It may already be August, but we are not giving up on this term just yet. The Upper Valley still has plenty of hidden hotspots that continue to spark up summer even as the days start to dwindle. So don't succumb to the final crunch just yet! Our picks for this week will pack in the last bit of summer buzz.
Whether traced back to Native American meat roasting, Caribbean cooking techniques or 17th century buccaneers, barbecue is a long-standing American tradition. However, this culinary custom is largely one associated with the southern winter-less states . Discovering where to find good barbecue in the area seemed impossible until a late-night conversation in Collis yielded a solid suggestion that lies under an hour away.
Thirty minutes south of Hanover in Claremont, N.H., Sweet Fire BBQ calls a converted blue and white delivery truck with a walk-up window home. The place, if you can find it at 116 Mulberry Street (Mapquest is helpful), certainly has personality to go along with its meaty menu. Options include ribs, chicken, pulled pork and brisket -- the last two available as a sandwich or platter. While the chicken held back a bit in terms of punch, both the pulled pork and brisket were perfect canvases for Sweet Fire's house barbecue sauce; a vinegar-based sauce typical of Virginia and the Carolinas, this cardinal condiment has been spiced up with chiles and comes with the right amount of kick. Apply it liberally or hold back -- the meat is savory enough to eat plain and generously proportioned. Unfortunately on our second sampling, vinegar dominated the sauce -- most likely a failing of a single batch however.
Respect must be paid to an eatery that claims hot dogs as a side. For those not completely carnivorous, a hearty slab of maple cornbread offers the sweet to the sauces spicy and thick, smoky baked beans richly finish off a meal. Grilled corn, potatoes, and seasonal vegetables add nutritional value.
Though picnic tables sit to the side of the parking lot, most prefer to take home their meal rather than look at the empty warehouse across the street as cars travel past. On our second visit, the BBQ master remarked, "It must have been good -- you came back." Maybe we'll see you there on our next trip.
The West Lebanon Citgo station is probably one of the last places that would ever require a second glance. Set in a familiar crossroads of other filling stations and distant strip malls, Citgo nonetheless stands apart. Forget Foodstop!
A boldly emblazoned banner proclaims the gas station's Go-Go Mart as home to Caf Tamu Sana or New Hampshire's answer to a Taste of Africa. Opened Tuesday through Friday, the caf offers a diverse spread of both lunch and dinner specials.
The menu maneuvers under a broad heading of world cuisine that ranges from comfort food reminiscent of the American South to North African, Ethiopian and Kenyan dietary selections.
While the hearty dinner combination platters are served up with some degree of mystery, the sandwiches and wraps appeal more familiarly to a less adventuresome palate. We were thrilled to find delightfully seasoned falafel, available both in a wrap and in a salad with a price tag that puts Murphy's to shame. Accompanied with a not-to-miss tangy, sweet, yet somehow spicy "dynamite" sauce, the jam packed falafel and vegetable wrap stood out as the obvious favorite. Other options such as Akara or "peppery black bean fritter" salad or a Kenyan curried vegetable samosa call us back to Citgo for a second try!
Check Please: Take a short road trip and follow 12A South on a sunny summer day to Claremont for savory, smoked barbecue. Experiment with unknown and unexpected cuisine in a local gas station. Don't fade out! Dig in and finish summer with something different.
