Granite Restaurant Quick Look

“I’ll have what Hillary had,” I whispered to Mike the bartender behind the shiny black granite bar at the Granite Restaurant & Bar in the newly remodeled Centennial Inn, 26 Pleasant St., Concord. It is a little-known secret that Hillary Clinton and her entourage, including former President Bill Clinton and daughter Chelsea, tucked in for almost a week at the Centennial Inn in the final days leading up to the New Hampshire Primary.”You want a Hefewizen on draft?” said Mike with a questioning brow. “No, I want the same appetizer she ordered,” I replied, ordering a glass of Pinot Grigio ($8). Mike steered me to the grilled lamb lollipops, while commenting that in addition to Hefewizen, the former first lady also enjoys Stella Artois.My lamb chops ($12) were delightful. The appetizer included three grilled New Zealand lamb chops served on a bed of fingerling potatoes, fresh artichoke and haricort vert (thin French beans that still had their snap). The plate was painted with a roasted garlic pommery mustard vinaigrette and was as stunning in presentation as it was in flavor. The chops, called lollipops because of their long slender bone, were done to perfection, slightly pink in the middle, tender and bursting with flavor.The Granite Restaurant & Bar is hip, modern and boutique-ish, with its dramatic lighting, geometric fabrics and plush houndstooth check upholstered dining chairs.- by Lisa BrownThe Granite Restaurant & BarThe Centennial Inn, 96 Pleasant St.Concord, (603) 227-9000, www.thecentennialinn.comOpen for lunch and dinner Monday through Saturday and for brunch on Sunday.