveniently located to downtown Rochester, and I left satisfied, if not amazed with this place.
Price: $7.75 plus tax
Meal: #22 Combo
Time of Meal: 1 PM, Weekend
Speed of Service: 10 minutes

Ginza Japanese

I don't have many reviews down in the Boston area, in fact, this one may be my first, but coming from New Hampshire, I have a higher level of expectation when it comes to the big city, and Ginza Japanese on Beacon Ave. in Brookline did not meet those expectations.

Everything about this place was either just average or slightly above average. The wait staff, the food, the ambiance, everything. If I lived just down the way, that might be fine, but I had traveled a little over an hour to eat here. Fortunately I was in town for something else, but I can't justify coming down here just for this restaurant, and i'd have to say that I couldn't recommend that Bostonians go out of their way for this place.

Meal: Idaho Maki, Spin Car Maki, Meeks Maki

Price: $20.69

Speed of Service: 15 minutes

Time of Meal: 5 PM, Weekday

Penang and Tokyo

To my knowledge, Downtown Exeter has two Chinese restaurants, but only one of them gives you a view of the Squamscott River while you eat, and that's Penang and Tokyo.

I would rate the meal as above average, but the view and the paintings of colonial buildings found elsewhere in town on the walls were what made this meal particuarly enjoyable.

Even though I ordered sushi rather than ordering off their Chinese menu, I probably would have been alright if I had went down that route if what I got was as good as their sushi offerings.

The service was only so-so, but that was in part because of a miscommunication between the maitre'd and the waitress, so I can't be too harsh on them, they apologized profusely, and everything else associated with this meal more than made up for that problem.

Price: $13.30

Meal: House Vegetable Roll, Oshinko Roll, and Chicken Finger Roll

Time of Meal: 11:30 AM, Weekend

Speed of Service: 20 minutes

China Golden

On the Oval in Milford, there's a building next to town hall with a large statue of an eagle on the roof, and under that eagle, there's a bad Chinese restaurant.

The price wasn't exorbitant, but that's the only positive thing that can come from my experience here, and I still don't think I got my money's worth. The rice and meat were particularly bland, the service was non-existent, I nearly had to walk into the kitchen to get my food.

I think the rest of Milford has had similiar experiences with this place, I went during lunch hour and it was empty except for me. I don't blame them.
Meal: Hunan Beef with Egg Roll and Fried Rice
Price: $6.53
Speed of Service: 15 minutes
Time of Meal: 1 PM, Weekday

Northeast Cafe

This is the first review i've ever done in New Boston, and it's probably the only one I will do since there are next to no restaurants in New Boston. I think there is maybe one or two more, that's it.

So, that's the real deciding factor to be honest with you from my eyes when I went to the Northeast Cafe.

On the plus side, there's plenty of parking, and the service was quick due to the lack of people around, but the burger wasn't anything special and I would have expected more in a more populated area.

It definitely wasn't bad, it was just blunt. No real nuance to it, just meat, a bun, and some other stuff, even though it wants to be more than that. If you have a hamburger that is supposed to be simple and it's simple, that's fine, but this one didn't have an identity to it. Basically kind of bland, but alot of bland.

Meal: Smoked Gouda Burger

Price: $8.15

Speed of Service: 10 minutes

Time of Meal: 2 PM, Weekend

Beijing and Tokyo

Concord doesn't have a good track record when it comes to Chinese Restaurants. However, there is one that stands head and shoulders above the rest i've experienced from my travels so far, and that's Beijing and Tokyo on South Main.

Saying it's Chinese though isn't 100 percent accurate, they also have a Sushi bar, so it's really one of those Asian fusion places, and they also have a bar downstairs as well.

Still, whatever you call this place, it was a quality experience for the money. I figured I would put them to the General Tso's test, and they passed it easily, the croquettes were small enough that dark meat would have been fine, but they still gave white meat, and complimentary miso soup. 

The Oshinko roll was also fairly good, although the ornamentation with spicy mayonaise, as you can see, gave the course an added touch that isn't common at sushi bars elsewhere in the area.

Parking is at a premium, but so is everything else in downtown Concord, so that's not a huge issue.

I am reluctant to say that this was the best Chinese food or sushi i've ever had, but I will say that I was very pleased with what I got, and say that when it comes to Concord, I doubt there's anything better.


Price: $11.45

Meal: General Tso's Meal with Oshinko Roll

Speed of Service: 10 minutes

Time of Meal: 12:30 PM, Weekday

Airport Diner

If you're ever heading down the highway to Manchester-Boston Regional Airport sometime, take a look off to your right just as you get off the exit.

There'll be a hotel, and on the left side of this hotel is a little diner with alot of charm.

The Airport Diner is part of the The Common Man chain of restaurants throughout the state, but in the case of the Airport Diner, it doesn't feel too particuarly "chain-esque".

Like most diners, the Airport Diner scoffs at the notion that certain meals can only be served at certain times of the day, so I decided to go with French Toast and a side of Home Fries.

And it hit the spot. In fact, everything hit the spot except for the Maitre'd and waitress, who were moderately rude, but once I got to my seat at the counter it didn't really matter because the line cooks just handed me the food, and they also were happy to lend me some barbeque sauce for the Home Fries that they were using and looked appetizing.

The place exudes charm, even when you go into the bathroom, there's aeronautical sayings plastered all over the walls.

I'm happy to recommend the Airport Diner on Brown Avenue from French Toast and Home Fries experience.

Meal: French Toast and Home Fries
Price: $7.17
Speed of Service: 25 minutes
Time of Day: 1:15 PM, Weekend

Toyko Steakhouse -- Genji Special

 

In South Nashua, there's a showdown among Teppanyaki Japanese restaurants between the old school in Tokyo Steakhouse and the new school in Takumi.

Takumi is hip and trendy, with a coy pond in the lobby and a vodka bar annex and a shinto rock garden next to the luncheon buffet. Tokyo Steakhouse doesn't have much more than what you see on the menu and what you see being cooked in front of you on the tables.

Both provide fairly decent food, and I already reviewed Takumi's lunch buffet, so I figured it was Tokyo Steakhouse's turn.

Fortunately for me I got there for lunch, because the prices skyrocket after dark. It was fortunate for them too since there were only two other customers there besides me, despite the fact it was the height of the lunch rush.

My order for this visit was the Genji Special, three pieces of shrimp along with fifteen or twenty quarter ounce morsels of terriyaki chicken, grilled in front of you of course, with vegetables, sprouts and a broth of mushroom, scallion and french fried onions for an appetizer.

I considered going for some sushi, but the extra dollar fifty for fried rice instead of white rice seemed to be enough here. That extra dollar fifty might be the difference for some patrons in choosing between here and Takumi, but it wasn't a make or break.

All in all, I left satisfied, but I would be worried if I owned the Tokyo Steakhouse. Both this restaurant and Takumi are quality choices and there are only so many restaurant dollars from consumers to go around, and I don't think there's any real key selling point that would bring me here versus Takumi. Both are pretty good, I would leave it to chance given their proximity.

Cantine -- Steak Burrito and Sundae

As I mentioned earlier in an earlier review, I have really gotten into the 2010 World Cup, and I wanted to see the game between the US and Ghana, but I needed to be in Peterborough almost right after the game.

Putting two and two together, this seemed like a perfect opportunity to get a bite to eat before my engagement, but where?

If you're driving by Cantine just south of downtown Peterborough, you wouldn't get an impression that it was a sports bar, but it did the trick for me on this occasion, and I would be more than happy to come back for the food.

The main course (pictured at top), was a coffee and ancho braised beef burrito, stuffed with cilantro, rico, black beans and a side of pico de gallo. The bartender/waitress was more than happy to also lend me their hot sauce, which had a piquant but balanced spicy melon flavor to it.

I would have been set right there, but the game went into extra time (overtime for us American sports fans), so I ordered their Blondie vanilla gelato sundae. The butterscotch and mint was a nice touch, but the thing that made this dish unique was the pepitos, or small shucked sunflower seeds.

This was a very pleasant experience. Even without the game, the atmosphere is a mix of worlds between the authentic Mexican decor to the little trendy touches like the avant garde (for rural New Hampshire anyway) menu design. Even the price, which was a little higher than I wanted, was within acceptable levels for the food quality.

If you get lost, Yen Yen is in the same plaza, and Cantine is a better option by far.

Meal: Steak Burrito, Sundae and Ginger Ale
Price: $19.24
Speed of Service: 10 minutes
Time of Day: 2:30 PM, Weekend

Mama Lena's Pizzeria -- Chicken Tender Sandwich

On the way back from Portsmouth one day recently, I figured I'd get something to eat just before I hit 101 in Stratham. On my left was a shopping plaza with a Burger King, a pizza place, and a Chinese place.

I needed something better than Burger King, the Chinese place was closed, so choice number three was this place: Mama Lena's Pizzeria.

This is a fairly typical "pizza and related Italian-American-esque food located in a shopping plaza" establishment.

Not sure what to say other than that. My meal, a chicken tender sandwich, was fairly mundane. Not good, not bad, not really anything other than breaded chicken in a bun.
I think the most memorable part of my experience here was that Slovakia beat Italy in the World Cup on this place's large television and a kid sitting in the next table over wondered "where is Slovakia?" For those of you who don't know, Slovakia is the eastern half of what was once Czechoslovakia, just south of Poland.

Meal: Chicken Tender Sandwich
Price: $8.32
Speed of Service: 5 minutes
Time of Day: 10:30 PM, Weekday

Sake - Sushi

I have traveled all across this state, and there are few, if any places that serve sushi that can hold a candle to Sake in Portsmouth.

Take for example the Ume-shiso roll (on the upper left hand side of the photo). An Ume-shiso roll is a mixture of a paste from ume, or pickled plums, and leaves from the Perilla plant, which are called "shiso", or literally "stems" in Japan because of their long stems, but are also known as beefsteak leaves.

When made well, the ume is very bitter, creating a huge contrast with the sharp mint like flavor of the shiso. Most sushi places in New Hampshire do not serve Ume-shiso. The ones that do generally only do an adequate job. Sake not only does it superlatively, but it is one of the least expensive items on their menu, under $4, which is generally where most sushi restaurants put their "budget" items.

That is Sake in a nutshell. Their budget items are in a higher league than nearly everything else in the state. Their higher priced stuff would not be out of place in Manhattan.

The problem on this visit was the waitress. She got me order wrong, and was kind of snooty, but it was worth the wait because the food is that damn good.

Meal: Tempura California Roll, Ume-Shiso Roll, and Green River Roll
Price: $16.62
Speed of Service: 20 minutes
Time of Meal: 2:15 PM, Weekday

Twelve Pines Deli

The Twelve Pines Deli is less of a deli and more of a trendy food marketplace for Peterborough's art community. And if you're not from the Peterborough area, let me tell you, the McDowell Art Colony has grown quite a little art community in Peterborough, and I suppose this is where those people go grocery shopping.

Usually, a half diner/half market arrangement is kind of a caution flag, but in this case, the atmosphere only adds to the high quality food.

I got a tomato and mozzarella panini, as pictured here. It cost about a dollar more than you'd find in a similiar panini at Panera or some other national chain, but at Panera they don't give a rat's ass about the ingredients. Twelve Pines just exudes the opposite, at least from the local chefs in the back preparing all the ingredients for the kids up front who....probably had to flip a coin between working here or some Panera-like establishment and probably don't give a rat's....ok fine, the service wasn't superlative. It wasn't bad either though, unlike many chain places. In the end, with over the counter meals, service isn't a huge deal.

What mattered here was the fact that I probably could have picked a dozen other choices they had and left happy. This place caters to the connoisseur, everything feels and tastes fresh, unlike the fast food places or even the faux-fast food places like Panera.

The problem is the price, but when you enter a place that says "no photography allowed inside" on the door, you know what you're getting into. Yes, I do understand the irony of that given the fact that I took a photo of my sandwich, but I can only assume they were talking about the antique barn that this place is housed in.


Meal: Tomato and Mozzarella Panini, Ginger Beer and Chips
Price: $11.00
Speed of Service: 10 minutes
Time of Meal: 12:30 PM, Weekday

Vinnie's Pizzaria -- The Super Combo

Is it Pizzaria or Pizzeria? I would assume Pizzaria since you order pizza rather than pizze, (which sounds like what you'd call urine if you were trying to market it as a high end beverage of some sort), but I digress.

Vinnie's Pizzaria in Concord does not sell pizze, but they do have a few sandwiches and I got one called the Super Combo.

It was a fairly standard hero/submarine/hoagie/whatever. Small loaf of bread filled with stuff, mainly chicken and bacon in a kind of a club sandwich kind of deal.

It wasn't bad, don't get me wrong. But it's nothing to write home about. I would say it's above average, and not much more. Then again, that's better than alot of lunches you can get when you're out and about.

For some reason the walls are filled with boxing paraphrenalia. Maybe Vinnie was a boxer.


Meal: Super Combo sandwich with Dr. Pepper
Price: $9.23
Speed of Service: 10 minutes
Time of Day: 11:30 AM, Weekday

Hermano's -- The Alex Burrito and a Dos Equis

To my knowledge, there are two full service, sit down Mexican restaurants in downtown Concord (Dos Amigos is more of a fast food place).

One is Margarita's, a chain located throughout New England, and the other is Hermano's....which is not a chain located throughout England.

Should it be a chain located throughout New England though? After the meal pictured here, I would have no issues with answering yes to that.

And that meal was an Alex Burrito, described by Hermano's website as "a combination of black bean veggie burger, refried beans, tomatoes, scallions, green chilies and cheese rolled in a whole wheat tortilla and topped with our red chile sauce and sprinkled with cilantro." I describe it as a filling and savory meal that goes well with a beer.

And don't think for a second that it's some tiny Taco Bell-esque burrito either, this thing is hefty, it's more than certainly a meal. Is it hefty enough to warrant the price? That's a better question. Depends on how much you want a burrito and whether you're interested in live music and an authentic Mexican feel, the building literally looks like they plopped it from a small village in Oaxaca and put it in downtown Concord, and the interior has a similiar feel as well.

On its own merit though, I would have felt better if this burrito were a dollar or two less.

The choice is in your hands my friends. But if you do decide to take the plunge and money isn't an object, you'll leave satisfied.


Meal: Alex Burrito and a 12 oz. Dos Equis
Price: $16.34
Speed of Service: 15 minutes
Time of Meal: 8:30 PM, Weekday

Milford Fish Market

Milford, New Hampshire is not a seafood mecca by any stretch of the imagination. Yet, it still has a seafood restaurant that can at least be called adequate.

The Milford Fish Market is only partially a market really, it has some nautically themed items in the front near the cash register, and you can get take out from that area as well, although the place also has a server for some reason. There was one other person in the dining area, maybe the server had just begun her shift or was just ending it.

The food I got was the small Clam Strips with Fries, Cole Slaw and a Doctor Pepper. There was nothing special about it to be honest, just clams, breading and grease. The real story here was the quantity. By the time I was nearing the end of the plate, I was wondering if I could make it. By the end of the meal, i'm not sure how I did.

I can't say it was particularly good food, but it wasn't particularly bad and the price was appropriate given the quantity of the meal and the fact that seafood usually costs a little bit more than other styles of cuisine.

Oh, there's unlimited tartar sauce and cocktail sauce as well. Can't forget that.

Meal:  Clam Strips with French Fries and Cole Slaw

Price: $11.92

Speed of Service: 10 minutes

Time of Meal: 4 PM, Weekday

Taipei and Tokyo -- Hunan Chicken and Oshinko Roll

Taipei and Toyko just across the Manchester line in Bedford is a peculiar customer when it comes to the divide between fancy versus mom and pop American-Chinese restaurants. When you look at the staff or location or decor, it's hard to tell which side of that divide they fall into.

They offer Chinese and Japanese dishes, so I figured it was fair to try one of both. And the Hunan Chicken and Oshinko Roll was somewhere between decent and above average.

I would say the only significant problems foodwise were the portion size and the price. If I had gotten a little bit more food though, i'd say neither was really a problem.

In terms of the incidentals, there were a few minor issues. The wait was fairly long, even for dinner time, and especially for the fact that some of the wait staff seemed to be on their break.

I also saw that the people at the table next to me got better chopsticks than I did. That's not a huge deal, but it made me feel as though I was not as important as those other people in the restaurant's eyes.

To be honest, I could not get a good read on this place, but I didn't get a bad one for certain.

Meal: Hunan Chicken and Oshinko Roll
Price: $16.66
Speed of Service: 20 minutes
Time of Day: 7:15 PM, Weekend