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?

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?