Up in the Lakes Region of NH for the week, pillaging my grandma’s garden to make fresh basil pesto, pasta primavera with zucchini, eggplant and squash, plus gorgeous green salads with tomato and cucumber. Summertime in New England is pretty glorious, I must say.

Also as part of my trip up north, me and grams went to the Italian Farmhouse, part of the Common Man New Hampshire restaurant chainlet that I so love. Us two Gaimaris ordered calamari and manicotti and went arrivederci with full bellies and leftovers to boot.

Grilled burgers and market salad on the porch at sunset in NH. 

Rum & coke and a snack on the deck

My name is Angela and I’m a recovering pizza hater…OK I never really hated it but was abnormally ambivalent during my college years in Boston. The only time I could get into it was after a few too many, usually at Hi Fi or Little Stevie’s. I didn’t have regular access to Santarpio’s nor do I remember Upper Crust being a thing yet. I was more into wings anyway.

Things have changed. I have a pizza connoisseur for a boyf and I live in New York, where I’m surrounded by classics like Grimaldi’s and Di Fara and newcomers like Franny’s and Motorino. So now I end up eating a lot of pizza and now I am rightfully obsessed.

a special mushroom pie at Otto. Click to see more to-die-for pies I’ve tried in recent times…

Read More

newhampshirevore edition This NYE, Guy and I went way way way upstate to the White Mountains, where we ate, drank and chilled like it was 1999. We rolled into town just in time to make our reservation at the Thompson House Eatery in Jackson: an establishment dedicated to NH friendliness, a detailed menu and more garnish than even I knew what to do with. Their cranberry vinaigrette was amazing. I can’t wait to try and recreate it at home (stay tuned for the results).

After a snowed-in breakfast in bed at our B&B, the Wildflowers Inn, we went back to sleep, and awoke hungry again. The Scarecrow Pub was the perfect lunch spot. We ordered buffalo shrimp topped with housemade hot sauce and a kitschy French Dip served with fresh cut french fries made of Maine potatoes.

Our favorite meal was our final one: a flawless dinner at White Mountain Cider Co. An actual cider mill and restaurant, they made cocktails so good (and only $10 a pop), it’s a wonder I was able to limit myself to two. Made with among other things, my first had cranberry wine and home grown lemon verbena syrup, and my last had pine liqueur and St. Germain. The housemade potato chips were impossible to resist—served drizzled with wasabi cream, Gorgonzola sauce and curry aioli. Our dinners were impressive too (though i snoozed and losed by missing out on the last of the venison special). We split a Shaved Brussel Sprout & Celery Root Salad, Herb Rubbed Pork Chop with Winter Vegetable Gratin and Apple Cider Sauce and Truffled Beet Risotto.

YUM! Thanks NH!