I remember New York City for one thing: Chipotle Mexican Grill. The last time I was in the lit-up city, I gorged on a massive burrito that had to have weighed at least 20 lbs at this popular Mexican chain. The burrito I had, chocked full of rice, sour cream, black beans, and veggies, still haunts me in my sleep - that monstrosity was nothing but delicious. So when I found out that Chipotle is coming to Nashua, my jaw was glued to the floor. Can it be? Is this some horrible foodie rumor? No, folks - this one’s for real. The Mexican joint, at 225 D.W. Highway, will be open to the public on November 13th. The Chipotle crew is already doing their part in our neighborhood, too: on November 11th and 12th, the restaurant will be hosting Friendly Face-off Fundraisers for Nashua North and Nashua South High Schools. Nashua North’s event is on the 11th while Nashua South Schools’ will be held on the 12th, both from 5 to 8 p.m. For both events, attendees who give a $5 donation at the door will receive a gourmet burrito, tortilla chips, salad, salsa, and a drink. 100 percent of the proceeds will even be given to the high schools’ athletic programs, while the school that raises the most money will be rewarded a free burrito day at a later date. Any restaurant willing to devote two days to helping our schools gets a high grade in my book. Welcome to the neighborhood, Chipotle.

‘Tis the season to eat pumpkin, but is anybody else getting sick of pumpkin muffins, pumpkin pie, and pumpkin coffee? Don’t get me wrong, I love the fall fruit flavor, but I’ve been waiting for some innovative pumpkin-licious treats for the last 12 months now. The only seasonal juice I’m not sick of yet is pumpkin beer, but that’s a given. Amidst all of my complaining, I received an email from Parker’s Maple Barn recently, boasting their special of the month: french toast stuffed with spiced pumpkin and cream cheese. Now, I’m not sure exactly how this will be - french toast filled with pumpkin-cream-cheese-pie filling, or just toast made with pumpkin spice and stuffed with cream cheese? The mystery is half the salivating. Either way, I’m in for trying this seasonal dish.

What’s your favorite pumpkin-inspired treat?

Here’s a reason to celebrate: Nashua’s downtown tapas bar is celebrating its first full year of business. Stella Blu not only has a new-and-improved website, but the popular small plates establishment is also throwing a party to commemorate a year of success. In order to toast such an occasion, Stella is holding a wine dinner on November 4th, featuring Merriam Vineyard’s vinos. This five course feast will feature dishes like Scallop Shumi, made with pureed scallops steamed in Asian wontons and dressed in fennel tarragon broth; as well as Duck Two Ways, with Chinese black tea smoked breast and confit of duck ravioli. To round out the meal, a sampling of house-made sorbets will be served. Hello, elegance - the folks at Stella know how to romance their customers on an anniversary. Tickets are $75, and include the five courses, the wines paired with them, a champagne greeting, and live music. Not bad for a night out, eh?

There’s nothing that makes me happier than good beer and quality pub grub - and I always seem to get those things at Beer Works. I use to frequent the one in Salem, Mass. before the Lowell spot opened up, but now I’m/we’re lucky enough to have one right in our backyard. Normally when I go to Beer Works I opt for the “safe” favorites: a burger, fried pickles, sweet potato fries - you know, the healthy stuff. But last week when I met a friend from my alma mater at the brew pub, I was in the mood for something a little more nutritious (despite the Fiery Fries with ranch dressing we split as an appetizer…and also besides the Pumpkinfest beer I slugged back). However, for dinner, I ordered the Malted Salmon: pan roasted, malt dusted fall-apart-with-a-fork salmon, served with cilantro mango fruit salsa, jasmine rice, and sauteed broccoli. Sounds deliciously healthy, doesn’t it? Now, I normally am a little skeptical of ordering fish at a non-seafood eatery, but this generous slab of sea life was obviously fresh, well seasoned, and perfectly crispy from the pan roasting. The salsa was also a great accompinament, although I could have done with the odd addition of red grapes. Either way, I’m not sure if I’ll stray from the burgers and fries next time I’m in L-Town, but this particular diversion was well worth saving my calories for more beer.

Vegetarians, beware: this post is not for you. In September, Jimmy Kimmel set the record for the world’s largest meatball, after seeing Sony Pictures’ 109 pounder in August, in honor of the upcoming film “Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs.” Kimmel’s ball of meat weighed in at 198 pounds. But now, someone is challenging Kimmel: Nonni’s Italian Eatery, inside the Holiday Inn in Concord. Nonni’s goal is to create a 200 pound meatball on Sunday, November 1st, and is making the record-breaker an all day event with their first annual Family Day. The event will include plenty of free food, as well as a meatball eating contest, and even someone from the Guinness Book of World Records will be on hand for the final weigh in. Can the folks at Nonni’s do it??

On Wednesday, I had the privilege of judging Nashua Crossings’ version of Iron Chef. The event not only allowed me to eat and critique six different dishes made with the “secret ingredient,” but it also allowed Benchmark Assisted Living’s top chefs to compete in order to raise money for a good cause: the One Company Fund. One Company is a “hardship fund” with the goal of supporting their associates that find themselves in a position of need resulting from circumstances that are out of their control. The evening involved two teams of chefs: the green team and the blue team. Competing chefs included Joe Gerber, Food Service Director of Nashua Crossing (green team), as well as Guy Hemond, Vice President of Dining Services for Benchmark. The secret ingredient of the evening was shrimp, and both teams brought their creativity and culinary skills to the challenge in an inspiring way. The teams each had to make three courses with the crustacean, and it’s amazing what they came up with. As a judge, I had to critique each dish on presentation, creativity, taste and organization on a scale of one through five, five being the best. I have to say, the judging was fairly easy - everything was delicious. From spicy shrimp with cheesy grits to shrimp paired with cranberry risotto and gouda, the chefs created a menu that was extremely diverse, innovative, and downright tasty. The best part, besides raising over $1,000 for the One Company Fund? The patients of Nashua Crossing seemed to be having a fun night out - a night I doubt they will ever forget.

Last week, I ate my way through my cousin’s wedding at several locations in Nashua. My cousin, Catherine, is originally from Georgetown, Mass. but decided to get hitched in our city after seeing Sky Meadow Country Club, where the ceremony and reception were held. Since there’s a shuttle that runs from Sky Meadow to the Crowne Plaza, many guests spent the weekend at the hotel, and we also had the rehearsal dinner there the night before the wedding. As a bridesmaid, I also joined the bride and bridal party at Aidan James Salon to get my hair done. The salon’s next door neighbor, The Seedling Cafe, provided us with a spread of goodies, including fresh fruit, organic plain yogurt, crunchy granola, and an array of baked goods. I’ve had much better food from Seedling, but the mimosas and high from the hairspray helped me choke down the morning meal. The rehearsal dinner at the Crowne was more impressive, however: cheesy lasagna, juicy chicken parmesan, garlicy zucchini, Caesar salad, and herb-tastic breadsticks were just a few of the hotel’s offerings, and each item stayed piping hot, despite the buffet-style serving. There was even an impressive dessert spread of delicate sweets like chocolate ricotta-filled cannolis and mini eclairs stuffed with creamy mocha cream.

At the wedding, I ate like it was Thanksgiving. The appetizers served at Sky Meadow were surprisingly divine, like the traditional bacon-wrapped scallops and the decadent coconut chicken strips. For dinner, my cousin and her new husband had us start with cream of broccoli soup, which was extremely flavorful, followed by just-a-filler salad. For the meal, I requested the chicken dish, which would have been delicious if I was starving. Not being a huge fan of heavy, fried foods, the chicken was just that: fried, and filled with artificial looking (and tasting) cheese and ham, with more successful steamed veggies and buttery mashed potatoes on the side.

Overall, Sky Meadow’s staff helped make my cousin’s wedding the perfect celebration, and I left full of food and happiness for my cousin, who couldn’t have married a better man.

There are quite a few changes going on at Manchester’s smoothie shop, All Juiced Up. Owner Melissa is teaming up with her mother, owner of Heavenly Fodder, to provide juice guzzlers with more natural meal options (Heavenly Fodder’s products are free of gluten and artificial additives). Frequent buyer cards will soon be available for use at both eateries, as well as gluten-free muffins (like the low sugar cinnamon orange), and bacon, egg and cheese sandwiches made with all natural meat and cheese. Additionally, All Juiced Up has added soup to their menu to get us through this chilly weather - I suggest getting half a sandwich with a cup of soup, like AJU’s Quinoa Chickpea Panini on grilled sourdough and topped with alfalfa sprouts, tomato, red onion, and ginger lime dressing. Perfect cure for the common cold weather.

If you think you’re too old for Halloween (which, to me, is never true), then how about celebrating the haunted holiday with some festive wine and snacks? Vintner’s Cellar in Bedford is holding a Ghostly Fun Wine & Cheese Treat on October 27th from 6 to 8 p.m. Austrian Vintner Renate Wallem will be pairing up with Award Winning Chef Instructor Oonagh Williams for some freshly squeezed vinos paired with Halloween-themed treats.

Items like Voodoo Char with a Jack O’Lantern creamy herb cheesecake, and “Ghostly Fingers,” puff pastry fingers filled with feta cheese and herbs, are just a few of the ghoulish goods Williams will be creating. For dessert? “Spider Web Cheesecake” will be served - Lindt White Chocolate cheesecake drizzled with raspberry liqueur. Now that’s a treat!

Gluten-free eaters can also revel in this event, too: Oonagh’s son is gluten intolerant, so almost all of the items on the Halloween menu are gluten-less. Plus, the person in the best costume will be awarded a prize. How’s that for an adult Halloween party? Entrance is $47, and reservations are required ($20 down to hold your seat is required, too). Call Renate at 627-WINE for more info/to reserve your seat.

Need to take a step back? Sal’s Pizza is taking us back in time this Saturday by cutting down the cost of their pies. To celebrate 20 years of business, Sal’s is selling their 19 inch cheese pizzas (that currently cost $9.99) for $5.55, the price of their pies when the eatery first opened. If you’ve ever noshed at Sal’s, you know how large their slices are - one slice is the equivalent to two or three “normal sized” pieces - so $5.55 is one deal this recession needs. Plus, a portion of the proceeds from Saturday’s festivities are donated to United Way. 30 local eateries are offering the discount (including Nashua, Merrimack, and Milford), but only a select few are hosting day-long activities such as face painting and children’s games. Some of those locations include Salem, Derry, Concord, and Chelmsford, Mass. For a full list of participating Sal’s, click here.