Just had a turkey and a steamed beef dog at Bawd Dawgs and I'm still licking my lips.

Dining alone doesn't have to be an exercise in humiliation. Yet, even those w/ the healthiest of egos can find sitting by one's lonesome at a restaurant at night, intimidating, awkward, lonely. Yet the time will come when you feel like a nice meal out and no one's around. Suck it up, you can handle it.
Places like The Village Grille make it easy. I discovered this tucked-away spot last week in Central Square, Chelmsford. And while I've haven't dined alone too much, this place struck me as a great solo hang. Tables on the first and second floor are tucked around nooks, there is a serviceable wine list that will not win too many awards, but glasses of red and white ($6) will get the blood flowing. The menu is perfectly boilerplate w/ a few flashes of brilliance. The ham and chix puff pastries, served on a creamy spinach sauce are as gourmet as this no-frills gets. It's an app that eats like a meal. Cuban and pasta dishes are fun and inexpensive. Come w/ a book and don't worry, no one will give you the snooty eye. This is not a place to see and be seen. Any tips on places where eating on your own doesn't feel like a sentence?

They just got nominated for a James Beard Award. The Godfather of great cuisine anointed the top chefs in the country last week and you can almost hear the cash registers ringing. Locally, the noninees are Patrick Connolly, of Radius, Rob Evans of Hugo’s in Portland, Maine, Michael Leviton of Lumière in West Newton, Marc Orfaly of Pigalle in Boston and Clark Frasier and Mark Gaier (pictured) of Arrows and ... Summer/Winter in Burlington. I've been to two of these establishments, Lumiere and Summer/Winter. The latter changed what we think of Burlington and hotel chain food forever. I know Marriots are stepping up their restaurants across the country, but I've never been to one as lovely as S/W. Lumiere is almost too "special." Dainty, and self-conscious. For me dining out is the whole package — food, ambiance and service. I want them all to work in harmony, as they do at Summer Winter. Now that it's almost summer a trip to this greenhouse-inspired eatery is in order. Has anyone dined at the other places?

Looks like the drumbeat to show off the culinary capades of Greater Lowell has finally reached a feverpitch. Lowell will partake in a restaurant week in August. Dovetailing w/ the established Boston Restaurant Week for the first year, CVB head honcho Deb Belanger hopes to bring Merrimack Valley along on its own shortly thereafter. The restaurants have not been announced yet, but there will be 25 involved in the prix fixe feat. I can tell you right now Ricardos will be one of them as proprietor Dick Rourke birthed the idea. Many of you have given me lists of places you would like to see involved, so it seems the interest is there. It will be something like $30 for a three-course dins and $20 for a similar lunch. There's talk of a canal-side kick off downtown w/ chefs demonstrating by the water on a fri. night. That would be something. Dates being bandied are Aug. 11-17, so don't book that house at the beach!

TV' 38's Phantom Gourmet will be in Lowell Friday at a certain hotdog shop that just opened downtown. Shhhhhhh! don't out the phantom. He/she will be diggin the dawg at 10 we hear. Must be part of the hotdog safari the elder Andleman so enjoys. Eddie we love you. Hey phantom, when your're ready to do a segment on food bloggers Gourmet Gal is ready for her close-up.

Had a sublime salad at Ricardo's last night. Strawberries and gorgonzola w/ winter greens in a white balsamic vin. Excuse me? I thought I had died and gone to California where they respect the greens. And it was healthy. Ha! If eating right was always this easy, our country wouldn't be facing an obesity problem. We also had Ipswich fried clams which didn't disappoint. Although I had my heart set on calamari, which they do quite well, the clams were on special and they came from the home of this regional delicacy. Served w/ a nice slaw, and a tiny bed o greens it almost felt healthy too. The minestrone soup was another sleeper hit. It's not for nothing Rick's has won the soupbowl comp. more than once. We miss Kevin, but it seems their new chef Steve has added a renewed focus in the kitch. Of course at Rick's it's all about the ambiance. The mood here is jovial on a Thursday, little jazz band in the corner, and singer Lura Smith, who was dining at a table next to us, got up and belted one out at the end of the night. Nice. And when the bill came, it came w/o heart palpatations. Where are you eating this weekend?

Just met the boys from the show. They were shooting dogs on site and schmoozing w/Bad Dawgs CEO Charles Sayegh (pictured). This shows he stands behind his product. He's not only the owner, he actually eats these things. Lowell's newest hotdog bistro will make the Phantom Gourmet special hotdog edition when it airs in May. Check local listings please. The producer and camera dude have a fun job. They were slicing up the pitbull and Italian Greyhound like it was birthday cake. I tried em both. The pitbull was a runaway hit. Nothing I would normally order (1,000 calories I imagine), loaded w/ baked beans, bacon bits, BBQ sauce, blue cheese crumbles and jalapenos, but a novelty none the less. When you're ready to feed the donkey take the pitbull for a walk. But look out, it's a little bit dangerous!

The economic slump has hit your local bistro hard, but frugal foodies are using these dark times to their advantage. How? By partaking in specials like Vincenzo’s Before Sunset. The tucked-away neighborhood joint on the Chelms/Carlisle line is offering three-course meals for $14.95 — soup, entree and dessert. It runs Sun-Thurs, but you must get to the Italian hideaway from 5 to 7 p.m. I'm not a senior citizen, but I think I could make an exception and get here early to enjoy classic Italian dishes like eggplant parm, gnocchi, haddock and cacciatore at half price. Make sure you sit in the red room, a romantic space perfect for a tryst or early bird canoodle. Hey, if you can’t fathom eating this early, go anyway and bag a left-over. At these prices you can’t afford not to go. www.vincenzosrestaurant.com. Anyone know of any other downturn deals around town?

Does anyone know what's happening on Tuesday at Starbucks? I saw a full-page ad in the NYT on Sunday w/ the ominous date 4-8-08 on a cup in white. The background was all black and that was it. The Web site suggests something big "like Venti big" is going down at 12 p. eastern time and we should all head to our closest cafe (drumhill rotary) to find out. Is this terrorism marketing? I'm scared. What if I show up and they shoot me? Or pour coffee in my face? Has anyone seen the ad? What's going on here? I like Starbucks, but I will not be ordered to appear w/o some splainin' first. If it's free brew, tell us... The latest salvo in the coffee wars is creepy indeed. I know most of you don't care much for starbucks, is this why?
Hey, I found out ... Free coffee from 12- 1p.m. today- Tuesday. They are unrolling a new coffee — Pike Place blend. Puts me in a Seattle state of mind.

Branded chefs? Are they useful?
We don’t seem to have any chef in command here in LA. With the stars of This Side of the Truth descending, it got me thinking. Who is the Wolfgang Puck in our midst? I have interviewed just about every chef in the Lowell Area (if I missed you call me) and I can’t think of one that works the PR angle to his/her advantage like a Todd English. This, I find refreshing. Or is it a missed opportunity? Would a marquee-name increase Lowell’s restaurant index, or turn what seems to be a synergetic dining scene into a blood sport? Thoughts?

It's Friday, it's spring, time to treat ourselves to a nosh out on the town. Im thinking of hitting Serene in Andover tonight, above Starbucks downtown. One of the reasons is because I haven't tried the new Pike Place blend yet and it's killing me. Literally killing me!
A fellow coffee-buff reporter has berated me for not sampling the smooth vintage the Bucks rolled out on Tuesday. As the days wear on I feel more inadequate by the minute. But it's hard to make the trek when you're stuck here in Lowell w/ the Merrimack blues again. We hear Serene (open about a month), has an impressive bread, olive, dipping oil trio, which sometimes is all you need. Order the lasagna at yer own risk. I'd sit at the bar, order a nice glass of Malbec and let the live jazz they have here on Fri.- Sat., wash over me. Then pop around the corner to the Cupcake Boutique for a frosted finish. Where are you dropping anchor this wkend?

If you like a good celebrity sighting and a great salad, hit the Athenian Corner in Lowell tonight round 7p.m. That's when the crew/cast from This Side of the Truth kickoff their Mill City mayhem with an opening party at the adjacent Dubliner. The Irish pub is off-limits to mere mortals for two hours, but when the doors swing open at 930 p.m. Tina Fey, a Greek goddess herself, may swing in for some Greek penicillin. Either way you'll feel v. money, if you order the Horiatiki salad. I had this today for lunch, and I'm still humming. Chunks of tomatoes, cukes, peppers, celery, feta, kalamata olives and (wait for it) Thea’s Secret salad dressing meet in a happy marriage. The latter makes the meal. It's a well-balanced boatload of all that we love about Greek cuisine. Light, balanced, sweet and sour. Thea won't give the recipe to her family (she's including it in her will) but she managed to spill it to GG. Guess i’ve got the touch. Anyway I strongly urge you, even if you don't know Rob Lowe from Jon Dow, to dig into this salad tonight.

Etsogo on Merrimack Street has been overshadowed by the Blue Taleh, a block east. But this top-notch sushi den really is a gem. I was blown away last night by the clean, elegant salmon, yellowtail and tuna. We started w/ thimbles of sake and the sushi arrived in a flash. I like designer rolls, gourmet guy wants his w/o the frou-frou. But I think the Etsogo roll may have changed his mind. What's in it? I can't recall, I was in such a state of bliss as it crunched/exploded and danced in my mouth. Think there's a touch of eel and perhaps a thin layer of tempura, avocado and ... drooling into my keyboard here. It made me feel like jumping up and kissing the sushi chef, let's just leave it at that. The friendly woman who runs Etsogo steered us to the Paradise roll, which was a nice visual, but too souped up for my taste. Was that mayo and ketchup drizzled on top?
Seems all this creativity is turning sushi into the new martini. Anything rolled up can pass, the more outrageous the better.
Today's debate: When it comes to sushi do we like it plain jane or all dolled up like a show girl?

Eating local is good for us. Less fossil fumes, reduced carbon footprints, good vibes all around. I get it. But how local is local? I was just at Whole Foods and almost fell for the "buy local" sign touting a $6 bag of pumpkin seeds. Okay Im in Andover so this bag of pricey seeds must have been harvested in Reading? North Andover? Merrimack? Try Ridgefield CT. Never been there, but I believe Ridgefield is near the NY border, to me this product is about as local as the coffee Im drinking right now from the Sudan. Marketers, lets get real, if the "local" product had to cross statelines, pay tolls, and burn through a half-tank of gas, (and probably get a speeding tic if said seeds traveled I 84) then they're not local. I was impressed to see that Life Alive on Middle Street in Lowell is carrying honey from Dracut, yes, yes that is local. Who knew there where busy bees in Dracut? Lets not go loco over local. Thoughts?

They say winter is the ideal time for wine and cheese. But my tastes run counter. I get the hankering for humbolt fog when the sun comes out. I haven't had a whack of artisan-quaility curd since my sister brought over a tray from Formaggio Kitchen. That was on X-Mas Eve. So I was delighted to discover that Trader Joe's in Tyngs. is having a cheese tasting on Wed from 5 to 7 p.m. Cheddar, brie, mozzaeralla and Feta are among the free samples. The cheese selection here is pretty diverse. Not as impressive as Whole Foods, but at least you'll have a little money left over for crackers, bread or olives. Grab a wine at the Liquor Shop next store and your Wed. just got better. What would make sense is to combine this w/a wine tasting. Are you listening Liquor Shop, Wine Society, N.H. staties?

Never. Especially when the de facto holiday falls on a Sunday. The Mayan gods are messing w/ us this year, but don't worry, crafty restaurateurs are moving the day of the endless margarita to Friday so we can imbibe w/out the worry. Yea!
Dos de Mayo will commence at the Mambo Grill on Merrimack Street on Friday May 2. Bring a mask and enjoy house band Lowercase p, $2 margaritas, tamales, guac this way, and a new pulled-pork sandwich the Baja-style taco shop is rolling out today — the Tango Torta. This fusion bite made w/ avocado, caramelized onions, BBQ sauce and bolillo bread, a tradtional Mexican cracked-wheat roll, sounds like a fine mid-week lunch option. See ya on the sidewalk.
Any other salsa joints getting in on the early De Mayo act? I want to hear from you!

There's a new ice cream shop in Lowell.
It hasn't opened yet, but a trio of downtown biz owners are scouting small, vacant storefronts as we speak and expect to open in the next 30 days. "We want to do it fast," said Andy Jacobson owner of Brew'd Awakening, who is partnering w/ Matt and Franky Descoteaux of the Mambo Grill in this frosty foray. I sure hope fro-yo is part of their chill scene.
Has frozen yogurt ever exisited w/in the confines of the Mill City? Not on my swatch. Sometimes there's nothing like a fresh dollop of soft serve to get you through the day. Especially when it's 92 out. Can't wait for that. The consistency, I find, is far superior to hard pack. Just that name "hard pack" leaves me cold. Anyone excited about this? I hear chocolate will play a role in this venture too. A chocolate shop in Lowell is long overdue. Really, what are the kids in this city doing? Crack? They, we need a shop like this.

You're young, you're professional, you need to get out of Lowell. Lucky for you there's a Spring Sangria Party at Vlora Restaurant on Bolyston St. in Boston Thurs. night. This "young professional" night (how young is young?) from 6-8 features sangrias and complimentary hors d'oeuvres. $10 in advance, $15 at the door. Call 617-638-9699 to RSVP.
Beer fans, I haven't left you out. Imbibe like Jim Cook at this weekend's Boston Beer Summit. Like that name, makes it feel like a stately meeting of the minds instead of another excuse to get buzzed during the day. Hey, it's spring and you've sprung.
This major sampling event brings more than 50 of the world's best brewers, tapping 200 different beers. Berkshire Brewing, Butternuts Beer & Ale, Buzzards Bay Breing, Cape Ann Brewing Co., and my favorite Cisco Brewers of Nantucket stand out as stars. Whale Tail Ale anyone?
The big boys like Dogfish Head will be present along w/ NE locals Green Mountain Beverage, Gritty McDuff’s and the Haverhill Brewing Company/The Tap. So stop by and say boo-yah.
Park Plaza Castle. 5:30-9 p.m. Friday. 12:30-4 p.m. Saturday $35 in advance; $40 at the door. 50 Park Plaza at Arlington St.

Remember Silks? The "special occasion" restaurant at the Stonehedge Inn in Tyngsboro that was usurped by the younger, hipper Left Bank eight months ago? Seems all is not magnifique w/ the makeover. "People (that would be you and perhaps me) are not happy w/ us," said suave owner Levent Bozkurt yesterday. Seems most of you are not down w/the menu the new chefs have rolled out. No, no. You New Englanders like classics. So as a result LB, like Starbucks, is going back to its roots and reclaiming Silks menu next month. Welcomed back into the fold are crab cakes, panko-crusted calamari and other upscale comfort food. Also the "chef's adventure," where the man in white can have a little fun, returns too. "We listen to our customers and they are telling us this is what they want," said Boz. Wish all restaurateurs thought like this. Anyone like the new menu? I for one like the feel of LB better. Alas I haven't eatten there. But the Bozkurts would like to hit home one thing: Don't think special occasion. Think great food and endless wine.

The owner's name is Wellington, so you know steakhouse Max Stein's has to be good. Opening in the former Hartwell House in Lexington a few months ago, this plush wine bar is a great place to get your power lunch on. Start w/ some grilled apple brie, shrimp scampi or a new york sirloin, all under $20 and you won't break the bank. At night, the lobster thermidor — a 3 lber, stuffed w/ scallops and doused in brandy cream sauce — should settle your hash. Sounds rich, decadent and outrageously old-school. This supper club w/ a seedy twist is on my list for a great Thursday night nosh. www.maxsteins.com.

The Boott Mill sandwich is as Lowell an institution as they come. Preceding the Egg McMuffin by a good many years, this gonzo gut-buster at Arthur’s Paradise Diner is a must. This is our Philly cheese steak. If you’ve haven’t been acquainted with this fired egg, bacon, sausage, ham, home fries and cheese on-a-roll wonder, have you been in jail? That’s the question affable owner Paul Delisle asks of his uninitiated customers. Stop into the tiny Worcester dinning this weekend. Hours are 7 to 11 on Sat and 9 to 1 on Sun. Also, (and this is huge) coffee is free at this Bridge Street joint. And it's not bad either. How does the mighty BMS stack up vs. other breakfasts sands around town? I've noticed Olive That & More has a sign outside that says: "Our breakfast sandwiches are better." Are they throwing down the gauntlet to the Boott? Sorry guys, these portable meals didn't fuel mill workers around the clock for nuthin.
Find out how to make a Boott Mill in next week's signature dish at www.lowellsun.com.

Keene is to New Hampshire, as Seattle is to Washington. A crunchy little town dedicated to local food. Okay Seattle is a lot bigger than this city that sprouts up in the shadow of Mt. Monadnock, but with its indie coffee shops, neighborhood bistros and street musicians, Keene has the same rush. After an afternoon biking through sleepy Fitzwilliams on Saturday, Keene was like hitting the big city. We saddled up to Prime Roast, where 25 beans are roasted on the premises. I ordered a pound of Papa New Guinea and an iced coffee and headed out into the lively streets rejuvenated. Next stop was Hannah Grimes Marketplace. This sprawling space looks like any other gift shop, but everything in it is made a town or two away. The N.H.-made food section in the back features goods from wineries, farms, creameries and cheese makers. The sweet cream ice cream from Walpole, Creamery left us swooning. And who knew N.H. had so many wineries? After finding a summery linen top and cute shoes at Saks Thrift Avenue ($30), we dragged our hungry selves into the refreshing balm of the Blue Trout Grill. www.bluetroutgrill.com. “How about a mojito? I just made a batch,” the chipper bartendress asked us. Could she see into our soul? Fortified w/ mussels, a lemon-butter trout w/ risotto, grilled salmon salad, more beers and creme brulee ($70) we sadly headed home.

Like beer w/ your hot dogs? To quote Ricky Gervais ... Obviously. The taps will be inaugurated tomorrow at Bad Dawgs on Merrimack Street ushering in Sam Summer, Coors and Bud Light into the noonday nosh. Beer will finally be offered w/ the gourmet dogs that have local tails wagging. Now that's a combo I can get behind. Night Owls: BD is open till 3 a.m. on Fri. and Sat. Also we hear the service and dogs are much better. Grrrrrrrrrrrreat.

Ever notice that most restaurants off major highways are all chains? How many times can you chicken mcnug it in the course of a week? Whisked off 495 in Chelmsford, Moonstones is the culinary respite we’ve been pulling for. Set to open in mid-May, the Cobblestones off-shoot could be one of those restaurants. A destination. A cut-above. A reason to break your weekly funk and go out for food + ambiance + drink. Here’s what we know so far: A “great big rib eye steak” and “delicious burgers” are on the menu. A raw bar, featuring house oysters the Moonstone from little Rhody are menu mainstays. Frustratingly that’s all owner Scott Plath would let slip. His confidence was refreshing tho. So sure is he that his world cuisine restaurant (in the former Ground Round locale) will blow everyone’s doors off, he doesn’t need food bloggers to help him manufacture buzz. I'm not sore. On the contrary, I respect that. He’s concentrating on the right things — amassing an educated group of culinary professionals, aka waitstaff. “We can have the best menu and great drinks, but if the staff can’t pull it off”... He’s got nothing. So true. He did promise Gourmet Gal a sneek peek in a week. So come back for photos and vid. when we go inside Moonstones.

Wine and cheese. The time-tested combo finally comes to Downtown Lowell. Word from gourmand Dick Rourke is Cest Wine Say Cheese, is slatted to open in a matter of weeks. Located in the basement of the Claffin Block. on Prescott St., CWSC will carry 45 kinds of cheeses and access to 650, so let your imagination go wild fromage fiends. Vins will hail from hither and yon, with a special focus on Italian labels the proprietor favors. You want tastings? Weekly samplings of the shop's holdings are all part of the education Ricky insists on. Tile is being laid now in this space that suggests small European wine shop. Located along the Pawtucket Canal, a few yards from Blue Taleh, the gourmet ghetto is getting stronger.
Seems the news for the downtown foodie just keeps getting better. With any luck, a full-scale grocer will open,(Trader Joes are you reading this?) and we'll never have to get in our cars. Gas problem, what gas problem?

This was not my tailgate, but I was surrounded by such high-spirited works of art last weekend at the Daffodil Festival on Nantucket Island. Looking to get away and step into spring, Gourmet Guy and I spent a great weekend on the island of the beautiful people. Yes whale pants and lobster belts are still fashion mainstays on this Cape Cod shoal. This festival is a real community event based on the celebration of spring and partying w/ food and booze outside. Aren't tailgates great? Who needs a ballgame?
We feasted our eyes on gourmet spreads like this one splayed out on the side of a tree-lined street. There was roast beef, asparagus, flatbread pizza, champagne, men drinking bloody marys out of mason jars, trays and baskets of deviled eggs and cupcakes everywhere. I felt like we stepped into a Ralph Lauren catalogue and a Gourmet Magazine all at once. We also sampled a new non-alcoholic beer brought over from our friends from Germany along w/ a complimentary bratwurst and sauerkraut spread. An ompha band and Morris Dancers rounded out the fun. Did I mention antique cars? That was the parade that lead to the tailgate. In my opinion there are too few events based on eating and imbibing al fresco. Lowell def. needs a tailgate party. Good locations would be Heritage State or Francis Gate parks.

What smells so good that's got TV Diner's Billy Costa senses perked? Leg of lamb at the Elegant Chef in Westford. Never been to the EC? It's tucked away in Nashoba Valley Tech High School and it's turning heads. Talking heads. Costa and his crew turned up at the school today and sampled the student-made specialties the culinary kids are known for.
We heard Costa was most impressed by the creme brulee. And who doesn't like this toasted French treat? Oh you can mess up this dessert, believe me. I had it recently in Keene N.H. and it wasn't even warm. In fact it was cold. The whole point of this delicacy is the warm, hard, sugary exterior made-so by a blow torch. But if the brulee is defrosted at room temp, it's no good. Right?
The EC is a great find and prices are recession proof. Hours are early tho, so get there by 1 p.m. if you can.

Finally the weather's nice. Today's a great day for lunch out. Not hunched over your computer. That game is so last February. I'm heading to Manhattan on Pearl in downtown Nashua. I hear this five-year old tapas joint has been rebuffed to keep up w/ the new restaurants opening in Lowell's sister city to the north. Shrimp w/ lime and some such tapas is what Im after. Also they have some great-sounding new drinks, watermellon and passion fruit infusions, which I'll have to go back to try.
Is anyone down w/ drinks at lunch? Big in the '80s, ive noticed a return to the mid-day, mid-week liquids. Several martinis were being downed last wed. around 2 p at Paradiso. I might do a white wine, but sucking down a tini is a sure way to check out for the rest of the afternoon. Now that it's spring and lunch is back, where's the best place in Greater Low to go when you don't feel like brownbagging it?