Sadly, it’s almost time to forget about fresh, salt water seafood and focus on warm, comforting meals for the autumn season. But seafood and summer fans alike can hold on to the warm weather season for a few extra days thanks to Saffron Bistro. On September 28th, seafood lovers can enjoy 5 courses and a dessert at the fixed price of $60. The five course meal begins with a raw Nantucket Oyster floating in a house made Bloody Mary shot, followed by a Lobster Johnny Cake and Pan Roasted Skate wing, made with Parisian gnocchi, corn, tomato, basil and a reduced balsamic glaze. The third course will be Little Neck Clams, followed by Grilled Line Caught Swordfish served with four grain salad, melted lemon and green onion butter with toasted leeks. To wash this sea-inspired dinner down, Saffron will be serving Passion Fruit Sorbet to cleanse dinner guests’ palates after the big meal. Basically, this is your last chance to enjoy the flavors of summer before Fall completely takes over.

Labor Day weekend may mark the…dare I say it?…end of summer (or what we’ve had of one), but Express Cafe on Main Street isn’t ready to say goodbye yet. On Wednesday, September 9th, downtown Nashua’s newest coffee spot will be holding Lobster Day. The all day event will celebrate one of summer’s most popular crustaceans with dishes like Fresh Lobster Chowder, Lobster Salad Wraps, and Lazy Lobster Paninis. The Cafe has yet to create a website, but I recently wrote an article for Feast about their paninis, and trust me when I say owner Raidah Alawam knows how to make a mean panini. Her chowder and her wraps, however, have yet to be tasted (and thus judged) by this customer. What’s your review of Express Cafe?

Last night, I was invited to the N.H. Grower’s Dinner at the Capitol Center for the Arts in Concord by Edible White Mountains Magazine. The dinner, which started with a cash bar and appetizers at 6 p.m., was a four course dinner of seasonally and locally produced foods prepared and served by the students of N.H. Food Bank’s Recipe for Success Culinary Program. Each ticket was $50, and went straight to benefiting the N.H. Food Bank. The sit-down dinner, which was also part of N.H. Eat Local Month, started promptly at 7, with a few speeches by prominent folks at the Food Bank, as well as Governor John Lynch and his wife, Susan Lynch. The dinner itself was a masterpiece, with ingredients for the four courses provided by local farms such as Apple Hill Farm in Concord and Sherman Farm in Conway. The soup, which started the four course meal, was a puree of beets with a swirl of spicy horseradish cream, followed by a salad of spring greens, summer squash, zucchini and caramelized onions. For the entree, the culinary students served the moistest braised pork shoulder I’ve ever had in my life, that came with a hint of coffee and spiced rum flavor. On the side was a spicy corn salad with peppers, as well as mashed potato marbled with pureed winter squash. For dessert, we had a homemade blueberry cornbread with lemon custard and whipped cream. Despite the fact that some of my table mates’ blueberry cornbread muffins were missing their tops, the taste was spot on, and the dish acted as the perfect ending to a seasonal, fresh-picked meal.

Just spent the last few days in Portsmouth for my older sister’s wedding, and boy, do I have some reports on the restaurants I ate at! First things first: the cheapest meal I’ve ever had was at The Page (formerly The Sports Page) at 172 Hanover Street. We went there Thursday night for my sister and her fiancee’s “Jack & Jill” bachelorette party, and I split the Creamy Spinach & Artichoke Dip with my brother, which came with plenty of tortilla chips and cheesy, greasy dip. Washed down with one too many $2 drafts of ANY draft beer of my choosing, we also decided to split a personal Cheese Pizza, made with fresh mozzarella, tomatoes and basil for a mere $4, thanks to the Thursday night special. The pizza was crispy and full of fresh, Italian flavor, although the thin crust could have used less flour.

On a more expensive note, Saturday night, for the fancy wedding party meal, we ate at The Oar House right on the water at 55 Ceres Street. Mind you, we were a party of 20, so we had one waitress for each side of the table which made the experience organized and as relaxing as possible, even with two 2-year-olds in attendance. The prices were sky high, so I split the Baked Brie with peach and melon conserve and toast points ($14) with my boyfriend, and we each got a salad as our meals. I opted for the Mixed Field Greens salad ($8), which was topped with red onion, dried cherries, crumbled blue cheese and balsamic vinaigrette, while my boyfriend ordered the Beet Salad ($10), which came with only four beets, giant artichokes, chick peas, red onion, and parmesan peppercorn dressing over peppery arugula. Delicious meals, despite the price tags, and enjoyed with great company. My only heads up: I took my 2-year-old nephew to the ladies’ room for a necessary diaper change, and the bathroom lacked an also necessary changing table.

Finally, after the reception Saturday night, we all stopped at Gilley’s for a cheeseburger with pickles, mustard, chopped white onions, and ketchup. These burgs are served out of a trailer, basically, that was chocked full at midnight with bar hoppers and meat lovers alike. Well worth the 30 minute wait, as well as being able to witness the several liquor-fueled arguments that ensued in the long line.

Peach bellinis, filet benedict, and griddle cakes served with Vermont maple syrup and locally-grown seasonal fruit. Salivating yet? Good - because this meal’s worth the drive to North Andover, Mass. Burton’s Grill, with additional locations in Boston and Hingham, is offering brunch every Sunday from 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. The biggest reason to make the drive? Burton’s has partnered with Smolak Farms , also in N. Andover, in a “Farm to Table” program to treat their guests to locally-grown produce. The program, which started with the Sunday Brunch menu, features seasonal fruits such as peaches, raspberries and blueberries. In lieu of their new partnership with Smolak, Burton’s Culinary Director, Denise Baron, will also be presenting her peach dessert of stewed peaches over coconut gelato and shortbread cookies at Smolak Farms Peach Festival this Saturday. Smolak Farms offers their fresh seasonal fruit featuring 40 different varieties such as: yellow peaches, white peaches and nectarines. If my sister wasn’t getting married on Saturday, I’d be there - mainly because nothing tastes more like summer than biting into a juicy, fresh peach. Can’t make it Saturday, but want to hit up Burton’s for Sunday brunch? Call ahead, as reservations are recommended.

Lucky for us, we still have a few weeks to try the new summer menu at Surf. Downtown Nashua’s seafood attraction (owned by the same masterminds that run Michael Timothy’s and Buckley’s Great Steaks in Merrimack) is offering a few, limited-time only treats for the summer season. Caramelized sea scallops and cispy bacon, made with sweet and sour mushrooms, seaweed salad, soy gastrique and blood orange puree grace the appetizer menu, along with the tuna tartare mojito, with mint avocado salad, rum foam and blue corn chips. Not fancy enough for you? Take a peak at the seasonal entrees, like the grilled shrimp and potatoes with cocktail tomatoes, coriander leaves, truffle aioli and basil oil, as well as the pretzel-wrapped salmon with orange-balsamic tossed apples and greens with whole grain mustard sauce. Phew! Fancy, fresh fare right at our fingertips…but not for long.

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.

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.

Many of you may not have even heard of Out of the Woods Cafe in Merrimack before, but the wilderness-loving coffee house is tucked away in the Commons Shopping Plaza (right next to London Court). The cafe has a gift shop a few doors down, which was opened before inspiring Jim and Dianne Flowers, the owners, to open the cafe. The cafe is most known for their wide variety of K-Cups (over 200, to be exact), and for those not in the know, K-Cups are single-cup coffee makers that work in Keurig coffee machines. With flavors such as Mocha Nut Fudge, the bold Lake & Lodge, and Caramel Vanilla Cream, Out of the Woods offers customers a slew of brand name coffee goodness, and the K-Cups can even be ordered online through the cafe. However, Out of the Woods is expanding their normal coffee house menu to include carnival-type fare such as hot dogs, fried dough, ice cream and root beer floats. Not sure how these items tie into their overall theme, but during the summer, at least, having another option for a quick, inexpensive lunch is always a plus.

Downtown Nashua’s most recent Mediterranean addition, Restaurant Adria, is celebrating their Best of NH nomination, given to them by NH Magazine, after less than a year of being in operation. To successfully recognize this nomination, Restaurant Adria’s outside patio is now open and the restaurant will also be having live entertainment tomorrow night from 8 p.m. to 11p.m. The special guest is Pedja, who has been playing for many years with his band, and also in solo performances, all around Boston. To accompany the live music, Restaurant Adria will be offering several specials, including a special martini menu that won’t snap your wallet in half. Vodka and live music: what better way to end a hot summer day?