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.

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?

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.

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!

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?

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.

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.

You only turn 25 once, so having a good meal (that you don’t have to cook) is a satisfying way to celebrate a milestone birthday. Luckily for me, my birthday dinner was a delicious success thanks to the chef, the waitstaff, and the company at my table at Unum’s on Pearl Street in Nashua. I’ve raved about Unum’s before, and this place has yet to give me a reason to complain. In fact, the eatery always leaves me with the notion that solid customer service isn’t dead, and innovative American dishes can be enjoyed by even the most unsophisticated palates. For dinner, I had the pecan crusted salmon which was served over a wild mushroom and goat cheese blini with a wild berry shallot chutney. The combination may sound odd, but every bite was uniquely delicious. Even my non-meat-eating boyfriend found plenty to eat, including a salad of baby greens with figs, citrus segments and dates, as well as the chestnut ravioli, minus the bacon. Note to vegetarians: Unum’s will remove meat from any dish, and substitutions are gladly made. Even the picky eater of my family was able to get chicken fingers and fries, which are nowhere to be found on the menu. Food aside, our waitress was also efficient without rushing us through dinner, and she never came to our table without a smile.