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!

If you’re not on Twitter, you’re missing out. And I don’t just mean because it’s a great tool to use for networking and meeting new people; it also gets you free food at local restaurants. Case in point: last night, San Francisco Kitchen in Nashua held a “Tweet-up,” where Tweeters on Twitter can come together offline. For those of you who don’t speak Twitter, it’s simply a networking event. SF Kitchen had local Tweeters submit their business cards to be entered into a raffle, with prizes such as an Apple gift card, T-shirts, and $25 gift certificates to SF Kitchen. Before, during and after the raffle, attendees schmoozed over a cash bar and some free grub, compliments of the restaurant itself. From crispy crab rangoons to chicken wings to some fancy egg roll “purses,” SF Kitchen hosted quite the event that not only gave their restaurant some exposure, but also allowed locals to share business advice and build relationships. Even Sugar Mommy was on hand to provide desserts, which included some mouth-watering white and milk chocolate peanut butter cups, an assortment of homemade cookies, and white, dark and milk chocolate truffles. I have yet to come out of my sugar coma.

As a side note, Unum’s in Nashua held the last Tweet-up in the area, and even customized a discounted cocktail and wine list for attendees.

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.

Another reason to celebrate the recession: normally expensive downtown eateries are accommodating their menus to accommodate our wallets. Unum’s is one of the latest spots - the upscale eatery just introduced their new dinner menu yesterday, with diverse offerings for much smaller price tags. While before it was rather difficult to find a dinner at Unum’s for under $20, now many new items are in the $7-15 range, including appetizers. The Roasted Pork Medallion appetizer is a mere $9, served over a roasted corn tomato pesto hush puppy with raspberry syrup. I’d eat that for $90. Salads run $7-9, including the Roasted Vegetable Grecian Salata, and entrees are $14-32. One example of a $14 entree is the Chestnut Ravioli (which used to be $18), finished with spinach, sweet potato, sweet capicolla, bacon and nutmeg in mascarpone cream. Cream AND bacon? Count me in. The new menu’s not on their website yet, so don’t be fooled by the old menu’s prices and offerings.