Signing up for restaurants’ e-mailing lists is crucial if you want discounts on your birthday. Being in the food-eating business, I am on quite a few local eateries’ lists, and received many deals on my own day of birth giving me a free dessert with purchase of an entree, or even half off a second entree. However, the best discount I received was from one of the most high end restaurants in downtown: Black Orchid Grille. The fine dining establishment offered me one free entree - no catches - and the deal didn’t expire until almost a month after my birthday. I took advantage of this $30-for-free gift last night. Needless to say, free food has never tasted so good. I decided on the Mint and Black Pepper Lamb Loin drizzled with red wine demi glaze, topped with gremolada, all resting on top of crispy yogurt polenta. I like my steak bleeding, so I asked for the lamb cooked rare, which made the meat incredibly juicy, flavorful and moist. A perfect birthday dinner (3 weeks later), indeed.

Manchester’s got another new Mexican restaurant, but this time with a more authentic twist. Empanadas, at 168 Amory Street, is serving up traditional Mexican eats, as well as some popular Spanish fare. The eatery is take-out only, and is open Monday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. The cultured joint is cooking up the usual fajitas, nachos and tacos, but will also be treating locals to more Spanish-inspired meals, like their empanadas (hence the name of the place), which are pastries filled with cheese, meat and/or veggies). Pasteles, stuffed meat pastries wrapped in masa (made of green bananas, plantains, and yautia root), also grace the menu. Not authentic enough for you? Empanadas also serves paella on Fridays, and even has dessert empanadas, like the Cherry-filled and the Cinnamon Apple Tart Empanada. For your convenience, visit their website to place your order.

I finally tried Cassidy’s Grille and Bar (which, as mentioned in an earlier post, is the new eatery that took the place of J Beaner’s in Amherst), and I must say: I was pleasantly surprised. All of your welcomed reviews sent me there with low hopes, but I left with a happy stomach. I went for breakfast, and opted for the Garden Vegetable Wrap made with fresh eggs, portobello mushrooms, spinach and tomatoes (there might have even been peppers on it…I inhaled the thing), with a side of well-seasoned breakfast potatoes, that were still good even though they lacked the crispy fried outer coating. At first glance, the wrap looked like it could have been gone in two bites, but was chocked full of so many heart-healthy ingredients, I almost didn’t even finish it (but somehow managed to). My waitress was friendly, though lacked the ability to smile, and I could have sworn the guy who owned J Beaner’s was behind the counter…am I alone in this? Is Cassidy’s owned by the same guy? Regardless…the food was good, and I heard several customers express their satisfaction to the staff. However, due to readers’ reviews, the eatery may be hit or miss. I got lucky.

If you’re not on Twitter, you’re missing out. And I don’t just mean because it’s a great tool to use for networking and meeting new people; it also gets you free food at local restaurants. Case in point: last night, San Francisco Kitchen in Nashua held a “Tweet-up,” where Tweeters on Twitter can come together offline. For those of you who don’t speak Twitter, it’s simply a networking event. SF Kitchen had local Tweeters submit their business cards to be entered into a raffle, with prizes such as an Apple gift card, T-shirts, and $25 gift certificates to SF Kitchen. Before, during and after the raffle, attendees schmoozed over a cash bar and some free grub, compliments of the restaurant itself. From crispy crab rangoons to chicken wings to some fancy egg roll “purses,” SF Kitchen hosted quite the event that not only gave their restaurant some exposure, but also allowed locals to share business advice and build relationships. Even Sugar Mommy was on hand to provide desserts, which included some mouth-watering white and milk chocolate peanut butter cups, an assortment of homemade cookies, and white, dark and milk chocolate truffles. I have yet to come out of my sugar coma.

As a side note, Unum’s in Nashua held the last Tweet-up in the area, and even customized a discounted cocktail and wine list for attendees.

Our society is obsessed with eating healthy, and as the health benefits of coffee continue to be controversial, why not sample some tea? We know tea is good for you, with all its antioxidants - and it still packs some needed-for-survival caffeine. Luckily for the health conscious and ignorant alike, the Merrimack Public Library is holding a lecture on the health benefits of tea tomorrow, courtesy of Danielle Beaudette, owner of The Cozy Tea Cart in Brookline. Beaudette will teach tea sippers how the beverage can improve health, while offering up some tea samples. The best part? The event’s free. It starts at 7 p.m., so skip your after-work cocktail and go for some body-benefiting tea. Call the library at 424-5021 or email them at mmkpl@merrimack.lib.nh.us to make a reservation.

Bugaboo Creek Steakhouse (located right across from Kohl’s in Nashua) is jumping on the cheap eats bandwagon that its restaurant chain counterparts have long been riding on. In my opinion, however, Bugaboo’s new deals might just be the best discount for the most food yet. For under 7 bucks…$6.99, to be precise…diners get soup, salad, two cookies and an entree. The deal’s only available at lunchtime, and there are six lunch dishes to choose from, including their Smokehouse BBQ Chicken and their Mini-crab & Lobster Burger. This recession-fueled offer is even available Monday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., giving carnivores plenty of time to enjoy a relaxing lunch for well under $10. Thank you, failing economy. Thank you.

One good excuse to eat healthy: tomorrow the School Street Farmer’s Market, located in the School Street parking lot in Nashua, is holding a Berry Fest, which will honor some of summer’s juiciest local fruits. Put on by Great American Downtown, the Fest will feature strawberries, blueberries, and raspberries for purchase. Berry Fest will be the first in a series of promotional days planned for the School Street Farmer’s Market, and will include entertainment from Molly Brown’s Classy Klassics, and will offer temporary strawberry tattoos, face painting, and a “berry” special story time at 3 p.m. Get your berries from 2 to 6 p.m. tomorrow - in tattoo or edible form. Great way to support local businesses, and get your vitamins, too. Let’s just hope the weather holds up.

You only turn 25 once, so having a good meal (that you don’t have to cook) is a satisfying way to celebrate a milestone birthday. Luckily for me, my birthday dinner was a delicious success thanks to the chef, the waitstaff, and the company at my table at Unum’s on Pearl Street in Nashua. I’ve raved about Unum’s before, and this place has yet to give me a reason to complain. In fact, the eatery always leaves me with the notion that solid customer service isn’t dead, and innovative American dishes can be enjoyed by even the most unsophisticated palates. For dinner, I had the pecan crusted salmon which was served over a wild mushroom and goat cheese blini with a wild berry shallot chutney. The combination may sound odd, but every bite was uniquely delicious. Even my non-meat-eating boyfriend found plenty to eat, including a salad of baby greens with figs, citrus segments and dates, as well as the chestnut ravioli, minus the bacon. Note to vegetarians: Unum’s will remove meat from any dish, and substitutions are gladly made. Even the picky eater of my family was able to get chicken fingers and fries, which are nowhere to be found on the menu. Food aside, our waitress was also efficient without rushing us through dinner, and she never came to our table without a smile.

I went to Cotton in Manchester this past week to try their innovative summer mojito for the next 5 & Dine, and ended up staying for dinner. Believe it or not, I had never been to the Cotton before, and was surprised at how small the restaurant is, and how busy it was for a rainy Wednesday night. After I ate, however - I was surprised there wasn’t a line out the door. One of their specials on Wednesday was pistachio-crusted haddock with red pepper couscous for $16.50, and although I feared the combination between the sweet & salty pistachios with the spicy couscous might not be the best combination, I gave it a try. The combination ended up being sensational. The haddock was perfectly cooked and fresh, falling apart with the touch of my fork, and the couscous floated underneath the fish like plump, flavorful pearls that were also cooked to near perfection. The mojito wasn’t half bad, either. Check back in August’s 5 & Dine for that review.

There’s a lot going on at the Black Orchid Grille on Temple Street in Nashua, and part of the news includes a whole lot of bourbon. The modern-American restaurant has always been an upscale yet approachable gem in downtown, and their new extended hours makes them that much more casual. The restaurant will now be open for lunch starting at 11:30 a.m. Wednesday through Friday (served until 2:30 p.m.), and will open for dinner Tuesday through Sunday, which includes items off their regular dinner or bar menus. Also, on Sundays and Tuesdays through Thursdays, Black Orchid will serve dinner and their pub menu until 9:30; dinner until 10 on Fridays and Saturdays; and their pub grub until 11 Fridays and Saturdays. But enough about the new hours; let’s get to the bourbon. On July 15th, Black Orchid will hold a Bourbon Dinner, where the eatery will be serving a four course meal with five different bourbons for sampling. Each bourbon will be available to be sampled straight as well as a drink with each course, and whiskey professor Bernie Lubbers will be on hand to teach you about each bourbon. Cost for each person is $79 (excluding tax and tip), and you must reserve your spot by the 11th. As a sneak peek, one course includes Sazerac and fried catfish, and hush puppies with anise aioli. Dessert? Knob Creek bread pudding with cinnamon ice cream. You don’t even have to like bourbon to like that.