With Fridays come weigh in at Weight Watchers, which means indulging on Friday nights until the next time I have to get on the scale! I had birthday plans with my good friend, but due to the weather, the hubby didn't want me going too far without him. I did reschedule, so that will be a dinner review for another time....so as I sulked about my cancelled plans and dinner, Teddy was more motivated to take me somewhere special for a quiet dinner just the two of us. Where to go? With the weather being so crappy, we didnt want to go far, but we were in the mood for something a little special....Teddy remembered Buckley's Steakhouse was recommended by some people we knew, and we happen to know someone who works there, so we said "Why not"? Buckley's is located in Merrimac, NH, very close to Manchester. When you drive up to the restaurant, you feel like it should be further up North, almost like the setting of a nice B&B tavern, its just lacking the rolling hills and countryside surroundings. I immediately felt quite cozy when we walked in, and the aroma was a great prelude to the dinner ahead. There is a tavern on one side which I got a quick look at and was very cozy with a double sided fireplace and nice bar with some tables too, but we dined in the restaurant, and just as soon as we asked if our friend was working tonight, there was Connie with a big smile, who offered to wait on us, and she truly did make the experience even better. Teddy ordered a beer that had a nice citrus flavor...I will remember the name and edit this post, I was savoring the rich hop flavor, truly had a nice zing to it. I had a wonderful glass of the Bogle Phantom Sirah-zinfandel blend (okay, I really had two) - a great tasting red wine which complemented the meal perfectly. We started with two specials...the seafood gumbo soup, and the lobster mac and cheese. The soup had a nice red broth with fresh seafood and a little white rice, very warm going down on a cold night and again great with the wine. Teddy's mac and cheese took the cake...chunks of fresh lobster, it wasnt drowned in cheese at all, very light, and the cheesiness really was at the bottom for the eater to gently mix with the rotini pasta...such a wonderful flavor, and certainly big enough for sharing. To note, the table next to us ordered these wonderful looking onion rings, they are dipped in fresh panko crumbs and cooked tempura style, they looked wonderful, and sure enough, my dinner entree came with two of them! The menu was what you would expect to find at a fine steak house. A nice assortment of appetizers, they even serve raw oysters, nice looking wedge salad, a great assortment of dishes for the "non steak" fans, such as crab cake stuffed haddock, braised short rib stroganoff, a mixed grill of chicken breast, pork chop and steak tips, which is what I got, because it came with a side of tomato parmesean risotto. Teddy order the prime filet, with a side of the risotto, but they had many sides he could have chosen from, asparagus and other vegetables, and potato sides. And all the steak dishes offered a nice variety of sauces, I loved what was on mind, the red wine demi glaze. The hollandaise was also very tasty, and Teddy ordered a garlic creamy sauce that was really yummy. My dish was wonderful and enough to take home to enjoy the next day...the chicken was cooked so perfectly and it was a thick breast, the flavor was sumptious and the breast really juicy. Steak tips too, very nice flavor, and the pork chop was quite large and tasted great with the risotto. My entree cost $28 but I would imagine for this same dish in Boston, I would have paid $38 - they did not skimp on the portions at all. Teddy's steak was divine, and anyone who knows me personally knows I'm not a steak fan, but it was some of the best beef I have tasted in a long time, and again, enough to take home - and we did enjoy our combined leftovers this afternoon! Connie was quite instrumental in our menu choices, and knowledgeable...I noticed the waitstaff in general was fantastic, very intune to their customer needs and friendly. We ended with chocolate bourbon pecan pie to share, a scoop of vanilla icecream...a must try!! They also offered baked alaska, I saw it being served...piled high with merengue and described as a brown butter cake...certainly on our next visit, we will give that a go. After dinner, we mozied over to the tavern for a soda before we hit the road...they serve the entire formal menu, plus their own tavern offerings, with a nice assortment of burgers. We will definitely visit there too. Again, the waitstaff in the tavern was very friendly, the atmosphere in general was quite comfortable and inviting. So, for a fine dininig experience in NH, look no further than Buckley's in Merrimac!
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