• Sections
    • Arts & Entertainment
    • Bridal
    • Community
    • Education
    • Fashion
    • Food & Drink
    • Health & Wellness
    • Home & Garden
    • MVMA
    • Perspectives
    • Travel
  • Shop Local
    • Arts & Culture
    • Bridal
    • Community
    • Dining & Cuisine
    • Education
    • Entertainment
    • Fashion
    • Financial & Professional Services
    • Florists, Gift & Specialty Shops
    • Health & Wellness
    • Home & Garden
    • Real Estate
  • Calendar
  • Dining Guide
  • Advertise
  • Login

Merrimack Valley Magazine

  • Arts & Entertainment
  • Community
  • Education
  • Fashion
  • Food & Drink
  • Health & Wellness
  • Home & Garden
  • Perspectives
  • Travel

Good Eats – Sahel Restaurant & Lounge

November 4, 2021 by Emilie-Noelle Provost

My husband, Rob, and I haven’t gone out to dinner much over the last 18 months. Although we used to dine out frequently, we became accustomed to cooking at home during the COVID-19 lockdown. When we have eaten out, it’s almost always been at a place we’ve enjoyed in the past. So, when I was asked to review Sahel Restaurant & Lounge, an Afro Caribbean establishment in Lowell that opened in September, I was a bit nervous, especially because I was unfamiliar with the cuisine. I didn’t know what to expect, and was concerned that I wouldn’t like it.

I’m happy to report that this didn’t happen. Sahel, located on Central Street in a space formerly occupied by a Latin nightclub, was a breath of
fresh air.

The first thing you notice about Sahel is its attractive design. The large, open dining area’s clean lines complement a neat arrangement of cloth-covered tables. The bright colors of the hand-painted murals in the foyer and above the bar pop against the restaurant’s light walls, infusing the space with an upbeat, inviting vibe.

Sahel’s staff was welcoming and friendly. The host and our waiter were enthusiastic about providing information about dishes on the menu that were unfamiliar to us, which was more or less all of them.

 

The restaurant has a liquor license, but hadn’t yet received it when we were there, so we decided to try their homemade, nonalcoholic ginger beer. It was delicious, packing a pleasant punch of fresh ginger without being overly sweet. We each enjoyed two glasses of it.

Our meal started with complimentary salads, small plates of fresh field greens accented with dried cranberries and tossed in Sahel’s house vinaigrette. This was a tasty and pleasant surprise, but I thought it would have been helpful for Sahel to let diners know ahead of time that this salad was included, in case you were considering one of the four entree salads on the menu. 

We ordered the suya chicken for an appetizer. These traditional West African kebabs are coated in a piquant spice mix and served with fresh cucumbers and tomatoes to help mitigate the heat. These were also quite good, and I liked that they weren’t too heavy.

For our main meal, Rob tried the ndole, a Cameroonian peanut stew made with spinach, bitter greens, shrimp and garlic. For sides, he ordered sweet plantains and jollof rice, a tomato-based dish that reminded me of Spanish rice. The flavor combinations were new to us, but everything was fresh and tasted great. The portions were large, so be prepared to take home leftovers if you order this item. 

 

I opted for the red bean and butternut squash stew, a vegetarian offering popular in the Caribbean that also contained cauliflower in an herb-infused coconut sauce. The stew had a strong, fragrant coconut flavor, but was very different from Asian dishes I’ve tried that used coconut as a main ingredient. I appreciated that it was more savory than sweet, which can be a problem in some dishes that call for butternut squash. I also liked the fact that it was nutritious and healthy, as so many restaurant meals are not.

We were quite full after our entrees, but decided anyway to share an order of bread pudding for dessert. According to our waiter, this treat is one of the chef’s specialties. Served warm, the bread pudding wasn’t too sweet, and had subtle hints of warm spices. The dessert’s sweetness came from its homemade strawberry topping and the pool of warm chocolate sauce on the bottom of the plate. The portion size was reasonable, providing a pleasant few bites for each of us.

Sahel seemed to still be working out some lingering kinks in its operation. Our appetizer, for example, came to the table at the same time as our entrees. And the boxes we were given for our leftovers had incorrectly sized lids, an issue that was quickly remedied after we flagged down our waiter. 

All in all, we had a good experience at Sahel. The food is fresh, healthy and made with a lot of attention to detail. I’d love to go back and try some of the other dishes on the menu.  

Sahel Restaurant & Lounge
Lowell, Mass.

(978) 455-3635
SahelRestaurantLounge.com

Filed Under: Food & Drink Tagged With: AfroCaribbean, goodeats, lounge, Lowell, Restaurant, Sahel, WestAfrica

Good Eats – Vera Ristorante

January 9, 2021 by Dean Johnson

Pity poor Vera. This new, casually upscale Italian eatery is run by folks with impressive Boston and New York credentials and has an ideal location, smack on Market Square in downtown Newburyport.

But starting a new restaurant in this environment? A case could be made that the restaurant/hospitality industry has been devastated by COVID-19 more than any other. 

On the other hand … maybe save that pity and instead make arrangements to visit as soon as your personal circumstances allow. In a seaside city known for its impressive slew of good restaurants, Vera is already near the top of that list.

There is plenty of outdoor dining at Vera, in front, on the side, and even in the back of the place — all good people-watching locations. My wife and I were happy to take advantage of that seating during a spate of weird but welcome 70-degree days in November.

 

Vera’s interior is a single room dominated by a central bar. It’s cozy — not always a welcome attribute these days. But bar seating was limited and plexiglass dividers had been set up as barriers between many of the tables.

The menu offers six entrees — halibut ($36), chicken ($26), a bone-in pork chop ($29), the house burger ($20), an 8-ounce filet mignon ($44), and a 12-ounce rib-eye ($42) — in addition to pastas and pizzas. 

We suspected we were in for a good night when both starters earned high marks. The $18 polipetti (grilled baby octopus) was prepared well and served with tomatoes, fingerling potatoes, a smart aioli, and fennel pollen. It made me consider never again ordering simple fried calamari.

The burrata ($15) was a visually pleasing dish: little prosciutto di parma tents served with the rich, creamy Italian cheese, all accented with some basil oil and sea salt.

Maybe it’s because we were so, uh, “restaurant starved,” but the Bolognese ($18/$24) featured a tagliatelle in a richly herbed meat sauce that seemed absolutely silky — we ate slowly to savor the experience.

 

Ordering the rib-eye inspired a quick travel flashback. Years ago, my wife and I were dining out in the Tuscan town of Montecatini, and we noticed patrons at a nearby table enjoying steaks that appeared to be straight out of a Flintstones cartoon — huge cuts that seemed beyond anything a cow or bull could offer. And they were so rare it would not have surprised me if the kitchen staff had just waved them over the grill before serving. 

I joked with my waiter, who was Italian, that though I know I should order the rib-eye rare, I opted for medium rare … the American version of medium rare. He laughed and replied, “There is nothing wrong with ordering a rare steak.”

That’s a conversation for another day.

It’s reasonable to expect a $42 steak to be so good that it all but takes you to another place when you taste it. The beef arrived presliced and was medium-rare perfection. I can’t recall the last time I thought of a steak as almost buttery, but this one qualified. Temperature correct and packed with flavor, it was a terrific entree, served with some arugula and tomato.

Our desserts, a panna cotta ($9) and chocolate crema ($9), were the “disappointments” of the evening; both were quite good, but they didn’t quite match the lofty standards of everything else.

Though we were told they were understaffed that night, no fewer than four people visited our table to make sure we were happy during the course of our delightful dinner. 

We were. Very. Serving us a memorable dinner under the daunting circumstances most restaurants are facing these days was no small feat. I’m already looking forward to visiting Vera again, when the weather … or vaccines … cooperate.   

 

Vera Ristorante
Newburyport, Mass.

(978) 358-7741
VeraRistorante.com

Kitchen hours:
Tuesday-Thursday, 4 p.m. to 9 p.m.
Friday and Saturday, 4 p.m. to 10 p.m. 

Filed Under: Food & Drink Tagged With: eatery, goodeats, Italian, newburyport, Restaurant, review, Ristorante, Vera

Good Eats – Groton Station House

October 13, 2020 by Dean Johnson

There was a time in the not-so-distant past when dining out options in Groton largely involved deciding between pepperoni or extra cheese.

Thankfully, those days are gone and the Groton area now has a number of good dining options within just a few minutes of the town center.

Now you can add the Groton Station House menu to that expanding list.

It’s often good to see a historic building repurposed rather than razed, and in this case the restaurant has a fascinating history. The impressive brick structure was initially built about a century ago as an Odd Fellows hall. The town bought it in 1940 and turned it into a fire station. The construction of a new firehouse in 2014 made the building available for private use.

 

These days, the space accommodates nearly 200 customers and includes a large and inviting bar/lounge area as you enter, along with a large rectangular dining room. [Please note that at the time of online publication, Groton Station House has just re-opened and is was offering special services in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Please call or visit their websites for updates.]

It’s a casually upscale spot. When we visited, there were gentlemen in sports coats and young adults in sneakers and jeans. Neither group looked out of place. Along with the soft and neutral colors that dominate, the light and burnished woods give the place a comfortable and contemporary colonial feel.

The menu offers plenty of options. There is also a nice wine list, and I enjoyed the playful way some were listed: “Lively & Fun,” “Earthy & Minerally,” “Bold & Spicy.” It’s a smart way to make ordering wine less intimidating for the inexperienced.

The Groton Center farm salad ($6/$11) was an encouraging start, a mix of local greens along with beets, cheddar, two kinds of berries, and a cleverly subtle honey champagne vinaigrette.

The wild mushroom torte ($14) was a generous order of sauteed wild mushrooms in a light puff pastry with shallots and garlic, and a tomato-based demi-glace. Though I prefer my wild mushroom dishes less adorned, much thought and effort went into the dish. 

Groton Station offers daily specials, such as the short rib ravioli, along with a varied, inviting daily menu.

Groton Station House obviously takes pride in its steaks. Even though only four are featured, they have their own menu page, along with a list of possible sauces, toppings and add-ons. 

Attractive options include melted blue cheese crumbles ($3) and an au poivre sauce ($4). The 12-ounce New York strip ($33) was perfectly seasoned … and prepared as requested. I wouldn’t want to add anything to mess with it. Generally, I always need to request salt and pepper with a steak to give it the kind of flavor jolt I like. Not this time.

The lobster risotto ($33) was also a welcome addition to our table. Gluten-free and vegetable-based, the creamy, generously proportioned dish featured risotto with shrimp, lobster, corn and spinach. Sometimes I wish that I’d brought along a magnifying glass to find the lobster bits in similar dishes. This time there were big chunks of lobster in the tasty platter, along with plump shrimp.

Our server was eager to please and informative. He had suggestions about menu items to consider and, well, not consider … and I liked that.

Desserts are hardly an afterthought at Groton Station House. In some ways, they were dinner highlights. The red velvet cake with cream cheese frosting ($9) was exactly what a red velvet cake should be, but rarely is — rich and velvety and full of flavor. The shaved chocolate garnish was a savvy bonus.

The milk chocolate mousse ($8) featured extravagant Belgian chocolate with a white chocolate bark. I am normally a dark chocolate guy, but I would order this again in a minute.

The building might have begun its life as an Odd Fellows hall, but there is nothing odd about what’s going on at Groton Station House these days. It’s a gratifying addition to the Groton culinary community.   

Left: Chef Jeff Hebert sits next to manager Andrew McElroy. Right: Desserts are a highlight at the Groton Station House. According to food critic Dean Johnson, the red velvet cake was exemplary — rich, velvety and flavorful. The milk chocolate mousse is made with Belgian chocolate and served with white chocolate bark and a wafer crisp.

Groton Station House
Groton, Mass.

(978) 448-4000
GrotonStationHouse.com

Filed Under: Food & Drink Tagged With: dessert, goodeats, groton, menu, Restaurant, review, steak, Wine

Good Eats – Portside Waterfront Restaurant & Bar

September 24, 2019 by Dean Johnson Leave a Comment

Location. Location. Location.

That’s the hoary punch line, of course, to dozens of jokes. The foodie version goes something like this: What are the three top priorities for a restaurant?

Portside Waterfront Restaurant & Bar in Salisbury has all three covered. The second-floor location provides commanding views of the Merrimack River, Newburyport and the harbor, along with plenty of outdoor dining.

Location, however, isn’t the only answer. Vasa previously occupied the same space since 2016, but that eatery closed last fall. 

I don’t know what Vasa did wrong — if anything — but I do know that Portside, open since May, is doing plenty of things right. 

The new owners of the space operate several other area restaurants, including The Lobster Pool in Rockport and The Farm Bar & Grille, which has two locations in New Hampshire: Manchester and Dover, as well as one in Essex, Mass. Their pledge before opening was to focus on seafood, keep prices reasonable and portions generous, and to appeal to locals, not just the tourist crowd. They also intended to “keep it from being upscale” and to provide a salad bar.

Portside promises casual seafood with commanding views. The restaurant, which has taken over the space formerly occupied by Vasa, echoes that establishment’s beachy feel (right). The creamy tarragon mussels (top of page) are heavy on the shellfish and served with a “slam dunk” garlic bread. As might be expected, the cocktails include the sort of classics (left) you would want to enjoy on the deck while the seagulls fly by. Photos by kevin Harkins.

Overall, our recent visit indicated “mission accomplished.” The spot is still new enough to have an air of novelty, yet it already feels established as a smart casual dining option in the Newburyport area, especially if views and outdoor dining are a priority.

The atmosphere, in general, hasn’t changed much since the Vasa days, and that’s not a bad thing. Whites and soft colors dominate, and striking new wall art has been mounted here and there. But in the big picture, it’s all about that low-key summertime “beachy” feel.

Appetizers, sandwiches, flatbreads and soups, full entrees, they’re all available. You can even just do the salad bar thing ($12.95), though you can belly up to this particular bar with any entree, as many times as you’d like, at no additional cost.

I’ve always had an uncomfortable relationship with salad bars. I love the idea, but far too often I end up disappointed, in part because most places use the salad bar as a way to show off and end up shooting for quantity, not quality.

Portside’s salad bar is hardly the largest I’ve sampled. But there was more than enough variety, and everything looked fresh and inviting. For example, first up were three choices of greens, none featuring limp or listless leaves. There are cheeses, breads, grilled veggies, potato and pasta salads, and more. You can add lobster salad, grilled chicken, and other items for an additional cost.

The Portside menu includes a few notable non-seafood items, including burgers, steak tips and a chicken sandwich (pictured) served with Sriracha aioli, napa coleslaw and pickled cherry peppers. Photo by Kevin Harkins.

Beyond the salad bar, the creamy tarragon mussels ($12.95) featured a riotous number of steamed mussels served in white wine and shallots, along with heavy cream and fresh tarragon. The mussels were clean and done right, but the sauce was just a tad thin on the flavor front, even when we dunked the garlic bread that was included. Still, we were served so many of the little guys it was difficult to feel very disappointed.

I like clam chowder that tastes a little, well, clammy. I enjoyed Portside’s version, which leaned toward the traditional New England style, with a rich broth and a good amount of chopped clams and potatoes.

The steak tips ($21.95) included a generous portion of beef richly marinated in a secret barbecue-laced sauce. The kitchen followed our grilling instructions to perfection, and it did occur to me that this item, served with veggies and red bliss mashed potatoes, was a great deal, especially with the unlimited trips to the salad bar. 

The New England baked haddock ($19.95) was an even better deal. The fish had the right fresh and clean flavor, and there was plenty of it. The cracker coating needed to be scaled back: I had to scrape much of it off to really enjoy the fish. Still, it would be an easy decision to order it again.

All desserts are made on-site, and both the lemon blueberry cake and the toasted coconut Key lime cheesecake (both $6.95) hit all the right marks.

And that’s what Portside did, too.    


Portside Waterfront Restaurant & Bar
Salisbury, Mass.

(978) 358-1700
PortsideWaterfront.com
Hours: Monday-Saturday 11:30 a.m. to 1 a.m.
Sunday 10 a.m. to midnight

Filed Under: Food & Drink Tagged With: goodeats, portside, Restaurant, Salisbury, Seafood

Good Eats – Real

August 17, 2019 by Dean Johnson Leave a Comment

It is a common story in the restaurant business: A chef spends several years getting established at a respected eatery and along the way garners kudos for his or her work. With that acclaim and experience, they take the next step and start their own place.

And so it has happened again, and Groton’s loss is Lincoln’s gain. Tom Fosnot spent eight years in the kitchen at Groton’s estimable Gibbet Hill Grill, with previous credits that included Hub-area favorites Clio and Rialto.

This spring, Fosnot opened Real in the quiet town of Lincoln. Not only that, he has partnered with his wife, Ruth-Anne Adams, who also has an impressive resume that runs the gamut from Michela’s and Rialto to the much-loved Casablanca in Cambridge.

Real seats around 60 in single room with a bar. It’s the kind of place where flannel shirts and sport coats both pass for appropriate attire. Wear a tie, though, and someone may well ask you to take their order.

Call the ambience and decor gentleman farmer or country casual. Colors are mostly light and neutral, and seating is at long benches and simple kitchen dining chairs. It’s neat and minimal and inviting.

First impressions, they say, are generally made in six seconds. When informed that one of the house cocktails was a raspberry cosmo, I knew I had a new friend, and six seconds sounds about right. 

The menu is focused: a half-dozen entrees, four sandwiches, a handful of side dishes, and a batch of starters. Oh, and milkshakes!

Ten beers are on tap, and the wine list is just as straightforward: five reds and four whites by the glass, with more selections available by the bottle.

The general impression seemed to be: We did the advance work for you so you don’t have to deal with a cluttered menu. 

Real opened this spring in the town of Lincoln. It focuses on food that is “fresh, seasonal and, at times, unintentionally healthy.” Top of page: A mini beef tartare smorrebrod comes served on sourdough rye. Left: The sauteed cod exemplifies this approach. Right: L-r: Tom Fosnot, Ruth-Anne Adams, Lindsey Parker. Photos by Kevin Harkins.

The bread basket with maple butter and red pea hummus ($5) was an encouraging starter, displaying the kind of subtle thought and touch that goes into most dishes at Real: A small heated tile at the placed underneath helped keep the breads warm. 

The maple butter should be mandatory eating for all patrons.

A selection of a half-dozen mini smorrebrod sandwiches included a beef tartare option ($8). Just looking at the open-faced item brought me back to time well spent in Copenhagen. The beef was a delight, although the sourdough seeded rye tended to dominate.

The marinated Fat Moon mushrooms ($9) were another fine beginning. Don’t fret if you aren’t familiar with Fat Moon mushrooms; Fat Moon is the name of the Westford farm that produced them. Buttermilk ricotta, a dash of shishito peppers, what’s not to like?

The einkorn cavatelli ($18) featured a smart tomato/red pea/basil sauce that delivered a nice melding of flavors and texture. The pasta, though, was a tad too al dente even for my wife, who loves al dente.

The sauteed cod ($20) is prime example of all the things Real does right. The fish, presented atop a bed of smooth and enticing Yukon Gold mashed potatoes, had a buttery consistency. Add preserved lemon and parsley butter, and you have something special at a reasonable price.

The honey and graham bread pudding ($8) with vanilla ice cream and fresh blackberries made me so giddy I thought for a brief moment about smearing it on myself. But I quickly realized that might create a scene … after all, we were in Lincoln.

Real is the real thing. If only more chefs did as well after heading out on their own.    

Left: The raspberry cosmo was love at first sight for our food critic. Right: The honey and graham bread pudding, served with vanilla ice cream and blackberries, is a must-try dessert at the new establishment. Real specializes in food made from seasonal ingredients and prepared simply. In this instance, the results were intoxicating. Photos by Kevin Hakins.

Real
Lincoln, Mass.
(781) 259-9464

KeepItRealLincoln.com

Hours: Tuesday-Thursday and Sunday, 5 to 9 p.m.
Friday and Saturday, 5 to 10 p.m.
Reservations accepted

Filed Under: Food & Drink Tagged With: Dining, farm2table, Food, goodeats, real lincoln, Restaurant, review

  • 1
  • 2
  • Next Page »

Current Issue

Who We Are

mvm is the region’s premier source of information about regional arts, culture and entertainment; food, dining and drink; community happenings, history and the people who live, work, play and make our area great.

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter

Sections

  • Arts & Entertainment
  • Bridal
  • Community
  • Education
  • Fashion
  • Food & Drink
  • Health & Wellness
  • Home & Garden
  • MVMA
  • Perspectives
  • Travel

Links

  • Advertise
  • Subscribe
  • About Us
  • Regular Contributors
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Contact

© Copyright 2021 Merrimack Valley Media Group Inc. All rights reserved.

Orangetheory Fitness Chelmsford @DrumHill / (978) 577-5901

Orangetheory Fitness Methuen @The Loop / (978) 620-5850

Orangetheory Fitness Chelmsford @DrumHill / (978) 577-5901

Orangetheory Fitness Methuen @The Loop / (978) 620-5850

*Valid on new memberships during the month of September 2020.

 

Newsletter Signup

MERRIMACK VALLEY TODAY: Noteworthy. Local. News. (Launching May 2021)
Wellness Wednesdays
Eight Great Things To Do This Weekend (Thursdays)
NoteWorthy - Happenings, Movers & Shakers (Sundays)

Orangetheory Methuen is celebrating it’s one year anniversary with an
Open House, Saturday June 22 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Join your friends and neighbors to learn more about the fastest growing workout sensation in the nation. Tour the studio. Meet the coaches. Enter to win a 10 pack of classes. The first 20 people who sign up for a free class at the event will receive a free bonus class, no obligation. 

Click here to learn more! 

Click here to schedule your FREE CLASS in Chelmsford @DrumHill / (978) 577-5901
Click here to schedule your FREE CLASS in Methuen @The Loop / (978) 620-5850

*Free Class for first-time visitors and local residents only.