I ate here. It’s every bit as good as the review suggests. Seb’s description and photos tell more, I’ll post my own photos soon. Update: posted.

Short story: there’s a restaurant in Australia with a three month waiting list, but a Sydney Morning Herald reporter says the restaurant I ate at is its equal or better, but without the waiting list and at US$33 per meal.

First Impressions

How much is too much for an entree at a place that plays the kind of anonymous Muzak that Kenny G calls jazz and is decorated like Applebee’s? Trust me, I like renovated mill buildings, but why confuse it with faux grecian columns and too many pictures of dead celebrities? I mean, the interior was clean and pleasant, but lacked attention to detail. If you’re so afraid your customers are going to walk off with the poorly framed prints of old Hollywood darlings that you nail them to the wall through the frame, how much can you expect them to pay for dinner?

Drinks and Appetizers

Still, Cotton’s martinis have been voted the best in New Hampshire. I tried the sampler, a trio of fruity cocktails served in adorable 2.5 oz martini glasses. The flight included a lemon drop martini, a raspberry cosmopolitan, and an orange crush (the crush had me humming REM all evening, but I’m a dork like that). Casey ordered the Vesper (he’s a dork for Bond-themed drinks), a cocktail of gin, vodka and Lillet as they prepare it.

Whatever points the place lost in atmosphere they seemed to regain with the Martinis. The drinks were fresh and light with lovely flavors. My favorite was the lemon drop. So many restaurants serve a syrupy martini which I hate, these were clearly a step above.

To accompany the cocktails, we had the Lobster Artichoke Dip. The flavor of the dip was good, but the homemade corn chips they were paired with were far too salty and overpowered the more subtle flavors of the dip.

Entrees

On special was a pork tenderloin in a mushroom sauce with mashed potatoes and sauteed greens. It was plenty tender, but the sauce that covered everything was bland and cried out for some fresh herbs. Casey’s “Meat and Potatoes” suffered from a similar saucing issue. I am not sure why the chef felt it necessary to drown our food with blandness.

Conclusion

We should have moved on after our cocktails and appetizers. The music killed Casey, but I will happily return to Cotton for a pre-dinner martini at the bar, then I will continue my search for a Manchester restaurant I love.

Details

Cotton
75 Arms Street Manchester, NH 03101 — phone: 603 622 5488
Dinners priced $13-30
Lunch:Monday-Friday, 11:30AM-2:30PM
Dinner:Nightly at 5:00PM

Cotton, restaurant, food, dinner, review, restaurant review

Now matter how depressed I got in New Orleans, I still had to eat. A tip from the ladies at Molly’s on Toulouse led me to Yo Moma’s with instructions to try their peanut butter burger.

Yes. Peanut butter. On a burger. I was also told that if I don’t like mayo, I should tell them to hold it because they’ll put it on thick if I don’t.

Yes. Peanut butter, on a burger with mayo. Indeed, it even had bacon bits.

And, as it turned out, everything was in the right proportion. Each flavor revealed itself in every bite, and they were all yummy.

This might be one I’ll try at home.

Edit: changed some sloppy wording to correct the bad grammar Matt pointed out.

food, peanut butter, hamburger, yo mama’s, restaurant

Wendy sent out this invite last week:

Last month the Monningers quite suddenly became restauranteurs. Six weeks later, Wendy, Joe and Pie are excited to announce the Grand Opening of “the Twig”– an ever-so-cute restaurant in their hometown of Warren, NH.

On Saturday, June 24th from 11-2 come to the Twig for free pizza and cake. Win gift certificates and enjoy the newly-opened “Brook-Side at the Twig,” a beautiful outdoor beer garden along the bank of Black Brook.

Thank you to all our family, friends, neighbors, vendors and eaters who have supported the Twig. We appreciate your support and look forward to seeing you soon.

It’s all in Warren, at the only full-service restaurant/bar in town:

Open Mic Night at the Twig
Every Thursday night 8-11pm.
Hosted by Sky King ( formerly of the Sopha Kings, presently with Woodchuck Hollow).
Come to play or listen.
Pizza and bev. specials.

Scrabble Night
Every Tuesday night from 7-9pm, starting on June 27th.
BYOSB (bring your own scrabble board).

Sunday Brunch
Every Sunday from 8am-12pm.
All you can eat brunch for $8.00/pp. Kids $5.00.
Great spread including fresh baked breakfast pastries and dessert.

Breakfast Tue-Sat 7-11am
Lunch Tue-Sun
Dinner Tue-Sun. Open until 10ish (except Sunday until 8pm)
Best pizza in town
Great dinner specials
Sunday brunch
Full liquor license
WiFi/ TV/ AC
Tuesday Scrabble
Thursday Open Mic
Brook-Side at the Twig

bar, dining, food, grand opening, new hampshire, restaurant, the twig, warren, warren nh, wendy monninger

The Korea Garden is on 20 Pearl Street somewhere behind the Middle East in Cambridge, Mass. It’s the sort of place that attracts local Asians and very few white boys (like me). So it’s hard to say what they must have thought when Cliff and I walked in one night this winter.

An argument broke out in the kitchen as the waitress presented our order. We joked and smiled among ourselves about it, but my smile fell as my dinner was delivered. A quivering mound of raw red beef topped by a glossy raw yellow egg yolk graced a pile of rice and sprouts. All this was delivered in a hot stone pot with a side of chili paste.

It may be difficult to understand how I ordered such a thing. It’s number 41 on their menu (not available for take out), but, like number 42, the description is rather limited. If I was more awake to things, I might have figured it out before ordering. But such is not the case, and I ordered it, so bit by bit I ate it.

And the more I ate, the more I liked.

Here’s the rest of their (takeout) menu:

Cambridge, MA. Korea Garden Takeout Menu

UPDATE: More about Bi Bam Bab here.

tags: asian food, cambridge, cambridge ma, korea garden, korean food, massachusetts, restaurant