First Impressions: Number 5 Tavern in Hopkinton

After watching the coming soon sign hang outside the old Blaser’s Fireside Tavern in Hopkinton on Route 103, we wondered if the new restaurant would ever open. Months went by and we waited. The place would be called The Number 5 Tavern so we occasionally checked their Facebook page and recently noticed that they were open.

Parker's Maple Barn in Mason

At long last the winter has ended and spring has begun! While it may still be fairly chilly, we decided to do something to celebrate the upcoming season and what better way than to incorporate some maple sugar? Since as far as we know none of our friends are in the sugaring business nor will you find any metal buckets on our trees, we decided to do the next best thing: eat some maple syrup! The decision where came more naturally so we headed out to the countryside to Parker’s Maple Barn in Mason.

New Location for Red Arrow Diner in Londonderry

Years ago when my father worked for the railroad, he was a regular at the Red Arrow Diner in Manchester. His hours were not the best and overnights a constant. He would fondly recall the wonderful way the staff treated him when he went in for breakfast. When they saw his car in the parking lot they knew his order and made sure it would be ready when he would sit down at the counter. Eggs sunny side up, burned toast, bacon and a nice cup of hot coffee. My father has long since left this world but the Red Arrow Diner has always held a special place in my heart.

Canoe in Bedford

We broke one of our dining out rules – to never try a new restaurant on opening weekend. Having heard on the radio that Canoe in Bedford was opening on a recent Friday, we wondered when we should visit and we both agreed to give them a few weeks. However, on Saturday, we re-evaluated the situation and decided to check it out for ourselves.

New Hampshire Restaurant Week March 20th to 27th

The New Hampshire Lodging and Restaurant Association presents their annual restaurant week from March 20th to the 27th. For all you food lovers who have been looking for an excuse to go out at a reasonable price, you should check out their list.

Rocco's in Hudson

Well, I guess the old adage of not judging a book by its cover is accurate. Having driven by Rocco's - Pizza, Bar & Grill in Hudson on numerous occasions, we never thought to stop in until one of my wife’s friends went there after apple picking on the recommendation of the orchard’s owner and she reported back that the food was good. On our way to Nashua we ended up looking for someplace to have lunch and my wife suggested, Rocco's. That sounded great to me and away we went.

Hayward's now open in Nashua

Before the big Valentine’s Day storm hit this past weekend, my wife and I were in the Nashua area when she received a text from my mother in law that Hayward’s Ice Cream was open. Since we didn’t have far to go, we headed on over to check out the early season offerings. We almost forgot that they would be opening this weekend and we plan to make it a yearly tradition for us. We think this is the first true ice cream stand to open this early in the area and we couldn’t have been more excited.

Go to Mr. Mac's for comfort food

Having to deal with one of the worst winters in recent history, my wife and I decided that we needed something to help get us through the daily drudgery. How can we get through one more snowy day without selling our house, quitting our jobs and moving to a warm climate? Not having much luck in picking the winning lottery numbers, we opted for something that we knew would pick up our spirits - comfort food. We gravitate towards mac n cheese as one of our favorites. If you are looking for a place that makes it as good as your mom and treats you like a valued customer, you will be pleased to know that we found such a restaurant.

You will not be able to stop eating this Valentine's Day gift!

Have you ever tasted something that you cannot stop eating because it was so unbelievably good? Because I tend to gravitate to salty foods, I can finish a whole bag of Smartfood Popcorn in one sitting and don't even realize that I didn't bother to offer any to anyone else in the room! Another one of my favorites are Doritos. My intentions are always good - I plan to have a handful and before you know it I've had a second, third etc.... You might be wondering what popcorn or tortilla chips have in common with Valentine’s Day. Well, nothing except that they are salt laden snacks which had me thinking about a special treat that my wife purchases for me every year for February 14th. Don’t say that I didn’t warn you.

Hayseed to open at Smuttynose Brewing Company

The Smuttynose Brewing Company is opening a new 95 seat restaurant, Hayseed, at Towle Farm in Hampton. The Hayseed is expected to begin serving customers in early February and will also include an outdoor seating area available during the warmer weather. Beer lovers will have plenty of choices featuring Smuttynose, of course, along with other select options brought in for your drinking pleasure.

Road Trip: Lexie's on State, Newburyport, MA

If you are a New Englander, you know how difficult the winters can be around here. We don’t ski, snowshoe or snowboard and it can be difficult to find something to do on weekends. Coupled on to that are the snowy and icy roads and we have to pick our spots to make sure that we aren't driving in dangerous conditions. But on those days when the only element we have to deal with is the cold air, our thoughts turn back to food and looking forward to trying a new food destination.

Veano's Italian Kitchen trying to recapture the magic

One of our local favorite restaurants was Veano’s Italian Kitchen which was located at the intersection of Loudon Road and East Side Drive on the Concord Heights. The food was consistently good and we became regular diners. Then Walgreens came along and made an offer to lease the land from the restaurant owners. Since it was an offer they couldn't refuse, Veano’s closed and the pharmacy was built. A few years passed and much to the locals delight Veano’s reopened in Pembroke. You can bet that we were one of the first to try the new location but they seemed to have lost some of their spark after the change in location. The food was just okay and the service poor so we decided to give them a long break. After a lengthy hiatus it was time to see if they had recaptured the magic.

Success continues for Webber Group with The Bancroft, Burlington, MA

The area surrounding the Burlington Mall has been in need of new restaurants for a long time. Other than what you would find in the mall when you looked nearby all you found was the woeful Tavern in the Square and not much else. For those familiar with the area you know how busy it is and high time for some new restaurant options. If you read our blog on a regular basis, you might recall that a favorite of ours is the Gibbett Hill Gill in Groton owned by the Webber Restaurant Group. When we found out that they were opening a new steak house, The Bancroft we knew we had to check it out. With my wife’s birthday on the horizon I made a reservation.

Get your Christmas Cookies at Crosby's Bakery in Nashua

Thinking back to my childhood I remember visiting my grandparent’s house during the holidays and the smell of Christmas cookies baking in the air. These came in all shapes and sizes and I ate them until I couldn’t possibly take another bite. This is something that I looked forward to year after year and it may come as no surprise that nothing has changed today. Those days are long gone but I still want those same warm feelings I got back then. The question is where to go now for these illustrious treats if we prefer to have someone else do the cooking? My top pick is Crosby’s Bakery in Nashua for their Christmas Rum Cookies.