Great BBQ in Portsmouth, NH

Went up to the Muddy River Smokehouse in Portsmouth, NH the other day. Although it wasn't quite as good as the Blue Ribbon BBQ in Arlington, MA, it was one of the best bbq places I've been to in New England. Portsmouth has so many great restaurants, it is tough to choose from them all, but I'll definitely go back to the Muddy River whenever I'm in the neighborhood. Still thinking of the pulled pork pie I had there...yum!

Fall Foliage in New England: Restaurants to go to on a Foliage Trip

I recently added a page to the Boston's Hidden Restaurants site about New England restaurants that are great places to go to during foliage season. This Fall Foliage in New England restaurants page has mostly diners and old-fashioned New England restaurants that are located in or near prime fall foliage spots in the six New England states, plus New York and Quebec.

My personal favorites on the list for going to on a fall foliage trip? Perhaps the Pilsen Pub in North Hatley, Quebec, mainly because it's in such a beautiful riverside setting. Or maybe The Foxfire Inn in Stowe, VT, because of both the terrific Italian food and the fact that the restaurant is in one of the best foliage areas in New England.

Check out the list for yourself and let me know if any of the restaurants are favorites of yours, too. And let me know of any other New England restaurants that are good stops for a fall foliage road trip.

-MH

Arlington Needs a Good Pizza Place

I live in the suburbs northwest of Boston, and am always frustrated by the lack of good pizza places in Arlington, which is otherwise a terrific town for restaurants. I am not all that impressed by ZA in East Arlington (it's good, but not great), and other than that, the rest of the pizza joints in Arlington are just that--pizza joints. And none of them really stand out, though I do go to the Villa Pizza in Arlington Heights and Sabation's in East Arlington every now and then.

For good pizza, I tend to go next door to Medford, which has Bocelli's in South Medford and Giuseppi's in West Medford, both of which are outstanding. I also go to Cambridge, which has Emma's, a top gourmet pizza place in Kendall Square. But that's about it for the area. If anyone knows of any other great pizza places northwest of Boston, please let me know!

-MH

A Great Restaurant in Rhode Island

Last week, we went to the East Bay part of Rhode Island. This area includes Barrington, Warren, and Bristol. I used to go to Quito's when I went to Bristol in the past, but lately, we've been going to Leo's Pizzeria and Deli, which is a great little Italian restaurant in the center of town.

Everything is good at Leo's, from the pizza to the salads to the veal and the seafood. The name is a bit deceiving, as it is much more than a pizza and sandwich place. What I really like about Leo's is the fact that they have a few tables out on the sidewalk, where you can watch people wander through the tree-shaded streets of this town. And the price is right--my pizza was only $6.00, and the veal dishes are well below $20.

One of these days, I'll get back to Quito's, which is a great clam shack, by the way, but for now, when I'm in the Bristol area, Leo's is the place for me right now.

-MH

New US Travel Guide Pages for Ashland, Hayward, Stonington, Stowe, and Whitefish

Well, my new site, Travel Guide of America, has been picked up by MSN and Google, with Yahoo hopefully not far behind. I have new pages for Ashland, Oregon, Hayward, Wisconsin, Stonington, CT, Stowe, VT, and Whitefish, MT up. There will be more entries to this travel site very soon. -MH

Disappointment Turns to Happiness on July 3

What a great weekend July 4 was, weather-wise. We took advantage of it on Sunday, July 3 by going to a Nashua Pride baseball game. The Pride is a triple-A caliber league that is independent, and the brand of ball was very good. And the stadium is terrific. If you like baseball, this is about as good as it gets.

After the game, we hit the farmstands around beautiful Hollis, NH, then headed toward Parker's Maple Barn in Mason for dinner. Only one problem: Parker's is no longer open for dinner. I was saddened by this, as I used to love going to Parker's Maple Barn on a warm summer night, have an old-fashioned dinner, then wandering around the gift shop before heading back to Boston. No more...what a shame.

Getting hungrier by the minute, we headed down Route 13 and stopped at the Riverside Cafe in Brookline, NH. The Riverside looked promising; a quaint old place by the river in a wooded setting. But alas, they were closing early for the holiday. Famished, we drove through Townsend, Groton, Littleton, and Acton, but there weren't many places that looked decent.

By the time we hit Maynard, my blood sugar was lower than Roger Clemens' ERA and I needed something soon. And there it was: In a charming old house just outside of town was an Indian restaurant called Monsoon Indian Bistro. And what a restaurant it was. From the lentil soup to the chicken dosa and Indian bread, everything was incredibly fresh and tasty. And while Monsoon may not be the best Indian restaurant I have been to in Boston (that title goes either to Classic India in Quincy or Punjabi Dhaba in Cambridge), it sure comes close.

My disappointment in Parker's Maple Barn being closed for dinner didn't turn out to be such a bad thing after all...

-MH