99 Restaurant is offering a special, delicious-sounding menu to ring in the New Year. Today and tomorrow, The 9’s will be offering items such as Lobster Bisque, Coffee Crusted Sirloin served with loaded mashed potato pancakes, and Molten Chocolate Lava Cake. To wash it all down, the chain is also serving several festive cocktails, such as the Korbel Brut Champagne and a Confetti Margarita, made with Patron Silver Tequila, Patron Citronge Orange Liqueur, grapefruit juice, grenadine and margarita mix. If you’re not into the fancy drinks, I recommend getting a “tallie” of one of 99’s domestic draft beers. The mugs are always ice cold, and there is usually a good, but not unique, selection of beers to choose from.

Happy New Year!

If you haven’t already figured it out from my previous posts, I like my coffee; especially flavored iced coffee. So you can imagine my disappointment when I sat in the long, slow-moving line at the Starbucks’ drive-thru near Kohl’s plaza in Nashua the other day, just to purchase an over-priced, sickly sweet Non-fat Tall Iced Peppermint Mocha Twist latte. The first sip, and every sip thereafter, tasted like thick Listerine with cream. I could barely choke down half of the seasonal, syrupy concoction before dumping it down the sink. Normally I don’t mind Starbucks coffee, so I assume the barista went syrup crazy with the peppermint flavoring this time, but it wasn’t a good start to my day to say the least.

Brothers Butcher at 8 Spit Brook Road in Nashua (in the same plaza as Panera Bread, behind Barnes & Noble) is a delightful alternative to the busy, sometimes overwhelming supermarket. Brothers Butcher does not only offer meats and cheeses, but they also provide fresh produce, homemade ready-to-cook entrees, bread, soups, wine and hard-to-find microbrews. I recently stopped in the gourmet shop after work, as I dread going to the grocery store at that time, and was pleasantly surprised at the selection. I opted for some reasonably priced filet mignon (6 oz., $7.99) and a bottle of Clos Du Bois Merlot, 2004 ($14.99). Brothers Butcher carries everything from homemade Jamaican Jerk Chicken ($5.99) to Roasted Red Pepper and Onion Sausage ($4.49) to Bacon Cheddar Burgers ($4.99). Not a meat eater? Try the Pesto Tortellini ($4.99) or the Marinated Mushrooms ($4.99).

The Lobster Tail at 4 Cobbetts Pond Road in Windham has expanded their popular restaurant by building a lounge. Voted “Best Seafood in New Hampshire,” The Lobster Tail has replaced their fish market with a 35-seat lounge with an updated vino list and 25 different kinds of bottled beer. The lounge will also be used for private functions, and will serve the full restaurant menu, as well as lounge-only items like the Kobe Beef Hamburger and Real Buffalo Wings (not sure if these are any different from Fake Buffalo Wings or not). In addition to accommodating more people and booze, The Lobster Tail has also gone green, and no longer uses paper plates or plastic; all their food is now served on real china with real silverware.

The infamous chain that is Dunkin’ Donuts has jumped on the figure-friendly bandwagon. Their new push for “DDSmart” includes their better-for-you menu items that won’t rest on your hips like the fat-infused glazed sticks and Coffee Coolattas with cream (that equate 22g of fat). The DDSmart menu includes Dunkin’s oven-toasted flatbread sandwiches, like the Egg White Veggie, that are under 300 calories with only 9g of fat. The morning customers also get healthier options, like the Multi-Grain Bagel (8g of fat) with Reduced Fat cream cheese. Coolatta drinkers can also cut the fat by asking for skim milk, resulting in half the calories and none of the fat. Even their Reduced Calorie Berry Smoothie is packed with Vitamin C and calcium, and is made with real fruit and yogurt.

Thon Khao Thai restaurant at 427 Amherst Street in Nashua may or may not be closed for good. The popular Thai restaurant in its unexpected location of a strip mall has its windows boarded up, with yellow tape across the door. I put a call into the restaurant during normal business hours resulting in no answer, and no voicemail. I recently did a review of Thon Khao’s Duck Choo Chee for 5 & Dine, and the food was outstanding, not to mention the service was friendly and inviting. If anyone hears why/if the place is closed for good, please post below.

Tyngsboro, Mass. has a new pizza place, but don’t expect to order a delivery of the usual, Domino’s-style pies. Angela’s Coal Fired Pizza promises just what their name says: pizza cooked in a 900 degree oven for extra crispy, thinner crust. Located on Middlesex Street in Tyngsboro, Angela’s traditional pizza consists of fresh mozzarella, plum tomatoes, romano cheese, basil and olive oil, with choices for toppings such as prosciutto, meatballs, hot peppers or salami. Their specialty pies include the Melanzana, topped with sliced roasted eggplant. In addition to the pies, Angela’s also serves up wings, salad, sandwiches, and even desserts. Each month, the restaurant also serves up specials, this month being their un-vegetarian friendly Top Steak pizza: hand cut, coal fired steak with mozzarella, American cheese, peppers and onions. Full wine list and draft beers, to help wash down all that cheese.

Carb lovers, unite: Milford has a new retail breadmaker. The Good Loaf on Mount Vernon Road is now open for business. In-house baker Lynda Shortt has been baking her own, original bread out of her garage in Mont Vernon, and has finally opened her own shop just off the Oval between the VFW and Citgo station. The new bread shoppe has been a work in progress, but is officially open for business as of last week. I have not had the pleasure of trying Shortt’s baked treats yet, but have read that her baguettes, scones and brioche are must-tries.

During these cold, rainy nights the last thing I want to do is run to the grocery store and get food for dinner. When my laziness is in full swing, I almost always succumb to the beauty of Delivery. It can be hard to find a restaurant that does not require you spend a certain amount of money in order to qualify for a delivery, but TJ’s Deli & Catering in Nashua (at the corner of Northeastern Blvd. and Pittsburgh Ave.) will deliver you food at any price. The other night, I ordered from the family owned and operated restaurant for the first time, opting for a cold turkey sandwich with pickles, tomatoes and cheese on a bulkie roll ($5.50) with a small side of French fries ($3.25). The “small” order of fries could have fed three people, and they were well seasoned with salt and perfectly crispy. The turkey sandwich was nothing to write home about, and the bread could have been more fresh, but the fact that I didnt have to leave my couch made it all worth it. TJ’s is also now serving Sicilian-style pizza, and in addition to their subs and sandwiches, they also have Italian dinners, a kid’s menu and even a small breakfast menu.

Perfecto’s Caffe at 1900 Main Street in Tewksbury, Mass. (with 3 other locations in Andover, N. Andover and Peabody) is a coffee, breakfast and lunch spot worth the 30 minute drive. Perfecto’s coffee is strong and flavorful, and is one of the few places where I can order a large iced coffee and actually finish it without being overwhelmed with syrupy sweet flavoring. Just last week I ordered a large iced Brownie Caramel (I believe caramel was part of the flavor), and it was probably the best cup of coffee I’ve had in a long time. The iced java proved that Perfecto’s flavors their coffee beans versus pouring way too much flavored syrup into the mix, because the coffee had just a hint of chocolate brownie flavor without being overwhelmingly sweet. Perfecto’s bagels are also as big as a New York City bagel, with homemade cream cheese, like Bacon & Scallion, and their sandwiches at lunch time are also fresh and delicious (I recommend the Grilled Chicken Athena, $6.19, made with baby greens, tomato, feta, Greek dressing and grilled chicken breast).