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.

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.

The first ever Wicked Wine and Brew Fest, held at Mel’s Funway Park in Litchfield on Saturday, was a great event, despite the rainy weather and the minor initial-event-mishaps. The beer and wine tasting options were various, including Pumpkin Ale from Shipyard and Green Apple Riesling from IncrediBREW’s Grape Time Winery, and although the lines were long, they moved swiftly. My favorite tasting of the day was Silver Mountain Ciders’ wines of Lempster, N.H. They let me try a sample of each of their featured wines, including the Blueberry Apple, Traditional Hard Cider, and the Apple Wine with Grape Brandy that would knock any wine-o on the floor

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The tents kept all of the attendees dry from the unfortunately wet weather, and The Sausage King of Nashua as well as Woodman’s Seafood & Grill were on hand to provide tasters with some munchies. I attended the event with my non-meat-eating boyfriend, and although we hit up the True Nut Company’s tasty almond concoctions several times throughout the day (their Maple Basil Almonds are a must try), the rest of the food selection was meat-only (and mostly fried). After we did our beer rounds, we decided to walk over to Woodman’s sit-down restaurant, right at Mel’s Tee Off, before hitting the wine tables. We opted for the grilled cheese with fries and a side of onion rings - the only vegetarian-friendly items listed on the menu, besides the garden salad we noticed later. Another small downside to the event: you could barely hear the live music provided by the bands Rise! and Tore Down House when you were waiting in line under the tents. Overall, the tasting was a great success and a lot of fun, and we were able to try a variety of local brews and wines without waiting in line for hours. What was your favorite part of the Wicked Wine and Brew Fest?

If you’ve ever been to New York, or known anyone from New York, you’ve probably heard of the unappetizing-sounding dish called the ”garbage plate.” The garbage plate was created in 1918 by a genius (in my book) named Nick Tahou, who owned Nick Tahou Hots in Rochester, N.Y. Although no one will ever be able to recreate it completely, as Tahou was smart enough to trademark his signature dish, T-Bones has added a N.Y. “Garbage Plate” Burger to their menu; along with 19 other new dishes. The Garbage Plate Burger is made with two slices of pan-seared meatloaf topped with fried potato “wheels,” coleslaw, red onion, Buffalo sauce, and American cheese, sandwiched within a grilled roll.

The original garbage plate, however, is defined as a combination of a hamburger, red and white hots, Italian sausage, Haddock, chicken tenders, grilled cheese, ham OR eggs; and two sides of either baked beans, French fries, home fries, or macaroni salad. This mess of a plate is then topped with one or more of the following, depending on your preference: ketchup, mustard, onions, and/or hot sauce, and served with bread.

How do you think T-Bones’ “Garbage Plate” Burger measures up to the original classic?

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?

Good news, fellow foodies: Nashua’s got a few new restaurants we can try. First up: Meena’s Kitchen, at 113 West Pearl Street, which serves vegetarian-friendly Indian cuisine, and even offers a lunch buffet. Steamed dosas, chapati, and masala chai…oh my! Next door to Meena’s will be Pearl Street Pizza which is slated to open in the very near future, with plans to feature live entertainment with their pizzas, sandwiches and calzones.

Finally, the infamous, after-bar meat cart has a new retail location right on Main Street, too. The Sausage King of Nashua, Ed Canto, left his street cart behind for a permanent downtown spot, and will be open until 3 a.m. on select nights.

Anybody tried Meena’s Kitchen yet?

If you’re a hippie and/or like disco music, get ready to celebrate: The City Room Cafe on W. Pearl Street will be holding a “Seventies Saturday” party tomorrow from 6:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. The cafe will be featuring a 70’s style menu with some old favorites from the flower power decade. Come dressed in your best retro gear, too, because the customer with the best outfit wins a $50 gift certificate toward a future visit to The City Room. Customers can even participate in 70’s trivia while enjoying music from the decade. If the rain decides not to show up tomorrow, some customers will even be showing off their classic 70’s cars. Want to show yours too? Bring it, and receive 15% off The City Room Cafe’s menu. While you’re gettin’ your groove on, don’t forget about their food: try one of their omelettes, crepes or deli sandwiches.