Republic Cafe on Elm

This place is fabulous. It is a European style cafe in our own Manchester, NH. I cannot wait to go back. The idea behind this fairly new eatery is food goes from farm to table. They keep a chalkboard list of the farms they buy their food from.

I went for lunch and tried to keep my meal light (and my weight down), but I ended up eating every bit of my panini. Half would have been fine for lunch, but it was so tasty, I devoured every crumb. I ordered the Grilled Zucchini that also had roasted red peppers and various other gorgeous flavors like feta cheese.

My husband ordered the Chicken Panini, an unusual choice for him since he is not crazy about goat cheese. I tried a bite of his. It was very good, but mine was better. Both came with a modest side salad instead of the usual fries and starches available everywhere else.

On top of everything else, the prices are reasonable. Our paninis were $6.50 and $7.50. The highest priced item on the menu is $22.

The owners, Claudia Rippee and Edward Aloise, are the former proprietors of the most missed Cafe Pavone in the Millyard. According to their website (http://republiccafe.com ) their menu "will convey our culinary philosophy which focuses on quality ingredients, is seasonally appropriate, and is respectful of its sources." Bravo. I will be back soon to sample the Mussels Provencel, the North African Spiced Vegetables, and the Monkfish (Monkfish in Manchester!!) Puttanesca.

XO on Elm

XO on Elm

Upon arriving for a late night bite and glass of wine (late night for Manchester--8:30), we were asked outside the restaurant if we wanted a table by proprietor #1. We said we were waiting for friends and would like to wait at the bar. There were no seats, but we didn't mind standing. That's when proprietor #2 also asked if we wanted a table. We explained again. He assured us there would be a seat at the bar soon. Nice. He took our drink order. That's when proprietor #1 had followed us in and almost insisted we get a table for ourselves and our friends. Now I felt badgered. I explained to her AGAIN how we were expecting company and preferred to wait at the bar. I didn't know how many of my friends were showing up, but do I really need to get into this in order to enjoy a glass of wine?

Seats opened up shortly, and the bartender gave us menus. I thought this was a tapas bar, but there were only four items under the tapas label.

Soon after, our friends came in, and gathered around us at the bar. Now, close to 9 PM, the place was slowing down. More seats became available and diners were leaving. However, my friends couldn't get a drink. The bartender, when around, just flitted by and then disappeared. Proprietor #2 hugged my friend, but then was gone. Finally, 20 minutes later, the bartender took their drink order and our food order.

The food didn't take too long. My mussels steamed with beer and sautéed with Chorizo sausage for $9 were excellent. Unfortunately about a third of them did not open and my bread for mopping sauce was burned on one side. When I showed the bartender, she took the entire appetizer off the bill. I thought that was more than generous.

My friend's dates stuffed with Chorizo and cream cheese filling wrapped with crispy pancetta were outstanding. I could have eaten a plateful, but getting three of them for $7 is not enough value for me.

Another friend ordered the Middle Eastern Taster for $12. It came as cute little bowls of hummus, cucumber taziki, tabouli, and olive tapenade. It was all delicious, but the grilled Naan bread was also burned.

This is a beautiful restaurant, but I did not have a good experience. I will try it again, but not for a while.

Ignite Restaurant

We had a great time at Ignite in Manchester, NH. There was a show going on at the Palace Theatre, but we were seated in a reasonable amount of time (1/2 glass wine). Meanwhile we sat/stood at the bar. After being seated, we didn't have to clear our bar tab as the bartender became our server.

We started with the mussels special which was fabulous! A bit spicy and we fought over the bits of garlic and tomatoes to mop up with the garlic toasts.

I had an ostrich burger. The server recommended I go rare instead of my usual medium rare since ostrich cooks quickly. It was too red for me. I would do medium rare next time. They gave me a side salad instead of a starch.

My dining companion had the filet mignon. It was good. I'm used to that cut being seasoned. His needed a shake of salt. His garlic mashed potatoes were real and lovely. We ate it all.

Food: Quite good
Service: Excellent
Decor: Gorgeous
Prices: Fair value

Firefly American Bistro and Bar

Firefly American Bistro and Bar

The Firefly Restaurant is a fairly new eatery that opened up on Concord St. in Manchester, just off the city’s main street called Elm. The first, most wonderful aspect you will notice is PARKING. They have their own parking lot. In downtown Manchester that is huge. Not Boston huge, but NH huge.

The décor is casual chic. They make good use of the historic brick walls. They have two separate dining rooms and a bar area that people like to squeeze into. The clientele seems to be mainly people in their 30s and 40s and professionals. I have been in several times now and have seen hair salon owners, area restaurant owners, politicians, and people who work in the downtown area who pop in for lunch. The exception last night was the four women a bit older drinking martinis and laughing raucously. It made me want to order a martini.

I didn’t, however. I started with their own Firefly Pinot Noir and an order of the addiction-causing go-go bread. This is not a complicated dish. It is simply fried bread that is dipped into Gorgonzola sauce. I need to run a half marathon today to undo the damage done. We ran out of bread, not sauce. If I had not been brought up the way I was, I would have licked the bowl clean with my finger. Alas…

For dinner, I had the Bourbon Street fettuccine that consisted of blackened shrimp, crawfish, and andouille sausage with tomatoes and green onions in a Cajun cream sauce for $16.95. The sauce was not too creamy and had a bit of spiciness. My companions had the bacon wrapped bistro steak which was pan-seared, finished with a Tennessee bourbon barbeque sauce, onion straws, smashed potatoes and vegetable for $19.95 and an alfredo seafood pasta special which I do not remember the price. They were both wonderful. The steak was cooked perfectly and the BBQ sauce was a tad sweet. I found the alfredo sauce quite creamy, but that’s the point.

We did not save room for dessert. I tried feverishly to get my companions to order something so I could have a bite. I failed.

Our overall dining experience was fabulous. We will make Firefly American Bistro and Bar one of our regular stops. (http://www.fireflynh.com/)

Rita Mae's Restaurant Review

Rita Mae's is a great diner on the West Side of Manchester, NH. The menu is extensive and affordable. The atmosphere is funky with yellow walls and pink lights all over them. I love pink lights. The current man in my life recently ordered a corned beef hash omelet for $5.99. It was full of corned beef. He ate every morsel.

I ordered a hash brown special for $4.65. It was fine, but there was too much cheese on it. In addition, my rye toast had way too much butter on it. It was inedible. The coffee is the stuff of diners--no French Roast here.

On Fridays, Rita Mae's serves fresh fish. Their fried clam plate for $16.99 is the best in the city. There was so much, I had to share with my man. Their onion rings are also the best this city offers. They are light and crispy and perfect.