New Hampshire Food, Slimy and Sublime

1. The Fluffernutter:
When I was in second grade, this was my absolute favorite lunch: a big gob of marshmallow fluff on one piece of bread, peanut butter on the other, to make one sweet and sticky sandwich treat. Even better was fluff and peanut butter on ritz crackers--a great snack for when you get home from school.

2. Steamers, or Steamed Clams:
My brother can polish off a whole bowl of steamers in one sitting. You have to pull them out of the shell, pull the edible part out, dip it in drawn butter, and eat. They are slimy and hard to chew, but really good. Two places have great steamers near the Weirs: The Town Docks, which is in Meredith and right on the water, and Sandy Point, in Alton Bay.

3. Fried Clams:
When I worked as a waitress at the now defunct "Colonial House of Pancakes" in the Weirs, the lunch crowd would always order these, and they'd ask, "Do they have the bellies?" I am still not entirely sure what this means, but they were always happy to hear that yes, they did. A good place for fried clams is Sawyer's Dairy Bar or Tamarack restaurant--both of these places have ice cream, indoor/outdoor dining, and are self-serve.

4. Squamscot Soda:
A New Hampshire soda company, they make their own syrup for the sodas, which come in 18 flavors, including my favorites, "Yup" (lemon) and Maple Creme. Strawberry or Fruit Punch are really good, too.

5. Black Moons:
My aunt Joanne, who has many family holiday brunches and dinners at her house, makes these for every single one of them. These are known elsewhere as "whoopie pies," and I think the filling contains lard or Crisco.

7. Coffee Frappes:
This is very much like a milkshake, but thicker, kind of like the consistency of a Wendy's Frosty. Really good ones are made with vanilla ice cream and Autocrat coffee syrup. An "everyday" variation of the coffee frappe is a "coffee milk," which was, of course, Autocrat syrup and milk. My aunt used to trick us for years, though, into thinking that the Kahlua and milks she would drink at weddings were coffee milks.

8. Kellerhaus Waffle and Sundae Bar:
This is a faux-Swiss candy shop (looks like a cuckoo clock) that has been in the Weirs area for ages; they are best known for their ribbon candy ("boys love ribbon candy!") but the reason I am mentioning them here is their weekend waffle bar, where you can put your own toppings on your Belgian waffles. It's actually their ice cream sundae bar transformed for morning use, so you can have caramel, fudge, strawberry, and even sprinkles.

9. Moulton Farm's Apple Cider Donuts:
They have a little stand between Meredith and the Weirs--these are very small but delicious cake donuts.

10. Lobster rolls:
You can't visit New England without having at least one lobster roll--they taste like summer at the ocean. The ones in Maine are the best, of course, but the Town Docks makes a good one, as does Sawyer's and Tamarack's. Tamarack will make one without mayo if you ask.

There are lots of good places to eat in the area and also lots of bad places. Do go to any of the ones I've mentioned here so far, plus Camp in Meredith, Patrick's Pub in Gilford, George's Diner in Meredith, or Church Landing in Meredith. Don't go to the Lobster Pound (in the Weirs, supposed to be terrible). I will post more details about local restaurants in months to come.