Riverwalk Cakery & Coffee House at 35 Railroad Square in Nashua is normally a cozy gourmet cafe with freshly roasted, strong java and fresh-from-the-oven baked goods. However, I visited the cafe last weekend and was disappointed with my coffee and my breakfast. As always, the employment was friendly and inviting, yet my almond iced coffee was sickly sweet and tasted almost like a liquified nut covered in honey glaze. Considering my morning coffee determines whether I am going to have a good or bad day (depending on how well it’s made by the barista), my Saturday started out pretty bad. When it comes to the food, I ordered a blueberry muffin, fresh from the muffin pan, and was bummed to find out that looks were deceiving, considering the top of the muffin was covered with whole blueberries, yet hardly any blueberries were found inside. The muffin was still tasty, considering, though it was made with a little too much butter for my liking, resulting in a greasier, more filling version of the breakfast treat.

The historic Martha’s Exchange Restaurant & Brewing Co. in downtown Nashua (185 Main Street) continues to prove why it has been around for so many decades. Martha’s Sweet Shoppe dates back to 1932; the restaurant all the way to 1944. The restaurant’s classy appearance makes the place seem like an upscale eatery, but the classic menu with an elegant twist is relaxing, affordable and, well, delicious. Recently, I had dinner there and opted for their Fire Roasted Vegetable Panini ($8), stuffed with eggplant, summer squash, roasted red peppers, Portobello mushrooms, gooey mozzarella cheese and hummus on crusty parmesan foccacia bread. The sandwich was a perfect blend of flavors, and surprisingly filling; it was also a little messy, causing me to end up cutting it into pieces with my knife and fork like a culinary wimp. The panini was served with a crispy, ideally fried heaping of French fries, helping to balance out the meal. I washed it all down with Martha’s seasonal Pumpkinweizen (basically a pumpkin ale meets Hefeweizen) and Oktoberfest Lager. Both beers were smooth, crisp and strong; the perfect brews to wash down some amazing pub food. Another plus: our waitress was attentive and friendly, and it was only her second night on the job. However, without her admitting to this, I never would have known she was new.

Z Food & Drink restaurant at 860 Elm Street in Manchester is featuring a new Fall Tasting Menu every Tuesday and Wednesday from 4:30 to 9:30 p.m., unless their is an event at the Verizon Wireless Arena. The tasting includes four courses and features New Hampshire produce and meats from local farms, including Misty Knolls Farm in New Haven, VT; Miles Smith Farm in Loudon; and Nesenkeag Farm in Litchfield. At $35 a head, the four courses include soup (Spicy French Red Pumpkin); an appetizer (Blue Hokkaido Squash Arancinis - stuffed risotto balls, fontina cheese, sage crème fraiche, pumpkin seeds, apple chips); a choice of a signature entree (Misty Knolls Farm Turkey Breast maple brine, Miles Smith Farm Top Sirloin Roast herb rubbed or Native Atlantic Cod apple cider braised - all served with butternut squash, a goat cheese tart, roasted red fingerling potatoes, or braised baby swiss chard); and dessert (a Pumpkin Whoopie Pie). If you’ve never been to Z, Chef/Owner Tom Puskarich started his career at the Bedford Village Inn in the late 80s, and has also briefly been the cook at Villa Banca.

When it comes to pizza and sub shops in the Nashua area, we’ve got quite a few to choose from. However, in Merrimack there is one such shop that never fails when it comes to high quality food and customer service: Billy’s Famous Pizza, located at 380 D.W. Highway. They don’t deliver, but their always fresh and hot pizzas are worth the drive over. Billy’s pizza is perfectly greasy (requires no blotting with a paper towel), and the crust is always crispy and slightly addicting. I have been to Billy’s so many times I could go on and on about what you should try there, but my favorite items to date are their hawaiian pizza, turkey subs (untoasted; loaded with pickles, tomatoes, mayonnaise and cheese) with no lettuce (they tend to load it on), and their French fries. The French fries alone are worth a visit to Billy’s, if you’ve never tried them. They are extra crunchy on the outside, while still being soft on the inside, making them almost as addicting as the pizza crust. Billy’s also serves salads, entrees and pasta, but I haven’t had a chance to try every kind of pizza to move on to those yet.

I lived right outside of NYC for about 4 years, and I have never had a bagel as good as a NY one until I tried Bagel Alley at 1 Eldridge Street in Nashua. I grew up in Merrimack, so we had Hot Rize Bagels as our Dunkin’ Donuts alternative. Hot Rize is decent, but Bagel Alley’s bagels are completely out of the N.H. ordinary. This is because the local bagelry forms the rings of dough and lets them sit for a day while they rise. Then, each bagel is pampered with a 30-second spray of steam, giving the circles of dough an appealing shine and outstanding taste. Last weekend, I tried their everything bagel with chive cream cheese; a breakfast I’ve had many places, but none have been as good. The bagel had the poppyseeds, crispy onions, garlic, and sesame seeds on BOTH sides of the bagels, without being too overpowering for a morning meal. The bagel itself was perfectly crispy on the outside and airy and moist on the inside. The cream cheese was even chocked full of fresh flavor, and complimented the bagel wonderfully. Their coffee is Green Mountain, but, let’s be honest; no one’s going their for a signature cup of coffee. The small restaurant also serves up bagel sandwiches (open-faced and closed), as well as wraps, sandwiches, soup and salad for lunch.

The Wild Rover Pub in Manchester has given their menu a makeover. If you’ve never paid a visit to the city’s Irish pub, you need to. They have the best bangers and mashed in the area, and the atmosphere alone is cozy and relaxing for dinner, while the bar area is social, yet comfortable. The dinner menu has been given additions such as crab cakes with roasted red pepper sauce; French onion soup, baked with croutons and cheese; and salmon topped with a puff pastry and mango salsa. Wash down your entree/appetizer of choice with a pint of Guinness, and you’ll be wishing you were Irish; if you’re not already.

The Saffron Bistro at 80 Main Street in Nashua will be holding a Food & Wine Event on Monday, November 3rd. The restaurant’s “Sensory Experience” Food & Wine evening will include five courses paired with five different kinds of wine. If you’ve never been to Saffron, the upscale establishment serves up American Eclectic dishes, and pride themselves on using a lot of local organic ingredients. The “Sensory Experience” event will teach participants the direct relationship between the food and the specific wine that the Chef pairs with each dish, showing diners how each of the courses’ flavors and textures compliments the wine; and vice versa. If you’re interested, you need to call ahead to reserve a table (603-883-2100), and the pairing costs $90; not a bad price for five dishes and five glasses of wine, when you think about it. The event starts at 6:30 p.m.

YouYou Japanese Bistro on Broad Street (right across from the Kohl’s plaza) serves authentic Japanese, Thai, Korean and Euro-Asian cuisine, not to mention some amazing sushi. The unique restaurant embodies the atmosphere of a high-end eatery, yet you probably won’t spend more than $20 a head for dinner. The last time I paid a visit to YouYou, I had the vegetarian dumplings ($5.50) and octopus sashimi (4 pieces for $5.25). Sashimi, for anyone who does not know, is simply thinly sliced, raw seafood. The dumplings were so good, they still haunt me in my sleep; perfectly golden brown and crispy on the outside, and the filling was spiced to perfection. The octopus, on the other hand, is an acquired taste; the texture was a little too chewy for me, and the tentacles a little too real. However, after two glasses of plum wine, the octopus got easier to eat. Service was a little on the slow side, but the waiter’s upbeat personality made up for the delay.

Unum’s in downtown Nashua is an upscale, yet comfortable dining experience. On a recent Tuesday night, I visited the eatery for dinner and drinks with a few friends, and was more than pleased with my meal. The complimentary and generous portion of fresh, crusty bread and teeth-chattering garlic bread sticks, with olive dipping oil and baba ganoush (basically eggplant hummus), was a successful start to the meal. The dipping oil was the best I’ve ever had, hands-down. It packed a strong olive flavor, with just the right amount of garlic and spices. The baba ganoush was perfectly sweet and smooth, and an ice cold draft of Shipyard Pumpkin Ale paired perfectly with the loaf of bread I wolfed down.

For dinner, I opted for the Eggplant Napoleon Salad ($11), mainly because entrees ranged from $20-40, and I’m on a budget. The salad was just the right amount of food though, after all those carbs, and the towering layers of fresh, thick-cut tomatoes, grilled eggplant and fresh mozzarella were generously drizzled with tomato-balsamic vinaigrette. The plate was also scattered with beautifully brown mushrooms and plump olives, resulting in a uniquely nutritious dish.

For dessert, I enjoyed Unum’s Express Martini ($12), a healthy glass filled with Patrón XO Café, espresso, Starbucks dark and light liqueur, and Godiva Cappuccino liqueur. Not for the decaf drinkers, but this drink packed just the right amount of punch from the vodka, while still tasting like a not-too-sweet cup of iced coffee.

Villa Banca on Main Street in Nashua is known for their delicious Italian cuisine and relaxed atomsphere, but their waitstaff needs to be more attentive and knowledgeable about their menu. At the same time, they need to update their menus online to mirror their actual menus at the restaurant.

I recently paid a visit to the Italian eatery to try what their website called a “Cranberry Martini” for an upcoming 5 & Dine article. To my disappointment, when I was at the actual restaurant reading over the drink menu, the Cranberry Martini was nowhere to be found. I asked the waiter if this particular martini was still up for guzzle, and, after looking at me like I had 3 heads, he simply said “we have never had a Cranberry Martini on the menu.” Now, this waiter could be new to Villa Banca and just doesn’t know the menu, but if the website says they make it, the bartender should be making it. To top it all off, their website states that Villa serves “Nashua’s most generous martini.” Being my first time getting a martini there, I was disappointed in the size of the glass; the taste of the martini I decided on, however, was good (see November’s 5 & Dine in Feast for a review).

As for the food, I enjoyed the free, delicious bread with the creamy, flavorful garlic butter, and split a Villa Banca Sampler ($20.99) with my mother, which included a dense lobster cake, extremely rich and salty gorgonzola artichokes, fried calamari, baby stuffed portabella mushrooms and rustic bruschetta, topped with starchy white beans. The dish was good, but nothing to write/blog home about. It also would have been nice to enjoy the appetizer with our drinks, but the dish didn’t hit our table until my martini was long gone.