A few weeks ago Jim, Robby and I were visiting our daughter Amanda and her boyfriend Steve as they just moved into a new very cute apartment in Manchester N.H. While we were there, we took them out to lunch at Fratello’s Italian Restaurant in Manchester at 155 Dow Street. (They have locations in Laconia NH and Nashua NH as well).
They open daily for lunch at 11:30 and the dinner menu is served at 4:00 pm nightly. We were seated in the upstairs area, next to a great lounge area. The lounge area has a number of couches and a beautiful fireplace. They have a full bar area upstairs along with an outside patio upstairs and downstairs. The decor is very rustic as the restaurant is located in an old mill building that has been renovated.
We were all hungry and ready for some appetizers to start so we ordered calamari, fried mozzarella 
and artichoke spinach dip! The calamari was our favorite and cooked to perfection. It was lightly battered and served over sautéed hot cherry peppers, lemon butter with garlic, basil and white wine over linguine. There is a lot of deliciousness going on with this dish!
I’m not a huge fan of fried mozzarella in general but others at the table really enjoyed this. The outside was crispy golden brown and the inside warm and gooey! This was served with the house marinara sauce. Robby enjoyed this dish the most I think! The artichoke spinach dip was excellent. Warm melted cheese with plenty of spinach and artichokes. There was no question what was in this dish, I also liked that it was served with garlic toast!
I almost forgot to mention the warm bread that was served when we were seated, that came with dipping oil and two kinds of cream cheese. That was a great start!
I did mention we were hungry right? That was just the start! For our main course Steve and I had the Italain Pie. Amanda had the Hawaiian Pizza, Jim had the Fratello’s Panini and Robby ate much of the appetizers for his lunch!
The Italian Pie…oh my! ($14.00) Steve and I really enjoyed this very hearty lunch plate! This pie was made with sweet Italian sausage, pepperoni and ricotta baked on a bed of penne with marinara and mozzarella! This dish was huge and super filling, not to mention delicious! I have to say I was slightly surprised that their signature meatballs were not included in this dish but either way I loved it and would order this again anytime! I enjoyed the fact that I had plenty to take home and enjoy later!
Amanda had the Hawaiian Pizza ($13.00) made with Virginia ham and pineapple, it was really cheesy and filled with the toppi
ngs! They have a number of pizza selections that all look and sound just as good as Amanda’s!
Jim had the Fratello’s Panini ($10.00) made with roast beef, turkey, bacon, provolone, lettuce,tomato and garlic mayo! This was a big sandwich filled with goodness! Jim really enjoyed this dish and ate every bite! The fries that came with this dish were also excellent. Crispy on the outside and soft on the inside, served piping hot! Excellent lunch dish!
After all of that food we were all stuffed and bringing home leftovers, so sadly we did not get desserts! They do have an amazing array of Italian desserts to order and you can get a glimpse of them in their dessert case near the entrance! I am looking forward to going back this summer and sitting on the patio. Most of all trying one of those amazing looking desserts!
If you find yourself near any of the Fratello’s locations stop in for a bite to eat you will enjoy it as much as we did and for the amount of food you get the prices are terrific! Check them out online http://www.fratellos.com/ for more great information!
Enjoy!
Grilling season is upon us and I am ready! I am always looking for a new burger recipe and there has been a lot of talk about Ree Drummond’s (Pioneer Woman) black bean burger. I knew I had to try it BUT I don’t like black beans. I don’t eat black beans but my husband LOVES them so he was my taste tester for this recipe. The burgers were very easy to make and my husband did enjoy these. I’m not sure he enjoyed them as much as all the hype but it was a great alternative to a beef burger!
INGREDIENTS
2 cans (14.5 ounces) seasoned black beans
1 cup seasoned bread crumbs
1/4 cup grated white onion
1 whole egg
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
Salt
Pepper
3 dashes of hot sauce
8 slices Swiss cheese
Olive oil and butter if frying
Hamburger buns
Mayo
Lettuce
Sliced tomatoes
DIRECTIONS
Makes 4 burgers. Drain, but don’t rinse the beans. Place them in a large bowl. Using a fork, mash them until they are mostly broken up but leaving some whole beans still visible. Add bread crumbs, onion, egg, chili powder, salt, pepper and hot sauce. Stir until everything is combined. Let the mixture sit for five minutes. To form the patties, divide the bean mixture into four equal parts and form into equal patties. These patties do not shrink when cooking.
To grill – Heat your grill to medium heat and spray your grates with non-stick spray. Cook over medium heat until heated through, adding two pieces of cheese at about the half way point of grilling. Grill buns if desired.
Pan frying – Heat a tablespoon of oil and a tablespoon of butter in a skillet over medium low heat. Place patties in the skillet and cook them about five minutes on the first side, flip them to the second side and place two slices of cheese on each patty and continue cooking for another five minutes or until heated through.
Top with lettuce, tomato and mayo.
Serve warm.
Enjoy!
I came across this lime dip on Pinterest and I thought this would be a huge hit at our house as we all like that tart flavor. To my surprise this came in with mixed reviews. Jim and I really liked it, but Robby and his friends did not like it at all! This dip is tart and sweet at the same time. I served it with chocolate wafer cookies, shortbread cookies and fresh strawberries. I think you will have to let your family/friends decide on this one! With just a few ingredients and no baking it’s worth giving it a try!
INGREDIENTS
1 (8 ounce) tub fat free Cool Whip
1/2 cup fresh squeezed lime juice
1 can sweetened condensed milk
SERVING SUGGESTIONS
Chocolate wafer cookies
Shortbread cookies
Graham crackers
Strawberries
DIRECTIONS
Mix all ingredients together until smooth, garnish with lime zest, if desired.
Store in fridge until ready to serve.
Enjoy!
UPDATE-
LEXI’S IN DURHAM IS NOW CLOSED.
If you know my husband, Jim, you know he loves a good burger and with Lexi’s Joint moving into Durham NH, (8 Jenkins court) it was a simple decision on where to go for dinner! Although Lexi’s Joint has a place in Portsmouth, NH and Newburyport, MA, the Durham location is a quick hop skip and jump away from our house!
We left for dinner on the early side as we knew we would have to fight some of those University of New Hampshire kids for a seat and…we were right! We arrived shortly before 4 pm and had a 20 minute wait. No sooner did we arrive and put our name on the list about 15 kids came in behind us. This place is hopping but although many kids came in behind us, many of the people already seated were adults and young kids alike, so this place really appeals to everyone.
Jim and I were seated at the bar and had menu’s and our drinks very quickly. I ordered the Bleu Angel Burger and Jim ordered the Highway Man. We also had the Bistro Fries to share.
I don’t eat a lot of burgers, but I am a sucker for a good bleu cheese burger and this burger hit the spot! I had a single patty ($5.50 for a single patty and $8.00 for a double) 4 ounce beef patty with blue cheese, caramelized onions, bacon and BBQ sauce…yup, you guessed it really messy and really good! There is a reason they keep the napkins on the table right in front of you!
Jim’s Highway Man Burger ($6.50 for a single and $9.00 for a double) had crispy onions, BBQ sauce, fried egg, ham and American cheese! Jim loved this burger and not only was the burger cooked perfectly, the fried egg on top was also cooked to perfection making this one very messy burger. That egg gets soaked up in the potato rolls that they use on their burgers!
The fries, oh the fries! All of their fries are fresh house cut fries and let me tell you where we were sitting, we could see this one employee just cutting fries into a huge barrel. That would certainly be exhausting doing that all day and I am sure he goes all day as the fries are great! We had the Bistro Fries with an herbed aioli, bacon, fresh herbs and asiago cheese ($2.50) these were really good, crispy fresh and I loved the toppings! How can you go wrong with bacon and asiago cheese? You can’t! Delicious, but they have plain fries along with truffle fries, and hot fries too!
For a small burger joint this place has some great options. With all of the burger choices you can also get the “cluck blend” made with all natural chicken or an even healthier option you can get the house made “beanie” black bean burger! For a small fee you can also get a gluten free bun.
They don’t just sell burgers, the have sandwiches, fish tacos, fish and chips and hot dogs just in case you want something other than a burger! Or, maybe you want onion rings or fried pickles with chipotle aioli? They have those too, but wait, you are going to want something to wash all this tasty food down! They have all the basic beverages along with some unsuspecting characters as well! Maybe a blueberry, basil lemonade will ease your quench? How about one of the many shakes? Perhaps a Coffee Donut Shake will wake you up or maybe a Cookie Monster Shake?! They have lots of daily specials too!
One last detail that they offer is when you get your check they also give you two mini chocolate chip cookies! What a great way to end a meal with a sweet bite!
I know we will be back many times. If you are near any of their locations stop by for any of their creative creations…you will love it!
Enjoy!
This is a quick and easy dish that the kids in your house will really enjoy. This dish is not shy on flavors or crunch with the use of Fritos! You can also change up the spice level by using “hot” Rotel or a spicy package of taco seasoning.
INGREDIENTS
1 Pound ground beef
1 Package low sodium taco seasoning
Fritos
1 can cheddar cheese soup
1/2 cup of milk
1/2 can of Rotel (not drained)
1 cup Monterey Jack cheese, shredded
1 cup Cheddar cheese, shredded
Optional toppings after baking
Shredded lettuce
Sour cream
Avocado
Salsa
Cherry tomatoes, halved
Jarred jalapeno’s
DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Brown ground beef, crumbling as you go. When the ground beef is browned, drain fat and add 1/4 cup of water and the package of taco seasoning. Stir until well combined. Remove from heat.
Pour enough Fritos in a 9 x 9 pan to cover the entire bottom of the pan, top the Fritos with the taco meat. Combine soup, 1/2 can of Rotel and milk in a microwave safe bowl, heating through about 1 minute. Top the taco meat with the cheese sauce. Add the Monterey Jack cheese and the Chedder cheese to the top and bake uncovered for 12-15 minutes until the cheese on top is melted. Remove from oven and top with additional toppings if desired. Serve warm.
Enjoy!
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