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.

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?

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??

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.

On Thursday, November 5th from 6 to 9 p.m., Kathy Berger, owner of Huephoria, will be holding a barn sale in Candia. Huephoria sells items like hand painted wine and martini glasses, and the event will also feature local businesses like Petunia’s Home Furnishings of Goffstown and Opus of Manchester. But what does this have to do with food? The Sugar Mommy will be providing guests with her homemade treats. I’ve sampled The Sugar Mommy’s food at the San Francisco Kitchen Tweet-up a few months ago, including her rich chocolate peanut butter cups and buttery, perfectly baked cookies. To save face, I refrained from eating the entire table covered in her food, but every bite was a sugar masterpiece that could have easily been coated in some addictive substance. It’s not confirmed what The Sugar Mommy will be making for Berger’s event yet, but hopefully we’ll get to sample some of her pumpkin bread, chocolate dipped apricots, or her cranberry white chocolate cookies. One can dream, right?

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.