Another reason to celebrate the recession: normally expensive downtown eateries are accommodating their menus to accommodate our wallets. Unum’s is one of the latest spots - the upscale eatery just introduced their new dinner menu yesterday, with diverse offerings for much smaller price tags. While before it was rather difficult to find a dinner at Unum’s for under $20, now many new items are in the $7-15 range, including appetizers. The Roasted Pork Medallion appetizer is a mere $9, served over a roasted corn tomato pesto hush puppy with raspberry syrup. I’d eat that for $90. Salads run $7-9, including the Roasted Vegetable Grecian Salata, and entrees are $14-32. One example of a $14 entree is the Chestnut Ravioli (which used to be $18), finished with spinach, sweet potato, sweet capicolla, bacon and nutmeg in mascarpone cream. Cream AND bacon? Count me in. The new menu’s not on their website yet, so don’t be fooled by the old menu’s prices and offerings.

Food Network Magazine’s June/July issue hit stands today, and in it they name each state’s best burger. In our Granite State, Food Network named Gilley’s PM Lunch in Portsmouth’s Chiliburger the best. To my knowledge, it’s simply a burger with chili on it - chili isn’t just for hot dogs, you know. Also close to home: Massachusett’s “best burger” is the English Burger at Christopher’s Restaurant & Bar in Cambridge. I’ve never been to Christopher’s, but I’ve been to their sister restaurant, Cambridge Common, many times and the food (especially the fried pickles and sweet potato “chips”) is absolutely delicious. For anyone in NH or MA reading this blog, do you agree or disagree with Food Network’s choices? Personally, my most recent “best burger” was served to me at Applebee’s, of all places - and I don’t care how bad that sounds. That was a damn good cheeseburger.