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Food in New England Editor’s Favorites New Hampshire

New Hampshire Offers a Spectrum of Foods, from Deluxe Restaurants to Penny Candy

People who love to travel also are often the same people who cherish good food. On any vacation trip, the question soon arises: where can we find a good restaurant? New England’s variety of farms, forest, and sea life and its history of innovation make it a wonderful place to taste regional foods. Food tourism can mean many activities in addition to dining. New Hampshire offers the luxury of the Grand Hotels as well as gourmet food stores, nostalgic penny candy, cooking classes, and family-oriented food festivals. Below are some Editor’s Favorites; check back for frequent updates.

A Close Look at Farm Life of the 1800s

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The Remick Country Doctor Museum and Farm in Tamworth is a wonderful places for adults and youngsters to see up close the daily lives and chores of the agricultural way of life in New Hampshire from 1790 to the present. Naturally, raising and preparing food – from hatching chicks to stoking the woodstove – is a large part of the story. Workshops are offered through the year in homestead cookery of the 18th to the 20th century. Most workshops are for adults over age 16; some are open to children. Among the workshops in 2009 are kid’s cookbook (August 1), pickling and sauerkraut (September 5), chutney (September 5), woodstove cooking (October 24), pumpkin workshop (October 24), turkey processing (November 7), pig processing (November 7). Phone: 603-323-7591 or 800-686- 6117.

Agape Farm Turns Goat Milk Into Cuisine

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A small, family-run farm on Route 4 in Center Ossipee named Agape Homestead Farm welcomes visitors every day of the week to its self-service farm stand, featuring flavored goat cheeses, goat’s milk, feta marinated with homegrown herbs, as well as jams and jellies, salsa, baked goods, poultry and meat, and even goat’s milk soap. Farm owners Kevin and Janna Straughan began milking goats in 1997 and later expanded into other livestock and baked goods. The farm delivers cheese to approximately 20 wholesale customers throughout the state and its farm store is open 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily, with payment on the honor system. Their products also can be found at the Wolfeboro Farmer’s market in the summertime. They welcome visitors and are happy to answer questions. Phone: 603-539-4456.

Arrow Points the Way to Good Diner Food

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It’s dineriffic! But don’t take our word for it. Check out the classic diner cuisine and diner sociability at the Red Arrow Diner. The original eatery on Lowell Street in downtown Manchester was augmented recently by a new store on Union Square in Milford. Voted one of the top ten diners in the country by USA Today in September 1998, the Red Arrow keeps its customers happy with good diner food, natch, and also perks like drawings for prizes, fun stuff for kids, and even an in-house comic strip. Talk about full service. Manchester likes its hometown diner that it named the Red Arrow an official city landmark. Phone: 603- 626-1118.

Art, Music, and Fine Recipes,
All in One Tasty Package

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Musicians and the cooks who love them (or vice versa) would be wise to make a stop at Fiddleheads, a fine gift shop on Main Street in Colebrook that sells the inspired line of Menus and Music Cookbooks. The cookbooks offer recipes from the world’s best chefs, all adapted for the home cook with sensational food photos and illustrations, accompanied by CDs of music bearing the theme of the cuisine. The set “A Table for Two” includes a cookbook with art by Henri Matisse, quotes about love and music, and sensational food photos. The accompanying CD presents lyrical jazz by the Kenny Barron Ensemble. Also, the set “Tasting the Wine Country” offers recipes from 21 acclaimed wine country inns and resorts and stunning food photography, along with music by the Mike Marshall Quintet. What a concept! Phone: 603-237-9302.

Food Doesn't Get Much Fresher Than This

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Food doesn't come from the supermarket -- it comes from farmers -- and at the Sanbornton Farmers’ Market that means just around the corner. The agricultural crafts, baked goods, dairy, free range poultry and meat products, eggs, fiber goods and crafts, flowers, fresh fruits and berries, herbs, honey, jams and jellies, potted plants, processed foods, seeds, syrup, vegetables, and wood crafts and products make this market well worth the trip. In addition, small livestock and fowl may be sold, and local entertainment makes this market an event for the whole family. Location: Sanbornton Historical Society at Lane Tavern, 523 Sanbornton Road. Time: Fridays from 3 – 6 p.m.; June 26 through October 2, 2009. Information: 603-286-9995. Click here for a full listing of farmers’ markets in New Hampshire.

Gather 'Round to Eat After Class Lets Out

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If you feel it is about time to recharge your culinary imagination, Flag Hill Winery & Distillery on North River Road in Lee is offering cooking classes geared for spring foods and palates. On April 10, the class "Eggs-ellent" will deal with eggs, from omelets to meringues. And on May 15, “Pot Luck Sides” will bury students in potatoes, sausage, beans, rice, and vegetable salads. The class "Campfire Cooking" is on tap for June 19. Classes are hands-on, demonstrating how to prepare these dishes using local meats, cheeses and vegetables. After cooking enjoy dining on the fruits of your labor in the winery’s rustic 18th century barn. Classes are Friday or Saturday nights, 6 – 8 p.m. Phone: 603-659-2949.

More Carpaccio, Please?

Chef Giovanni Leopardi brought the foods, wines, and relaxed dining experience of his home, Torino, Italy, to his restaurant, Carpaccio Ristorante Italiano, in Hanover, and Hanover has much to be thankful for. The dining room is intimate, but the cuisine is worldly, with an emphasis on innovative flavors and artful presentations. New Hampshire reported that Leopardi’s carpaccio “sing with flavor.” Who could disagree? Phone: 603-643-8600.

Park Yourself Alongside This Chuck Wagon

A bit of the Wild West can be found in the White Mountains region of New Hampshire, in the town of Errol, just west of Lake Umbagog. Bonnie DeRose, co-owner of the The Errol 'Cream Barrel & Chuck Wagon restaurant, describes the chuck wagon as follows: “Our theme is Cowboy Western. Our buildings are log sided and our dining room consists of rough sawn wood walls. The walls are decorated with a variety of artifacts complimented by various books on American Western history. But not standing on looks alone, we offer great food prepared with care and fresh ingredients. In addition to our menu of homemade offerings we also make our own ice cream right here. We are a jewel in the woods.” ’Nuff said? Phone: 603-482-3258.

Streetside Eatery Banishes Both Hunger and Stress

One of the grand old denizens of the city of Keene is the E.F. Lane Hotel, located on a traditional New England main street of century-old brick buildings, a center park, and a white steepled church. The E.F. Lane’s restaurant, Salmon Chase, is a true bistro: relaxed atmosphere, old-fashioned charm with lots of exposed brick and turn-of-the-century decorative touches, sidewalk dining in season, and large windows looking out onto the bustle of Main Street. The menu of traditional and contemporary American food offers something for everyone, with many local ingredients such as Annie's Preserves, local maple syrup, and local produce in season. A wide range of beers includes British ales and a selection of New Hampshire and Vermont brews like Long Trail, Magic Hat, and Smuttynose. Phone: 603-357-7070.

There’s Even a Chocolate Martini

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The food at the Canoe Club in Hanover is every bit as varied, experimental, and filling as you would expect in an ivy-league university town (example from the late night menu: Red Hen raisin Walnut bread, Vermont honeycomb, fig almond tart). The clincher is the almost-nightly live music, ranging through every imaginable style that mates with good times and good digestion. The more adventurous among you can go first, though, when it’s time to try the chocolate martinis. Phone: 603-643-9660

You Can Almost Hear the Cable Cars

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San Francisco Kitchen on Main Street in Nashua presents delicious and healthful Japanese dishes at easy prices. Its offerings included shabu-shabu hot pots. Shabu-shabu is related to sukiyaki, in that both dishes use thinly sliced meat and vegetables, and usually served with dipping sauces. The East-West fusion cuisine of San Francisco Kitchen is considering by many diners to offer the best lunch buffet in town. "... A flavorful delight for the senses...” according to the Union Leader newspaper. “We cannot recommend San Francisco Kitchen more highly." Phone: 603-886-8833.