50 wines for $25, for a good cause? Count me in. Tomorrow night, at the Essex Art Center in Lawrence, Mass. local wine lovers can sample 50 different wines from different dog-friendly wineries across four continents in order to benefit Methuen’s MSPCA’s Nevins Farm. The MSPCA at Nevins Farm devotes its time to caring for small animals as well as farm animals and horses, and they also run a slew of programs including the Equine Ambulance & Rescue Training Program, a Humane Education Program featuring a Summer Camp, Hillside Acre Animal Cemetery, and MSPCA Dog Training classes, all without a dime of government funding.  Tomorrow night, guests will get the luxury of viewing art, sampling craft beers from small breweries around the country, and eating animal-friendly appetizers prepared and served by Whole Foods Market of Andover, Mass. And what’s food and drink without a little entertainment? The White Street Band, which plays an edgy, Chicago-style blues set, will be performing while you enjoy your snacks and beverages. Not a bad Friday night out (from 6-9 p.m.) for the small price tag of $25.

Another local restaurant opens a new spot closer to the Nashua area: Thousand Crane, the Chinese eatery that’s been at 1000 Elm Street in Manchester, is opening a second location in our city. For the life of me, I can’t remember exactly where - I perused the take-home menu earlier today, and was told by two colleagues who have eaten at the Manchester spot that I must try the new place. Apparently, their seaweed salad and sushi are delish, and their fried offerings are not the overly-greasy concoctions some local Chinese restaurants tend to deliver. I’m pretty sure the phone number listed online for Thousand Crane in Manch is incorrect (not many phone numbers end in four 0’s), so calls into the existing restaurant weren’t answered, but apparently the Nashua place is already open. If you remember the address, unlike me, please let us know.

When the weather is warm, we all have an excuse to eat ice cream on a daily basis. Fortunately for us Southern New Hampshire residents, there are plenty of ice cream stands to choose from. I recently blogged about the seasonal openings of Axel’s and King Kone, and The Big One ice cream stand in Nashua is now also open, and equipped with new ice cream flavors for the 2009 season. I visited the stand, with lines out to the street, last weekend, and was impressed by the new offerings, including flavors like German Chocolate Cake and Green Monster. I decided on the hot fudge sundae made with Totally Turtle ice cream (vanilla ice cream chocked full of brownie chunks, caramel and cashews), but it was a hard toss up between that and the fruit parfait. If you haven’t had a fruit parfait from The Big One, you haven’t lived - it’s your choice of ice cream layered between your choice of fruit topping…I suggest the pineapple and strawberries, with chocolate fudge at the bottom. Summer has never tasted so good.

Now that the warmer weather is here, I don’t plan to be inside very often, and this past weekend I made a point to be outside for most of it. On Sunday, my boyfriend and I hiked up Mount Monadnock (my out-of-shape body, ruined by hibernating during the winter months, is still recovering) and then enjoyed a delicious, yet light, dinner at Acqua Bistro in Peterborough. Determined to enjoy the last hours of the weekend and the warm weather, we chose a table on the patio by the river, which was decorated with elegant, white string lights and surrounded by the sound of a waterfall in the distance. Our meal started with a few locally brewed beers (Geary’s out of Portland, M.E. and Harpoon) along with some fresh focaccia bread dipped in rosemary-infused olive oil. We then shared an appetizer, full of fresh, homemade red pepper hummus, warm grilled pita bread, chunks of feta cheese, tomato and olives which were the perfect complement to the humid air and our tired bodies. For a meal, my vegetarian counterpart ordered the Baby Spinach Salad, chocked full of more feta, grilled eggplant, dried tomatoes and substituted the lemon dressing for the balsamic pommery mustard vinaigrette. I ordered the New Orleans Style Crab Cakes which were three, tapas-style crab cakes, perfectly crispy on the outside, and seasoned well with chunks of fresh crab, accompanied with spicy, garlicy tomatoes and red pepper. For dessert, we split a strawberry rhubarb parfait, with generous heapings of fresh, homemade-tasting whipped cream between layers of the pureed, sweet and tangy rhubarb. Overall, it was a relaxing, delicious meal well deserved after a good hike, with a romantic setting to boot.

I realize I just blogged about the opening of Amigo’s in Merrimack, and my excitement about it. However, after my dining experience there last night, I must warn all of you to beware - after all, that is my job. I have good news and bad news when it comes to Amigo’s. I will start with the good news: my pulled pork chimichanga entree was delicious, and will still be featured in next month’s 5&Dine. The complimentary chips and salsa were also really fresh and full of flavor, and my berry passion margarita was strong, yet drinkable. The bad news? The two friends I brought with me never got to eat, and here’s why: both friends ordered the enchiladas with ranchero sauce. However, according to Amigo’s, ranchero sauce is chunky marinara sauce. Not sure if the cook confused enchiladas with manicotti, but my friends found the enchiladas to be next to inedible. The waitress kindly took their plates back and let them order new dishes, which prompted the cook to come to our table and let my friends know there orders would be pushed to the lowest priority in the kitchen. One and a half hours later, my chimichanga long gone and all of us three more drinks deep, my friends told the waitress to forget their order and they left full of free chips and beer. The waitress was apologetic, and the manager took everything off the bill that wasn’t brought to the table, but the manager never bothered to come over to us to apologize or explain. In the midst of a recession, I would think a restaurant with a new location would be taking the necessary steps to make their customers happy. Unfortunately, that wasn’t the case at Amigo’s last night.

There is more going on at The Black Orchid Grille than there is in my own personal life. Not sure if that’s a good thing or not, but here’s the scoop on BOG: their lunch menu is back Wednesday through Friday from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., and there prix fixe menu (which was so popular during Feast Week) has also been brought back. The lunch menu includes salads (the Black Orchid Salad is a must try), sandwiches, pizzas and entrees (like Louisiana Style Jambalaya and Grilled Steak Tips Chimichurri), with casual sides like French fries and onion rings. Most dishes are about $8-15. The prix fixe menu is three courses for $27.50, and it sounds like it will change weekly. I’d sign up for their e-newsletter to get weekly updates on the fixed price dishes, but three meals for under 30 bucks? Thanks to the recession, we no longer need to rely on the chain restaurants for such good deals.

I drove past the former Ya Mamma’s restaurant in Merrimack today, and noticed it has been replaced by Amigo’s Mexican Cantina. With another location in Milford (just off the oval), Amigo’s seems to have a really authentic dinner menu, and even offers an extensive list of gluten-free options. It’s been at the Milford spot since 2004 - and, in this economy, the food can’t be too bad if they’re able to open another restaurant. The dinner menu alone boasts the usual fajitas and burritos, but also has chicken, seafood, vegetarian, burgers, sandwiches, and even Amigo’s own salsas and sauces. The average entree is also a mere $10-15. And don’t even get me started on the drink menu - espresso margarita, anyone? I’m going to have to make a dinner date there this week just to try that cocktail (and possibly sample a few entrees, too). Anyone been yet?

J Beaner’s Cafe in Amherst has been closed for the winter, and now has a for sale sign out front, according to Chowhound. Personally, I loved J Beaner’s - great coffee, O.K. service, and delicious food, for lunch or breakfast. However, I thought the place was going downhill when they switched out their gelato offerings for plain old ice cream. Just my opinion. Not sure if the economy is a factor in J Beaner’s closing its doors (Chowhound suggests the owner moved to Florida to escape N.H.’s unfriendly winter), but I’m still a little sad to see it go.

Obama’s not the only one with a stimulus package. The Saffron Bistro, as well as Village Smokehouse in Lowell, Mass., are offering up stimulus packages of their own. Saffron’s Stimulus Menu is offered Tuesday through Thursday from 5-7 p.m. with a three course menu for a mere $30. That’s a good price, considering their average entree costs $25-30 by itself. Village Smokehouse, on the other end of the culinary spectrum, has several stimulus deals. The first is their Student Aid Program, offering students with a college I.D. 20% off their food bill Sunday through Wednesday until June 1st. For the buffalo wing-lovers out there, Village Smokehouse is also offering as many buffalo wings as you want Sunday through Wednesday from 4-7 p.m., at only a quarter per wing. Finally, the restaurant is going to continue their $0 cover charge for Thursday night live music, and they are also offering a late night bar menu now for us night noshers Thursday through Saturday. Which restaurant has your favorite recession-fueled deals?

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Like your burgers well done? If so, then here is some good news for you: Five Guys Burgers and Fries is opening in the plaza where Chen Yang Li used to be, at 337 Amherst Street. I’ve never tried Five Guys, even though I also used to live in New Haven, Conn. where they have a location, but apparently they only cook their ‘burgs well done, to ensure a consistent product and also to meet/exceed health code standards for ground beef. Not sure exactly when the joint will be opening, but their site boasts a number of awards, and their menu is straightforward and simple: burgers, dogs and fries (and all toppings are FREE). Finally, one restaurant that hasn’t succumbed to fancier/healthier options. Anyone ever been to a Five Guys restaurant, or heard when the Nashua location will be open?