Next Saturday, Nashua’s 16th Annual Winter Holiday Stroll will be taking over Main Street from 5 to 10 p.m. Organized by the Great American Downtown, this event serves as a fundraiser for the non-profit organization, and is the biggest dining and shopping event of the year for downtown businesses. As always, there will be a raffle, where people can win tickets to Chunky’s, gift certificates to downtown restaurants and shops, and skiing/snowboarding packages, to name a few. New this year, however, is that the beer garden will be located on High St., and all ages are welcome (although 21-year-olds will be given wristbands). In regards to the food, “regular” food vendors will be next to Sovereign Bank or next to Saffron Bistro - however, 12 downtown restaurants have also signed on to serve their fare right outside their own eateries. Attendees can taste creations from the likes of Fody’s Tavern, Unum’s, Stella Blu, and San Francisco Kitchen, to name a few. For a full list of participating restaurants and Winter Stroll activities, click here. GAD picked the right year/economic climate to get local restaurants involved. Who plans to attend this year’s Stroll, and which restaurant’s food are you most excited to try?

All aboard, mercury munchers: there’s a sushi buffet in town. Thousand Crane II, one of the most recent additions to downtown (although it’s been in Manchester for seven years), offers a buffet of their fresh raw fish every Wednesday from 5 to 7 p.m. The best part? The fee is under $20 per person. The Chinese and Japanese eatery serves up their Nigiri, Alaskan King Maki, and Sampor, to name a few. The folks at Thousand Crane know their sushi, too - their spicy tuna roll, that I tried at the Taste of Downtown, was actually spicy and tasted like it was pulled from the ocean that day. Thousand Crane also lets fish lovers enjoy their sushi with citrus and vinegar based sauces, in addition to soy sauce. I’m liking the uniqueness. Anyone been to the sushi buffet before? Let us know if it’s worth the stomach space.

In lieu of the recent Fort Hood tragedy, there’s no better time to celebrate Veteran’s Day. Amidst all the gratitude our beloved military members will be receiving that day, they still have to eat; and one such restaurant is taking the initiative. Uno’s Chicago Grill is honoring our men and women of the armed services on Wednesday by keeping their wallets and stomachs full. Uno’s Chicago Grill is giving all members of the military (active or not) a free entree or individual pizza with purchase of an entree or pizza of equal or greater value. All Uno’s asks is that you show up in uniform, with a picture of you in uniform, or with your military or veteran’s ID. So eat up, military members, and thank you for all that you’ve done/you do for us.

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.

Talk about cheap eats: The Pasta Loft in Milford might just have the best deal in town. The popular American-Italian eatery (which has an additional location in Hampstead), has recently introduced their Frugal Fare Menu where you get two entrees for the small price of $20. The items on this frugal menu aren’t low budget, though. The high quality offerings include Surf & Turf, Lobster Stuffed Shells, Citrus Scallop Salad, and Chicken Saltimbocca Florentine. There’s nothing for the vegetarians or vegans, but us omnivores can chow down, without having to sacrifice a week’s worth of pay.

Just when I thought The Black Forest Cafe’s food couldn’t taste any better, they go ahead and start serving certain sweets at a discounted price. Two mini white chocolate chip dried ranier cherry oatmeal cookies for $1 anyone? Every 14 days, the cafe will be offering a different kind of cookie with a smaller price tag than usual. According to chef Bruce Walters, starting these “Cookie Jar Specials” not only gives their customers a chance to save some cash, but also allows the cafe to try out new recipes. The white chocolate chip dried ranier cherry oatmeal cookies are the first batch, which was kicked off on September 21st. Did I mention you can get two of the cookies for free when you try their new fall espresso drink, Caramel Apple Latte, hot or iced? To keep up-to-date on the current cookie specials, become a fan of The Black Forest on Facebook.

There has been so many food events/news around Nashua that I’ve been lacking on the restaurant reviews, but I need to share this next upcoming event with you before I move on. I was speaking with the ladies over at Frederick’s Pastries in Amherst last week for a story running in Wednesday’s Feast on Fall desserts, and, in the process of speaking with them, I found out that they are holding a Purple Velvet Torte Day on Saturday the 26th. Why purple? It’s the owner’s favorite color, and why should velvet cake only be red? The cake-masters at Frederick’s are giving away free samples of their purple torte from 12 to 2 p.m. in Amherst with a live broadcast by 106.3 Frank FM. While the thought of eating anything purple scares me, I trust that Frederick’s will make a delicious cake creation. Plus, it’s free.

Has your going-out-to-eat-money been negatively affected by this little thing known as a recession? If so, be thankful that Restaurant.com cares. The site has some pretty amazing deals for strapped-for-cash diners, like $25 gift certificates to local restaurants for the mere price of $10. $10 gift certificates are only $4! The site isn’t skimping, either - participating area restaurants are among the most popular, including Florence’s in Merrimack; Elisha’s Restaurant in Milford; and Market Place Diner in Hollis. Now you don’t have any reason not to treat yourself to a meal out.

Has anyone used the Restaurant.com service? Is it just as easy as it sounds?

Got vodka? Some competing downtown restaurants in Nashua do. In addition to their wine nights during the week, Black Orchid Grille and Unum’s are now devoting another day of the week to martinis for a more intense after work stress reliever. This Wednesday, Black Orchid is holding their first Martini Sampling Night where cocktail sippers pay a mere $2 for a 2 oz. tasting. Attendees can try just one tini, or all five that will be offered that night. This week’s menu includes: Dragon’s Kiss, made with Bacardi Dragon Berry Rum, lemonade, strawberry puree, and a splash of club soda, as well as La Pear Martini, with St. Germain Elderberry Liqueur, Grey Goose La Poire, pear puree and champagne. The tasting is from 6 to 8 p.m., and will be held the second Wednesday of every month from here on out.

Not too far down the road from Black Orchid’s, Unum’s will soon be holding “Tini” Thursdays, where the restaurant will be infusing vodka with various ingredients like fresh fruit and hot peppers, and will be selling the cocktails at a discounted price. Unums will even start showcasing fruit infused vodka martinis, and will select two cocktails each week where $1 of the proceeds will be contributed to Breast Cancer or Alzheimer’s research in honor of co-owner Karen Williams’ parents. Drinking vodka for a good cause? Count me in!