The 15th Annual Taste of Downtown in Nashua left me…insanely full, to say the least. I brought my father this year, and to start the night, we had a drink at Unum’s - one of the many eateries offering happy hour deals from 5-6 p.m. I had the refreshing Melon Crush Martini for $6, while my father enjoyed half off his Maudite draft (highly recommended, by the way, and not found many places here besides Unum’s). In regards to the food, we started in the middle, so we missed the Fody’s and Saffron Bistro leg, but my favorites for the stops we did hit are as follows: the lemony and light Mediterranean cous cous by Celebrations Catering; the butternut squash ravioli by Villa Banca; and the pulled pork quesadilla with chipotle sauce by Stella Blu. The restaurants that lacked, and that I know can do better, included Martha’s Exchange’s spanakopita squares, with way too much spinach and not enough feta cheese - all the feta was in their mediocre Greek salad platter. Also disappointing was Surf’s crab cakes, that lacked crab, and Black Orchid Grille’s way too al dente fennel risotto with applewood smoked bacon and peas. The flavors of the risotto were unique and spot-on, but the texture made it entirely too chewy and thus unenjoyable.

What were your favorites and least favorites on the Taste this year?

Nothing gets your body ready for a bathing suit better than a good, old-fashioned donut. During one of my excursions to a hot dog stand for the latest 5 & Dine, I discovered Donut Fresh Express in Milford. Having been a donut slinger at the former Honey Dew Donuts in Nashua for several years, I was intrigued to give this place a try. At first impression the place was, unfortunately, unkempt. Donut Fresh Express, which took over the location of a former Taco Bell, is apparently owned by an Asian family, and out-of-place cultural decor was hung randomly around the Dunkin’ Donuts-like atmosphere. Also, the donuts are allegedly made in-house, but not a single smell of donuts baking was present. Ready to get the same mediocre reaction from their food, I ordered the orange frosted raised donut, as well as the double chocolate cake donut. To my surprise, the donuts were huge (in comparison to Dunkin’s), and the flavors were spot on. The double chocolate was moist and dense, with just the right crunch on the fried outside. The orange frosted had a fresh orange flavor, and the donut itself was light, airy and tasted freshly made. In this case, I advise you not to judge Donut Fresh Express by their cover - the donuts speak for themselves, although a vamped up atmosphere would probably get them more customers.