Purple Finch Restaurant: Bedford, NH ---> WELL Worth the Trip!

The Purple Finch Cafe, in Bedford, NH




One of the wonderful things about my daughter going to college in Manchester is exploring some new restaurants.  This gem is tucked into a small mall right at an intersection we go by time and again.  It was her gluten free BFF who first shared this with her and then she and I just HAD to make a stop.

They have a great story about how things started:

It all started when a pizza boy met a bartender. Jeff and Julie were both attending UNH Durham where their adjoining restaurants of employment would cause them to meet, and instantly hit it off. Jeff, in cooking classes at the time, would bring his daily creations for Julie to try. Julie immediately decided Jeff should cook for her for the rest of her life, and now she thinks he should cook for you too.

Doesn't that just make you smile?  How about the color scheme: you can't go wrong with purple in my book!  The lovely artwork and flowers all around just make you feel all sweet inside. 

 And the menu?  Decisions, decisions... I decided on my first trip (there have been a couple...) to give a Garden Great a try: their Strawberry Fields Salad.  The description caught my eye:

Our signature chicken salad, fresh strawberries, candied pecans, feta crumbles, cucumbers, grape tomatoes and red onion on a bed of field greens. Served with raspberry vinaigrette dressing and fresh baked bread. 

Anytime you put strawberries and feta on a salad, I'm all over it!  It was delicious and HUGE.  The chicken salad had just enough dressing and went incredibly well with the veggie part of the meal.   Let's just say I was rolling out of there when I was done.  I actually had to take a bit home to share eat later.

My DD is a true carnivore and loves a good burger.  Hers was aptly named Cheeseburger Perfection.  In her mind, it was all that!  It was certified Angus Beef and melted in your mouth... I would know as she gave me a little bite!

They have an outstanding breakfast menu and are totally worth the trip!  Just set this address in your GPS: 124 South River Road, Bedford, NH 03110

Here's the kicker, you've got to get there before 2 pm when they close!  Soooo... head over early!
Maybe I'll see you there - great place to meet, that's for sure.



Have fun in the kitchen!
Carrie

Dining Out: KC's Rib Shack, Manchester, NH

Hubby and I are continuing our exploration for YOU, my readers!  He will make the sacrifice, dutifully, in the name of research.  :o)  (**claps & cheers for his bravery!)

We made a stop at KC's Rib Shack 376 Second Street in Manchester, NH.  It was early on a Sunday evening but we saw quite a few cars in the parking lot, always a good sign. 

 

Once we got inside, it was all about the ambiance - from the lighting to the license plates on the ceiling and from the buckets of plastic silverware to the oodles of paper towels, this was a fun kind of place.

We had a table to the right of the silver metal in the back.

I'm thinking this was plenty of salt and pepper... lots of paper towels, too!

The menu was an adventure.  You can see it HERE.  Hubby went with the Chicken Wing Pladda (yes, you pronounce it that way...) with the Buffalo sauce.  It came with some coleslaw, chips and a piece of tasty cornbread with just a hint of jalapeno.  (I had a nibble...)  He said he would up it to the Jamaican Jerk, one of the spiciest ones, another time.  He enjoyed having all the wings to himself and said they were tasty.

I went with the Pulled Pork Sammie, the "real way" - which is loaded with coleslaw and dill pickle chips.   I decided on mashed potatoes for my side as I wasn't sure how spicy it would be.  Turns out, it wasn't spicy at all.  The waitress brought us a beer six-pack filled with KC BBQ sauces, but didn't explain them to us.  I put a bit of each on a plate and dipped my sandwich in each one, which I imagine is what you should do OR if you've been there and know the sauces, you'd pour one on and it would be much more flavorful.  It was very tender, so if I had known which I like and had slathered it on, it would have had more flavor.

The sauces were Hickory, Spicy, Carolina Red and Apple Slatha (try typing that into your iphone's notepad and NOT having it self-correct!).  There was also ketchup, but I'd rather not admit it was there - takes away from the overall sense of where we were...  My favorite by far, was the Apple Slatha - an apple cinnamon flavored sauce.  For levels of hotness, it went from Hickory to Spicy to the Carolina Red.  Yup, that was pretty fiery - I'm not into that... Bri?  Yes...

I had the homemade lemonade to drink, which was just what I was looking for.  I am a lemonade fan and if you tell me it's "homemade" I am all over it.  It didn't have any pulp, what one expects with homemade lemonade, but it tasted great.


I would recommend the Rib Shack if you are looking for some BBQ - but I would be hesitant to say "take the kids there" on a Friday or Saturday night.  A portion is a bar and I would imagine it gets pretty loud.  There was a family there sitting next to us when we were there with middle school and high school daughters.  Personally, it might not be the place I would take younger children, not like Famous Dave's .

On a scale of 1-5, I would give it a 3.  If you have a "hankerin'" it would fit the bill.

Happy eats!
Carrie

Dining Out: Famous Dave's BBQ, Scarborough, ME

On a trip back from a wresting meet in Maine my daughter and I made a bee-line for the Famous Dave's in Scarborough, Maine to treat dad to a great BBQ'd dinner.  She and I had eaten at the one in Manchester, NH before it closed, but he hadn't had a chance to try it.

Famous Dave's is a national chain, so it's one of those that the BBQ in Maine tastes like the BBQ in Arkansas.  There's something to be said for that, when you are trying to tell dad this is a great place for dinner.

Like many similar chains, it's a fun place to go.  Whomever puts together their interior details must have a GREAT time doing it! 

We went with the Feast for 2, which feeds 2-3... so for late lunch, early dinner for us, it was perfect.

The feast included: St. Louis-Style Spareribs, Country-Roasted Chicken, Texas Beef Brisket or Georgia Chopped Pork, Creamy Coleslaw, Famous Fries, Wilbur Beans, Fresh Sweet Corn (farm fresh when available) and Corn Bread Muffins.  We exchanged the beans for garlic red mashed potatoes.

It comes to the table in a giant serving dish with barely room for plates - it's GREAT!  There was more than enough for all three of us and something that everyone liked.  It's a great way to sample what they have.

When DD and I went to the Manchester restaurant, they did this marvelous thing to sample all the sauces.  You got a basket of homemade chips and then they went over what each flavor was, putting it on the plate for you to try.  That way, you'd know which one you'd like to dip your meat into... but we just kept dipping the chips!

If you are into BBQ and are looking for a chain restaurant to try, I would highly recommend giving Famous Dave's a shot.  You can check their locations HERE.

On a scale of 1-5, this is a 4 in our book.

Happy eating,
Carrie
PS.  Let me mention one LITTLE THING... Cabela's in Scarborough is LITERALLY next door... Literally... fill up on BBQ, head next door and buy...well... whatever one buys in Cabela's!!  :o)

Dining Out: Delicious Pastries at Kristen's Bakery & Bistro

I make LOTS of trips to Keene - as in several plus during the spring and summer months for softball.  Hubby and son play in a men's league and she plays in a women's league.  They were actually playing side-by-side last night: felt like I was trying to watch a tennis match with catching who was where!  Anyway, this equals LOTS of trips there at dinner time.  This summer it means bringing various good food along and trips to different places than we've gone in the past all for THIS blog!  Done for you, my wonderful readers, in the name of foodie research.  It's a tough life, but we'll do our best for you.

Shauna & I sampled the treats at a bakery in Keene recently.We found this wonderful little shop, Kristen's Bakery and Bistro on Washington Street in Keene.  If you are familiar with the city (located in southwestern NH and home of the HUGEST pumpkin festival ever!!!), rather than going around the circle, head out Washington Street, as if you were going to Rt. 9.  It's a stones throw from there and on the right-hand side.

We walked in and immediately felt comfortable.  There are lovely little tables on both sides as you enter and a direct path to the sweets case in front of you.  It was our first time visiting and the kind young woman could tell we were new, so she left us alone to admire all that was in front of us.  We were in for a sugar fix a bite for mid morning snack so we needed to assess our options.

There were plates of peanut butter and chocolate brownies, raspberry and apricot squares, chubby whoopie pies, cheesecake treats, caramel-chocolate- walnut brownies, jars filled with a half dozen different kinds of cookies and baskets of donuts.  We ogled the loaves of fresh bread and wished we were there at lunch time when we looked at the menu on the chalkboard with soups, sandwiches and baked potatoes.  The flavors of coffee called out to me, as well, but I'd had my fix for the morning already.

 
We had a chance to sample the two different fruit squares (raspberry and apricot) they had under glass for inquiring minds to try.  Being a fruit lover, I enjoyed both: nice taste of raspberry and apricot and just the right sweetness in the base. Having tried them, we were free to decide what else spoke to us.  

We decided on the caramel-chocolate-walnut brownie and one of the sugar covered donuts.  This was due to the fact DD is supposed to stay away from chocolate (in it's richest form) for a bit, due to a concussion she found herself with this week and the reason she was home from college!  (She'll be all good soon.) 

Lovely choices on our part.

Let's start with the donut.  They had them sitting out in a basket on the counter, ready to pop in a bag or on a napkin for you.  May I say you NEED a napkin?  The sugar/cinnamon/spiced it was covered in went everywhere, but in a good way!  We found ourselves trying to catch the crumbs and licking our fingers!  Oh, and by-the-way, they were HUGE!  Awesome...

Our other choice was the chocolate-caramel-walnut brownies.  Shauna said they were like "blondies" - something they have at St Anselm's, I guess.  The base was like a blonde brownie, then there was a layer of chocolate chips and caramel sauce, covered with walnuts.  They topped it off with more of the base layer, drizzled with chocolate.  Are you drooling yet?  We were.

Since this was our first trip out together, we didn't get everything right.  She took some great pictures (see above) and we jotted down lots of notes to tell you about what we had, but it wasn't till there was just one bite of each left (oops, sorry Whitt...) that I realized we hadn't photographed our treats!  ARGH!!  We are such beginners!  So.... here's what was left once we realized our error.  Oh... unless it was some thing Freudian and meant we'd have to go back...again... for more... YAY!!  Another blog post in the making - sweet!

Thanks for stopping by today!
Carrie
PS.  I would like to mention that there were women there on their way to a catering event with platters of the most incredible looking foods walking by us!  I'm guessing that if they cater for you, it's GOOD!

Ingredient Shopping and a Sandwich or Two: King Arthur Flour

If you follow my other blog, Whitt's Kits Fabrics & Crafts, you will have heard about our trip to King Arthur Flour in Norwich, VT.  We have a pretty busy schedule, to say the least, so I am all about combining trips to get the most out of the time I have.  Bri's girl's softball team had an away game in Hanover, NH and we literally drove by King Arthur Flour on our way.  It seemed to make sense to me...

They are open 360 days a year from 7:30 in the morning to 6 pm at night.  You will find them an online source for amazingly good ingredients and cooking tools, but they also have a fantastic flour you can buy at local groceries stores (at least here in New England) which is some of the best flour going.  On top of that, they have bakery/cafe where you can get a sandwich or treat (see below) and a cooking school offering a multitude of classes you can attend. 

I left Whitt out in the car with the iPad and headed inside.

Let me just say that not only is it a fun place for foodies, it's beautiful in an architectural way.  Pure Vermont at it's best.

A variety of fresh baked-on-site goodies...sigh...

Can you see the donut/bagel cutter on the right?  I am the proud owner of one!

Seriously?  2 pounds of baking chocolate?  What's not to love?

An entire section of "SECRET INGREDIENTS" - oh yes, we need these...

I wandered aimlessly with pure intent for about a half hour, up and down the aisles, perusing the many culinary offerings.  This trip I selected the following items to add to the pantry:

The aforementioned donut/bagel cutter; a scraper, 2 containers of critters to top cupcakes and a bag of baker's cinnamon filling mix (so I can whip up "Cinnabon-type" creations!  Oh, you'll see...).  I was a very happy girl for less than $20.

To keep the hubster happy, it was time to hit the cafe for a couple sandwiches we'd have for dinner after the game (rather than fast food, yah, baby!)  Bri is a roast beef kind of guy, so I got him the "roast beef with blue cheese aioli, slow-braised balsamic onions, and baby arugula".  He loved it!  Ladies, PULEEZE do NOT tell him the ailoi was blue cheese, let him just think it was flavorful with a little bite, okay?  He thought the arugula was a bit strong, but that it went well in the sandwich.

Me?  I went with what is going to be my new favorite chicken salad sandwich: Grilled Lemon Chicken Salad "with yogurt, lemon tarragon mayonnaise, raisins, and toasted almonds".  Let me see, what were the notes I wrote in Evernote while I was eating?  Oh, yes:

• Wonderful hints of lemon - very light mayo/yogurt dressing. 
• Nothing extra on the bread which allows the flavors to shine.  You might think it would be too dry, but it wasn't.
• Bread is nutty and tasty - like the crisp, crusty edge;
• Smattering of raisins and bits of almonds - great accent to the chicken.
• Chicken was in nice small pieces, easy to chew.

Seriously, this sandwich was amazing!  I need to try to make some artisan bread and recreate the yogurt/lemon mayo.  I WILL be working on it and will let you know when I get it right!


While I was waiting for these, I wandered a bit more.  Loved this!  If I'd had someone with me (not in the car) you'd see me there!  Maybe next time...

Till next time, here's to great cooking and eating!
Carrie

Dining Out: The Purple Finch

Shauna and I found ourselves between destinations one Sunday (practice was over at noon and the softball game she wanted to watch wasn't till 1:00), so we decided to make a lunch stop.  It was her recommendation, this time: The Purple Finch Cafe in Bedford, NH.  She'd gone there recently with some friends from school and told me: "You'll love it, mom!"

She was right.  The had me from the color of the exterior and interior. 

Bright, cheerful and oh so purple!

There was LOVELY purple everywhere, but hugely crowded, so no pix, sorry!

Shauna is a burger fan so she had no trouble deciding on lunch:
Cheeseburger Perfection - Your choice of Swiss, American or cheddar on top of lettuce, tomato, red onion & chipotle aioli on our fresh toasted bulkie roll.

 She gave me a bite.  I am going to seriously say it was some of the tastiest hamburger I've ever had.  It was "certified Angus beef" but even more than that, it was REALLY good!  It tasted fresh - you know how sometimes all you taste is the ketsup or other flavorings?  This was honest to goodness beef.  No "where's the beef?" here - it was on her plate!

I, on the other hand, had a much more difficult time deciding what to try.  They have an extensive menu (click HERE) PLUS a set of specials that vary daily that call out to you, too!  It is only open till 2 pm, so it's a breakfast/lunch spot.  The tough thing was which should I go for?  Breakfast or lunch?

There was:
Da’ Bomb-let - A three egg omelet stuffed with grilled buffalo chicken, bleu cheese crumbles and scallions drizzled with ranch.

or maybe 
Jamaican Me Hungry - A parfait generously layered with low-fat vanilla yogurt, sliced bananas, pineapple tid-bits, shredded coconut and sliced almonds. Served with grilled tea bread.

or wait, how about

Cinnamon Roll Supreme  - Two cinnamon rolls served French toast style topped with fresh strawberries, bananas, powdered sugar and a dollop of whipped cream.

Goodness how would I decide?  Well, the direction I would take came after I decided to go with a lemonade vs coffee.  Now at least I could look at just the lunch menu.  Lemonade and pancakes?  Nawww...

So now it was what to have on that side of the menu.  I could try The Houdini - Sliced seasoned sirloin cooked to order, grilled with peppers, onions, mushrooms, American cheese and chipotle aioli on a grilled hoagie roll. (Sure to disappear) or perhaps Sweet Caroline - Sweet and tangy BBQ pulled pork topped with coleslaw and tempura battered banana peppers served on a grilled ciabatta.


To eliminate the suspense, I went with the salad my bestie, Ann, recommended: Strawberry Fields
Our signature chicken salad, fresh strawberries, candied pecans, feta crumbles, cucumbers, grape tomatoes and red onion on a bed of field greens. Served with raspberry vinaigrette dressing and fresh baked bread.

The chicken salad was fantastic and I'm a fan of raspberry vinaigrette, so it was a hit for TWO lunches!  I could only eat half and had the other half the next day!

I assured Bri that despite the color of this restaurant, he'd like it and I'm SURE we'll be going back.  But don't forget, if you want to stop by, they are open 7 days a week, but they close at 2 pm, so get there early!

Happy dining,
Carrie

Dining Out: Hart's Turkey Farm, Meredith, NH

Thanks to the wonderful women hubby works with, we got some recommendations right off the bat for places we could eat and review - thanks, Ladies! (You KNOW who you are...)

The very first place they said we HAD to go was Hart's Turkey Farm in beautiful Meredith, NH.   They were rated one of the best in NH in 2013 and after having lunch there for the very first time, I totally understand why!

We've driven by Hart's a thousand times, if we'd gone by once.  You have to pass it if you are heading north to the Lakes Region or most points north in New Hampshire.  We only have so many roads, you know...

They are open daily at 11:15 except for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.  It's like Thanksgiving there, 363 days a year!  You don't have to have a turkey dinner there, the menu is actually quite extensive.  You can view it HERE.  I viewed it quite a bit before the trip, so I wouldn't get there, be overwhelmed and not try something I wanted to have.  It would be easy to do - there are multiple ways to enjoy turkey (including a small, regular and jumbo turkey dinner with the fixings) as well as ranch (beef), sea (self explanatory), pasta, salad, soup/chowder and sandwich options. Since we were at a turkey farm restaurant, we went turkey - no big surprise there.  My momma taught me NOT to order fish at a steak house...just sayin'.

Right after we were seated our waiter brought us this very interesting carrot relish and crackers.  Brian eyed it and waited for me to sample it.  I found it surprisingly good.  We could tell there was celery and green peppers in it and a vinegar/sugar dressing.  I'm not a huge fan of saltines, but they allowed the flavors to stand out.  A nice start to the meal.

Before we'd even gotten there, we'd decided on trying the turkey sampler as an appetizer.  It was a late lunch for us (a slow start and, well, I missed the turn and we had to turn around on the interstate) so we thought it was 1) a good way to try a few things and 2) a way to get eating quickly since we were STARVING!

The sampler was excellent!  It had a turkey croquette (which we split), fried turkey nuggets (no batter, just plain meat), turkey tempura (resembled chicken fingers, my DD's would have said) and some turkey pot stickers.  Along with them were cranberry sauce (perfect with the croquette), duck sauce (loved with the pot stickers and the tempura) and hot mustard (Bri loved!  Me, just used a wee bit).

We each decided on a sandwich to try.  Hubby went with the Jerk Turkey Burger.  At first he didn't find it spicy, but as he made his way through the sandwich, the flavor intensified and he enjoyed it.  He's like that - spicy things are all good in his book.

I went right for the turkey, apple, brie sandwich.  It was AMAZING!  You had this delicious piece of turkey breast meat, pieces of spicy/cinnamon flavored apples and warm, melted brie.  Heaven in a sandwich in my humble opinion.

The wait staff was friendly and helpful, but not overbearing.  We did hit it at a very slow time, early afternoon, but they are very accustomed to large crowds and it says they can seat 500.  Location-wise they would have to be - smack dab in the entrance to the Lakes Region, home of the summer crowds going to Lake Winnipesaukee and then there's the whole motorcycle weekend things that happen up there.  Craziness.

There were some facts on the placemat I found fascinating, on a busy day they serve:

• one ton of turkey
• 40 gallons of gravy
• 1,000 pounds of fresh potatoes
• 4,000 dinner rolls
• over 100 pies

That's a LOT of food!

We would highly recommend a stop there if you are up that way.  Good food, nice view, a 5 star in our little black book.

Happy dining,
Carrie