Restaurant Review
Ok, so if you follow me, you know I’m on a quest for a new Chinese restaurant! This restaurant happens to be halfway between us and a number of my family members on Calef Highway in Epping, NH. When we were on our way home from visiting family we decided to stop and check it out!
We were seated right away with our menus in hand. The decor is a little dated and it’s not much to write home about, but its how the food is that really counts in my book. Jim ordered the chicken Pad Thai ($9.95) and I tried something I have not had before and that was the Honey walnut chicken ($10.75).
Jim did clear his plate and said the chicken pad, Thai, although good, it was not the best he has ever had…but still good. Funny enough I think Jim liked my dish better as his fork kept making its way to my plate!
My honey walnut chicken was excellent and something I would order again. It is on the sweeter side and the candied walnuts make it even sweeter. It comes with a side of white rice which was a nice compliment to the crispy fried chicken and the sweet sauce.
Orient Pearl Asian Bistro opens daily at 11:00 am. They serve Chinese and Japanese cuisine along with a sushi bar. You can dine in, take out and they do catering as well. The menu is huge with all of the usual suspects you see on Chinese/Japanese menus. Soups, salads lots of appetizers Rice, chicken, pork, and vegetable dishes to choose from, along with some mandarin specialties.
I heard from my very good friend Lenny that the sushi is excellent here although we did not try it this time we will certainly try it next time.
Orient Pearl also has many lunch specials including an all you can eat buffet daily from 11:30 to 2:00 pm. I am hoping next time we are in the area we can check out this buffet and have a better idea of all the flavors they serve!
My quest for Chinese food will continue, but this is a great spot and we will be back. In the meantime, if you want to learn more, please visit their website for more information and menu option!
http://www.orientpearlrestaurant.com/
Enjoy!
This is a “two for one” restaurant review! Bad Lab Beer Company in Somersworth, NH (460 High Street) hosted a pop-up restaurant with The District Restaurant from Portsmouth NH (103 Congress Street). We had the benefit of having some of the amazing beer brewed at Bad Lab. Although Bad Lab does have its own menu this was a night that the District Restaurant took over the kitchen and we could order off of their featured menu. What a great way to try out two restaurants that we have never been to.
Let’s start with Bad Lab Beer Company. When we walked in the first thoughts that came into my head was that the Restaurant was open, relaxed, industrial and friendly. We walked in and took a table close to the open kitchen area where you can see all the action going on. The bar area was on the other side of the restaurant. At the bar, you can sit, grab a beer or two along with dinner and if you want a growler to take with you or you are bringing one back for a refill that’s where you go.
We were handed the evening’s menus and given our beverages of choice right away. Although Bad Lab is known for the craft beers they brew and the selection’s they offer I’m going to focus more on the food. Although we do like many of the craft brews that so many of the restaurants are offering it’s not something I know a lot about. I can say they do have a wide variety to offer including some that are made locally but not on site. We ordered mostly from the pop-up menu, but we did start with the Asiago garlic fries Bad Lab Beer Company offers. Those came out right away and as fast as they came out is about as fast as we ate them. The fries were thin, crispy with shredded Asiago and garlic but not enough to be overpowering. Just enough to enhance those golden crispy fries.
Both of our entrees came from The District Restaurant menu. Jim had the “Food Truck Burger”. I know you are all very surprised by this! Well, what can I say, he loves his burgers! This burger was as good as expected. The “Food Truck Burger” from the District was big and bold with chipotle BBQ sauce, bacon, Maine cheddar cheese curds and crispy fried onions. It was juicy, filling and came with a side of fries. Jim cleaned his plate, so I know it was as good as it looked! That is one good looking burger!
I ordered the Maple Bacon Braised Short Rib with Roasted Potatoes and Asparagus. Let’s talk about the short rib, shall we? I have made short ribs a few times, all were very good and tender, but this was hands down the best short rib I have had. Both in flavor and texture of the meat. The flavors penetrated through the meat. The sweet from the maple and savory/salty from the bacon sauce…wow, the meat was “fall off the bone” tender. No knife needed! Every bite was just as delicious as the bite before. My mouth is watering as I write, it really was just so good. The veggies on the side were nothing to snub at either. The potatoes were golden, tender and well seasoned. The asparagus was tender but still a nice crisp bite, just as you would want it. Absolutely a delicious dinner start to finish.
I have to mention that Bad Lab is a no-tip restaurant and if you do tip the money is donated to charity. So with that being said, I want to tell you our service was nothing less than perfection. From the time we walked in, greeted and all through the dinner, we had plenty of services. Not just one person, but in total I believe we had three people clearing our plates, filling our glasses and prompt service in getting and paying the check. Whoever happens to be going by and notices you may need something, they took care of it.
I know our experience was just a small glimpse of both restaurants. From the atmosphere, service, the beer, and fries we had from Bad Lab to the tasty well thought out menu the District Restaurant provided. In taking some time to look at Bad Labs regular menu, although it is small, it does seem to have something for everyone. There are shareable plates such as sweet and sour meatballs, beef mole tacos and chicken tenders. The “eat with your hands” section of the menu has cheeseburgers, veggie burger, and the fish Rueben. Fish Reuben, you ask? I had a Fish Rueben while in the Florida Keys and it is still one my favorite sandwiches I have ever had. Although this one is slightly different, I know I will be going back to just try this sandwich with blackened white fish, Swiss cheese, caramelized onion and Russian dressed coleslaw on toasted rye bread. Phew, now that is a mouthful! But don’t forget those fries we had earlier. Those are on the menu too along with soup, salads, seafood mac and cheese along with fish and chips!
When I look at the Districts website and their regular menu they also have so much to offer, although they are open just for dinner service Tuesday through Sunday starting at 5 pm and Saturday/Sunday brunch from 10 am. (Closed Mondays). Not only can you get both dinner choices that Jim and I had they have so much more and a seasonally changing menu. They have a menu everyone can relate to. From burgers, wings, and fish tacos to salads. But then they have fried rice and Pad Thai! Yes, please! I am ready to get to The District Restaurant very soon. I also love that they source as much produce they can from our local farmers. Take a look at their website to see the specials, changing menu and all the farmers they support!
Don’t forget to give them some Facebook love and keep up with the latest happening at both Bad Lab Beer Company in Somersworth N.H. and The District Restaurant in Portsmouth N.H.
https://www.facebook.com/badlabbeer/
Enjoy!
The Goat Restaurant has two locations. The first being 20 L Street in Hampton NH, the second being 143 Congress Street in Portsmouth N.H. We went to the Portsmouth location as it is fairly new to Portsmouth and we had to check it out! The Goat is open Monday through Friday from 11 am to 1 am and Saturday and Sundays from 8 am – 1 am, 365 day’s a year! We have been hearing about the Goat for some time now with lots of hype, so we decided to go for lunch.
When we walked in we were greeted and promptly seated at a window seat so we could people watch everyone enjoying downtown Portsmouth. The decor is rustic and country with country music playing in the background. Several large screen televisions and also a large bar area in the middle of the restaurant. Such a relaxed vibe as soon as you walk in. We had decided early in the day we would be going for lunch so we were hungry and ready for an appetizer. Jim and I both love appetizers and had a tough time choosing. But with the help of our adorable waitress (Ms. Lovely) we decided on the baked stuffed jalapeños with a three cheese blend bacon wrapped jalapeño with chipotle aioli. ($10.09).
Can I just tell you how delicious those jalapeños were with that aioli? It was absolutely delicious. I would order this again any day of the week! Needless to say, we cleaned that plate fast, but that’s ok as our main course promptly arrived.
I had the BBBBLT ($11.00). Talk about a BLT sandwich…this was huge. So much thick cut bacon with lettuce, tomato, and mayo on your choice of bread. You can tell the Goat loves their bacon from the wording on the menu. Let me say this sandwich did not disappoint and was so big! I brought half of it home. My sandwich came with hand cut fries and those too were delicious and nicely fried! Great sandwich for any bacon lover.
I know you can all guess what Jim ordered. Of course…a burger! He ordered a burger called “The Cure” with American cheese, caramelized onions, bacon, fried egg and BBQ sauce with a side of pasta salad. The burgers are cooked two ways pink or no pink. Jim likes his burger medium so he ordered his pink! Jim’s burger was cooked just as he likes them. The burger was juicy and the fried egg on top perfectly cooked. His plate was clean in no time. The pasta salad although good, was not a favorite. He will skip the pasta salad next time and stick with the amazing fries!
The menu at The Goat has many things you would expect and some dishes you might not expect. For appetizers, they have the usual suspects of nachos and wings but also had fried banana peppers and a bucket of bacon with sriracha maple dipping sauce. This is not for the weak of heart! The burger selections are amazing and as expected you can build your own burger. Perhaps try something a little different such as the Surfing Cowboy Burger with cheddar cheese, grilled pineapple, and honey BBQ sauce. If you like it hot you can have the Dragon Burger with ghost pepper cheese, diced jalapeños, and their signature goat sauce. So many choices! Not only do they have beef burgers, you also have the choice of grilled chicken, turkey or even a veggie burger. They don’t just serve sandwiches and burgers you can get steak tips and a couple types of mac and cheese to just name a few things. The hand cut fries have a number of selections as well as the tater tots and onion rings!
On the weekends they are open for breakfast. We have not tried their breakfast yet, but it’s on the top of my list after talking with our waitress and looking at the menu! The breakfast menu includes a number 9f breakfast sandwiches along with French toast, specialty pancakes and if you are really hungry they have a dish called the Hungry Man with 2 eggs, homefries, toast, ham, bacon, sausage and 2 pancakes! Holy smokes, can anyone really eat all that?!
And if that is not enough and you like Bloody Mary’s, this place is for you! They have an amazing build your own Bloody Mary and even offer their own bacon-infused vodka and jalapeño bacon-infused vodka along with so many garnishes!
I highly recommend checking out their website and give their Facebook page a like. This will keep you up with their specials and things happening at their locations. They keep everything updated including their live music dates and times!
Enjoy!
Jackie’s Too is a beautiful restaurant at 91 Perkins Cove in Ogunquit, Maine. It is located where the Marginal Way walking trail begins and ends. Jackie’s Too is a casual dining restaurant with fresh seafood and award-winning chowder that is open year round for lunch and dinner. Very few restaurants in the cove are open year round as the winters can be difficult. Believe it or not, we had a 70-degree day a few weeks ago and Jim and I decided to take full advantage of it and take a walk on the Marginal Way and have lunch after at Jackie’s Too!
The first thing you notice when walking into Jackie’s Too is all the windows overlooking the ocean, I don’t think there is a bad seat in the house! In the summer they also have outside seating. We finished our walk right when Jackie’s Too was opening so we got right in and were seated at a window seat looking out at the ocean, and it was just beautiful! After reviewing the menu and placing our order we had warm rolls with butter brought to the table and before we knew it our lunch had arrived!
I ordered something called Jackie’s Favorite, how could I not? I’m at Jackie’s Restaurant I had to order her favorite! This dish did not disappoint. It is shrimp, sea scallops and haddock broiled in lemon butter and tossed with seasoned crumbs. Served with rice and steamed vegetables. $21.95. The seafood was seasoned nicely and cooked perfectly. Everything was juicy and tender. The scallops were amazing!
Jim ordered the fried haddock sandwich with fries and coleslaw. They certainly don’t skimp on their sandwiches. It was a large piece of haddock nicely fried to golden perfection. Excellent fish sandwich. Fries and coleslaw were a nice addition but without a doubt, the sandwich was the star of the plate and there was not a crumb left on Jim’s plate! Very good! $12.95.
We rarely order dessert but we were really excited about a 70-degree day in the middle of February in New England. So we had to order the brownie hot fudge sundae! One sundae, two spoons! Perfect ending to a delicious lunch. $7.95.
Jackie’s Too has a lot to pick from although most of the menu as you would expect does revolve around the amazing local seafood. If you have someone that is not a fan or has allergies to seafood don’t worry as they have lots of other options too.They have chicken wings and nachos as appetizers. Lots of hamburger, salad and sandwich options along with steak tips and grilled chicken choices!
Let’s talk a little more about the menu. Starting with soup. They offer two soup choices…New England Clam Chowder and Lobster Bisque. I noticed while we were there a number of people ordered the chowder so I’m thinking it must be good! They have a number of salad choices but there was one salad that I know I will be having on our next visit. It is the crispy goat cheese and ricotta ball salad with mixed greens, toasted nuts, caramelized shallots and dried fruit served with a sweet mustard vinaigrette. Sounds amazing right?
Along with the lobster and various seafood dishes they also have a few pasta choices. Again, there was one of the pasta dishes that jumped out at me, well…ok, two pasta dishes! The Lobster Alfredo and the Seafood Fettuccine with salted lobster, sea scallops, and shrimp tossed in their own garlic Parmesan cream sauce over fettuccine. Needless to say, we will be back and if you want more information they do have a website that includes their menu and prices. They are on Facebook as well, so go ahead and give them a like and check them out. Don’t forget to take a walk on the beautiful marginal way.
Note – We like to visit this area in the spring and early fall as the summer months get very crowded and parking can be an issue.
Enjoy!
We love going out to eat for breakfast and we love it, even more, when we can meet up with family members. For this outing, we met up with our niece Heather, her husband Corey and their son Logan. Their daughters Carly and Jordyn could not make it as they were busy with their Memere Deb doing fun things! Kitchen Cravings is located at 15 Airport Road in Gilford, NH. Open 6 am to 2 pm daily for breakfast and lunch. It’s a place that we heard about through Heather and Corey so we were excited to meet up with them and have a nice breakfast!
When you walk in you are instantly hit with that wonderful smell of breakfast, coffee, and freshly made bread. Then you see a case full of amazing pastries, cinnamon rolls, muffins and even some gluten-free items! We were seated in the rear of the restaurant close to toys, books, and puzzles just perfect for Heather and Corey’s energetic little one Logan!
This restaurant is only open for breakfast and lunch but they have a full menu with everything you would expect and some you won’t. They have a large variety of homemade loaves of bread and biscuits and several varieties of gluten-free bread and choices. I was hungry and ready to eat so I ordered something they call the trainer that includes pancakes (I had blueberry), eggs (I had scrambled) bacon, sausage and hash browns. I’m not totally sure what I was thinking as it was a lot of food! It was all really, really good. Pancakes were fluffy, eggs were cooked nicely, bacon was just a tad overdone, but hey it’s bacon and I’m not giving it up. Sausage and hash browns also very good and just what you would expect.
Heather and Corey both ordered a similar dish with the sausage gravy and homemade biscuits. I need to mention the sausage gravy is award-winning and come on homemade biscuits… is your mouth watering yet? Heather was sitting across from me and I did all I could do to not put my fork right through that sausage and biscuit plate. It looked and smelled amazing but you will be happy to know I contained myself. I mean I was trying to be a good example for Logan and not eat off everyone’s plate although secretly I think Logan wanted some of that too although he was happy with his pancakes and sausage!
Jim is last, but not least, and I think he was as hungry as I was as he ordered the Huevos Ranchero’s with fried eggs, refried beans on corn tortillas smothered with their own salsa and melted cheese. Served with homefries, salsa, guacamole and sour cream. Now that’s a breakfast plate! Jim did not complain at all. In fact, he cleaned his plate. There is no doubt we all left feeling full and happy!
Although we were here for breakfast they have some amazing sounding lunch items too. Not only is the sausage gravy award-winning but so is the chili. The lunch menu is just as big as the breakfast menu. The same goes for the lunch menu… so many things you expect and some surprises along the way. Everything from sandwiches, burgers, veggie burgers, hot dogs, chili dogs, salads and an array of sandwiches. One of the sandwiches I saw had my mouth watering is something I could eat any day of the week. That is something they call “Tony 2 Toes the Italian Grinder” with ham, pepperoni, salami, sweet onion and peppers, pickles, lettuce, tomato, banana peppers baked with provolone cheese on an artisanal roll, served with fries. What a sandwich that would be! I’m wearing my sweatpants for that one!
Needless to say, we enjoyed our time at Kitchen Cravings and appreciated how kid friendly they are. We were there for some time and entertaining Logan was pretty easy although they may not have been thrilled with us playing a stacking game with all of the little creamer containers on the table with Logan, our little buddy loved it! We missed seeing Carly and Jordyn but know we will be out with them again!
We love spending time with our nieces and nephews and their significant others as we have found some amazing restaurant destinations. Many of them you can find in my older restaurant reviews, but don’t worry we have a few more nieces and nephews. We hope to get some more restaurant destinations, but in the meantime, if you are visiting the Gilford area, Lake Winnipesaukee or seeing a concert at The Bank Of N.H. Pavillion, go check out Kitchen Cravings. You can also find them on the web and on Facebook so go ahead and give them some love!
http://www.kitchencravingsnh.com/
Enjoy!
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