Merrimack Valley Magazine

Good Eats – Groton Station House

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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

Tuscan Sea Grill & Bar Opens Monday

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Coastal Italian Vibes Come to Newburyport

On Monday, July 13, Joe Faro and the Tuscan Brands team will open the Tuscan Sea Grill & Bar on the Newburyport waterfront. This new location, overlooking the harbor on Merrimac street, offers striking views of the Merrimack River right where it meets the Atlantic Ocean.

The cuisine offered at Tuscan Sea Grill & Bar will feature coastal Italian-inspired creations that utilize locally sourced seafood, alongside many of the popular scratch-made Italian dishes from Tuscan’s existing restaurants. Tuscan’s fine cuisine can be paired with a variety of beverages. The Sea Grill and Bar will feature an extensive wine list and a raw bar with a collection of cocktails that help the restaurant create a “special al fresco dining experience.”

This waterfront location was designed in part by Taniya Nayak, a principal interior architect and design expert member on HGTV and the Food Network. Nayak helped bring Tuscan’s vision of coastal Italian-inspired themes to life.

Starting Monday, Tuscan Sea Grill & Bar will be open Monday through Thursday from 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m., Saturdays 11 a.m. to 11 p.m., and Sundays 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.

TuscanBrands.com

 

Gate City Opens Big for Bars and Restaurants    

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Innovative Policies Transform Downtown Nashua Into Foodie Hot Spot

Every city does something better than its neighbors.

Nashua, New Hampshire, for example, has managed to keep its downtown fresh and interesting and vital in an era where city centers everywhere are struggling. Locally, only Newburyport can compete with Nashua, but the healthier ratio of locals to tourists means Route 3 North is the way to go.

It should be no great surprise that even in these odd, perilous times, downtown Nashua has once again risen to the occasion.

Drive down Main Street on a glorious summer’s evening and you’ll likely find the downtown is all but crawling with people of all ages, most of them eating and drinking and clearly having a ball.

How is that possible, you say? New Hampshire recently allowed restaurants to open but only for outdoor dining. Nashua has embraced that in a big way.

 

 

The Board of Alderman recently passed an $80,000 project to purchase and install dozens of Jersey barriers downtown. Those barriers effectively shrink Main Street from four-plus lanes to just two for much of the, oh, quarter-mile that runs smack through the heart of Nashua.

What’s on the other side of those new barriers? Tables and tables and tables and chairs and chair and more chairs. Nearly a dozen eateries now offer al fresco dining. Some never had before, and others never to the extent they are now.

And it’s not only the Big Kids benefiting from the new arrangement. Oh sure, San Francisco Kitchen, Surf, and Odd Fellows Brewery suddenly have all kinds of outdoor dining, but so do Main Street Gyro, and tiny Nashua Garden.

The new concept, drafted by the city’s director of economic development, Tim Cummings, is in effect until mid-November. Cummings said the project was a team effort involving the public, local businesses, and several city departments.

The idea, he explained, was a variation of the “parklets” set up in various cities around the world. But instead of a small park, outdoor dining was the focus.

“Functional was a priority,” he added, “Aesthetics was secondary.”

 

The plan has been clearly embraced by area residents. Anyone who drove by Martha’s Exchange early afternoon Wednesday would have seen dozens of folks hanging out, enjoying the summer sun, and, well, eating and drinking just like the old days.

That same evening there were hundreds of people enjoying a much-desired night out.

“A lot of our customers really like [the new arrangement] because they were tired of being cooped up,” said a San Francisco Kitchen employee who preferred to stay anonymous. “It’s been all good for us.”

Now of course you’re going to have questions, so here are some answers:

  • Every server we spied was wearing a mask, and most were wearing gloves, too.
  • Not one customer had a mask. But folks were there to eat and drink and chat, and masks kinda get in the way, y’know? Besides, ample recent studies indicate it’s much, much more difficult to pick up the contagion in any outside setting.
  • I can’t say people were practicing social distancing as an absolute rule, but most seemed to be at least aware of it.

One of the many advantages of living in the Merrimack Valley is that we are within easy driving distance of at least three states and can add a couple more with little effort.

So, a while back I gave up trying to remember which state allows what. Mandatory masks? Suggested glovery? Requested tin foil hats? Did I just read a Midwest State is now demanding full suits of armor?

All I know is that right now downtown Nashua’s foodie scene is once again happening in a big way, and it should be a template for what takes place in June when the Bay State’s restaurants will also be allowed to establish outdoor dining options.

 

Haverhill Chamber Creates New Program: #HaverhillLocal

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The COVID-19 crisis is wreaking havoc on Main Street small businesses across the United States.

The hardest hit are local face-to-face Main Street services — restaurants, bars, coffee shops, barbershops, hair salons, auto repair shops, dry cleaners and others that are living on the brink. These entities, usually sole proprietorships or businesses with fewer than 25, 10 or even 5 employees are running out of cash or already broke.

The Greater Haverhill Chamber has set up a new fund to drive desperately needed cash into these local mom and pops. This fund will allow the Chamber to offset any purchases from participating businesses with a 25% discount. Please consider giving – then go shopping!

Check out participating businesses here: Haverhillchamber.com

 

 

 

 

Haverhill Chamber Announces Restaurant Support Program

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[Updated March 25 at 9:12 a.m.]

The chamber announced that they’ve raised close to $10,000 in the past two days, thanks in no small part to the mayor who contributed $5,000 on the city’s behalf. This allows them to crank the engine back up and offer the gift card matching program again starting today, Wednesday, March 25. They will now match, dollar for dollar, up to $25 per customer. That means customers should be able to purchase a $50 gift card for $25 (or any lesser amount). They had been matching up to $50 per customer but are reducing the per customer amount to allow more families to take advantage of this offer.

The restaurants have a daily limit of $250, so make sure you purchase your card early in the day. The chamber will continue to need your help in raising more money. They’ve raised close to $25,000 total and are aiming for $35,000 by Friday. Please consider donating and spread to your network asking them to donate here. Continue to check Haverhillchamber.com for updates on the program and a running list of new delivery, etc. options for local restaurants.

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Dougan Sherwood and the team from the Haverhill Chamber have announced an effort to help deliver immediate financial support to local restaurants. This program has two parts:

1. A GoFundMe platform, which you can find here if you want to donate. The Chamber put in $2,500 to get it started.

2. A “Dollar-For-Dollar” Gift Card Matching Program. For any participating restaurant, if a customer buys a gift card, they will match the amount, dollar-for-dollar, up to $50. Each restaurant will have a cap of $250 that it can request reimbursement for on a daily basis. That means restaurants should be able to sell $500 worth of gift cards daily, so long as none exceed the $50 per customer rule, and earn $250 collectively from customers and claim $250 from the Chamber.

The chamber stated in a press release that is it is vital for them to raise more money to keep this program going. Consider making a donation to the GoFundMe page and share this with other members of the community. Refer to their website for daily updates.

 

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