Spring does not come easily to New Hampshire. By January, after the holidays, the routine of dealing with the snow, the cold, the gray skies and long nights can weigh down the soul. But by the last of March, you notice the farmers have put out their sap buckets and it’s still daylight when you get home from work. The…
It’s all white linens and soft candlelight set amidst a century of history while you enjoy a five-course meal at The Balsams, way up in Dixville Notch. But what goes on in the kitchen, behind the scenes, before that elegant presentation of prime rib and five artfully arranged beans is placed graciously before you? I decided to have a look…
Almost every small town in America has its great little breakfast and lunch spot, and many of them are named for the hard-working person who oversees stacks of pancakes and mounds of Hollandaise-covered Eggs Benedict grabbed from the kitchen by the efficient hands of professional, friendly waitresses. In the New Hampshire Seacoast area on Route 1 alone we have Nancy’s,…
They’re back. The four chefs that Rufus Boyett took to the Puglia region of Italy are now officially certified by the Federazione Italiana Cuochi, the Italian National Culinary Team, complete with serial numbers and an official uniform. Boyett, working as an agent for the Italian government, convinced the government officials that the best way to sell Italian wines is to…
The cozy dining rooms at country inns are evergreen favorites, but rarely do we think of larger hotels as the venue for an evening out. That’s a mistake in New Hampshire, where some of the biggest hotels have outstanding restaurants. Long gone are the days when the White Mountain resort hotels depended on having a captive audience at dinner; today…
Each summer, many a tourist is drawn to Portsmouth for its history, culture and seaside charm. But few tourists know of this insider’s secret — a glorious annual feast for the soul called the “Pocket Gardens of Portsmouth” tour, scheduled this year for Friday, June 16, from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m., and Saturday, June 17, from 9 a.m. to…
For the rookie woodchoppers among us, let’s begin by defining the two types of chainsaws: Type 1 — Those that start; Type 2 — Those that don’t. Prior to my owning and operating my own chainsaw, I employed a local White Mountain contractor to remove a couple of humongous, dying oak trees alongside the driveway. Their decaying branches had begun…
