The Granite Plate

Took a quick blast from Hillsboro down to Boston and then to mid-Massachusetts to run errands with my dad today. He lives and moves around in a small motor home, so much cheaper to use my Toyota Matrix and less fuel zipping through the to do list.

We came back up through Lowell and decided to stop in Nashua for dinner. Last year sometime, Roger and I stopped into The Peddler’s Daughter, an Irish Pub right in downtown Nashua, but after we’d already eaten somewhere else. After you’ve followed us for a while, it will be evident we are “pub rats” - suckers for welcoming pubs anywhere that have comfortable seats at the bar and pleasant, if not jovial, bartenders.

No the usual pairing, I agreed to be seated at table (so civilized!). They also have deck seating around the perimeter of the building. the bar is centered with tables, booths, and high tables scattered along the walls.

Pops chose the beer-battered fish & chips. It comes served in newspaper and is just fish and potatoes, no slaw. The batter is slightly crispy and seasoned lightly. The fish tastes fresh; don’t want no stink’n frozen fish. The hand cut fries are okay although a bit soggy, and steak fries of thick chips would be better to my taste.

The best part, almost, about this choice is that it is served with homemade ketchup (my ingredients guess: crushed tomatoes, pickling spice, cayenne, and a bit of brown sugar cooked down until thick) along with some great tartar sauce. Both are delivered to the table in glass jugs with serving spoons, cold from the fridge.

I chose the pan-roasted salmon and was very happy. It was seared on the outside sealing moisture and locking down a delicate rub. Nice and tender and rich; the portion seemed smallish to me at first, but by the time I finished I was stuffed. It comes served with boxty, a traditional Irish pancake. This one was about four inches in diameter and a half inch high, with the consistency of a nice croquette. The plate also came with a salad of mesclun mix drizzled with lemon vinaigrette and adorned with radish, green peas, and corn.

Washed down with nice cold Sam Adams Lager this was a great dinner for both of us. The only complaint was with our waitress. She did a fine job of making recommendations, bringing food and drinks swiftly and checking in on us occasionally, but she let us over tip her in an outrageous way without double-checking our intentions. We’d made use of an Entrainment Book 2 for 1 discount coupon, and it was obvious we tipped based on the full amount. Instead of the 18% calculated on the actual dinner value, she walked away with an extra $12 (30%) since we forgot to subtract the  value from our total. It was as if we never had the coupon. Oh well.

I’ll drag Roger back, ’cause there are lots of other good options to sample and evaluate: Shephard’s Pie made with ground lamb, Guinness Braised Beef Stew, and Home-Style Meatloaf. I’m also really curious about Crepes and Brown Bread Ice Cream… yeah, baby.