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!

Signing up for restaurants’ e-mailing lists is crucial if you want discounts on your birthday. Being in the food-eating business, I am on quite a few local eateries’ lists, and received many deals on my own day of birth giving me a free dessert with purchase of an entree, or even half off a second entree. However, the best discount I received was from one of the most high end restaurants in downtown: Black Orchid Grille. The fine dining establishment offered me one free entree - no catches - and the deal didn’t expire until almost a month after my birthday. I took advantage of this $30-for-free gift last night. Needless to say, free food has never tasted so good. I decided on the Mint and Black Pepper Lamb Loin drizzled with red wine demi glaze, topped with gremolada, all resting on top of crispy yogurt polenta. I like my steak bleeding, so I asked for the lamb cooked rare, which made the meat incredibly juicy, flavorful and moist. A perfect birthday dinner (3 weeks later), indeed.

There’s a lot going on at the Black Orchid Grille on Temple Street in Nashua, and part of the news includes a whole lot of bourbon. The modern-American restaurant has always been an upscale yet approachable gem in downtown, and their new extended hours makes them that much more casual. The restaurant will now be open for lunch starting at 11:30 a.m. Wednesday through Friday (served until 2:30 p.m.), and will open for dinner Tuesday through Sunday, which includes items off their regular dinner or bar menus. Also, on Sundays and Tuesdays through Thursdays, Black Orchid will serve dinner and their pub menu until 9:30; dinner until 10 on Fridays and Saturdays; and their pub grub until 11 Fridays and Saturdays. But enough about the new hours; let’s get to the bourbon. On July 15th, Black Orchid will hold a Bourbon Dinner, where the eatery will be serving a four course meal with five different bourbons for sampling. Each bourbon will be available to be sampled straight as well as a drink with each course, and whiskey professor Bernie Lubbers will be on hand to teach you about each bourbon. Cost for each person is $79 (excluding tax and tip), and you must reserve your spot by the 11th. As a sneak peek, one course includes Sazerac and fried catfish, and hush puppies with anise aioli. Dessert? Knob Creek bread pudding with cinnamon ice cream. You don’t even have to like bourbon to like that.

There is more going on at The Black Orchid Grille than there is in my own personal life. Not sure if that’s a good thing or not, but here’s the scoop on BOG: their lunch menu is back Wednesday through Friday from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., and there prix fixe menu (which was so popular during Feast Week) has also been brought back. The lunch menu includes salads (the Black Orchid Salad is a must try), sandwiches, pizzas and entrees (like Louisiana Style Jambalaya and Grilled Steak Tips Chimichurri), with casual sides like French fries and onion rings. Most dishes are about $8-15. The prix fixe menu is three courses for $27.50, and it sounds like it will change weekly. I’d sign up for their e-newsletter to get weekly updates on the fixed price dishes, but three meals for under 30 bucks? Thanks to the recession, we no longer need to rely on the chain restaurants for such good deals.