The good and the bad in Nashua, NH

D and I decided to be spontaneous today and drive to a new city to explore what it has to offer. We drove north to Nashua, NH and did a little investigation. Let's just say we had one decadent experience, and one experience that left something be desired.

Our first stop was a lovely little chocolate and dessert shop called Swan Chocolates (www.swanchocolates.com). Oh boy, what a way to start the evening! This small chocolate shop is filled to the brim with chocolate anything-you-can-imagine. The atmosphere and decor are calming and romantic. A lovely romantic pre-dinner dessert with D, what more could I ask for?



As you can see, the display cases were FILLED with delicate chocolate truffles, chocolate pastries, cookies... it's a good thing they were protected by the glass case, otherwise... trouble.



D and I settled on a few cookies. I had the chocolate chocolate chip cookie dipped in dark chocolate. Enough chocolate for ya? It was DIVINE. The best part, they WARMED the cookie in an oven. Oh boy. Decadently chocolatey chewy bliss.



After dessert, we decided to find a place for dinner. Right across the street, we saw a restaurant called San Francisco Kitchen (www.sanfranciscokitchen.com). To me, the name of this restaurant evoked images of wine country a la The French Laundry. As we walked in, I very quickly realized I was mistaken... horribly mistaken. Turns out, San Francisco Kitchen is an "east meets west" kind of a place, words that generally instill horror and immediate dry heaving. We decided to peruse the menu and figure out whether or not we would eat there. I will stop here and remind you, my loyal readers (all 2 of you), PLEASE FOLLOW YOUR INSTINCTS in regard to your food/restaurant choices. Advice I clearly did not take this evening. Regrettably.



We ordered the crab and corn egg drop soup, which wasn't THAT bad. It was on the salty side, and there was minimal crab meat in the soup. It had the usual gelatinous texture that egg drop soup has, but the corn was surprisingly quite crisp and appeared fresh.



Now the part that I hope to erase from my memory for good. The "sushi." I put that in quotes deliberately. The rice was not seasoned properly. And this was truly the first time I have seen sashimi cut into bite-sized pieces, unquestionably a culinary faux pas. Tonight was the only time in history I did not clean my plate of sushi.



Take home message: Never trust a restaurant with dropped ceilings. I am embarassed to admit I even dined at this horror of an establishment.

Crema Cafe, Harvard Square

Fridays I don't have class. This should translate to taking advantage of the time to study all day, especially with my nursing boards coming up. Alas... I end up surfing the web, reading blogs, watching the Food Network, or simply lounging around. Bottom line, staying at home during my days off is a BAD IDEA.

Hence the topic of this blog posting: Crema Cafe in Harvard Square. The sun is out, it's warmer than it has been (37 degrees, sad that I consider that warm), so I decided to hop on the bus and check out a coffee shop I've been hearing great things about.

Crema Cafe is a delightfully cozy coffee shop in the heart of Harvard Square. I went during the busy lunch hour (bad idea), and the place was packed with students, intellectuals, mom/baby combinations, and your general Harvard/MIT geeks.

I was immediately drawn to the glass case of freshly baked goodies... brownies, banana bread, cookies, cupcakes. How could I resist?















I got a lemon curd cupcake, with tiny pieces of candied lemon peel atop the buttercream frosting. Doesn't it look delicious? It was moist and had a light lemony flavor that wasn't too sweet nor overpowering. In the center was a dollop of sweet and tart lemon curd. It was as tasty as it looks. I'm sure I looked like a crazy lady sitting alone, in my parka, wearing a big backpack, devouring a cupcake. Not to mention I got many stares while taking photos of the cupcake. Geez, don't they know I'm a food blogger!

Suffice it to say I did not get much studying done while I was there. I give that credit to the moms/babies, and the guy next to me talking about his "full scholarship to MIT." We're all impressed, buddy.

Next time I go, I will be sure to try their savory items on the menu, including delicious salads and paninis. If you're in the area, check it out!


mmm... cupcake.