This restaurant is now known as Sebastian's. The menu tilts toward Lebanese fare, which is well prepared. There is a full bar and a good inexpensive wine list. I favor the stuffed peppers and my wife orders some sort of salad usually with steal tips or chicken. The house dressing is good. there is no web site. The phone is (978) 687-9876. The waitstaff is knowledgeable and friendly, and the kitchen is flexible. It is well worth a try.

The newly-opened Grill Next Door is worth a try. It is a family-owned home-style restaurant with good comfort food. There is a full bar featuring 36 beer selections, and good, reasonably priced wine selection. We have found the serving staff informed and attentive. There are appetizers, burgers, sandwiches, specialty fries, soups and salads, and ten entrees ranging from mac & cheese ($10) to a 12 oz grilled New York sirloin ($19), and there are a couple of specials each day.I have twice enjoyed the classic burger, and my wife likes the garden salad with grilled steak tips or the spinach salad. We like to go in the late afternoon when it is not yet busy and relax with a glass of the house pinot grigio (about $6). I sometimes leave with the rest of my hamburger for a snack the next day. Try it. Also, see www.thegrillnextdoor.net .

Maria's is a great family restaurant. A good place to bring your kids or grandkids. You will not go broke. There is an eclectic menu with some Italian food and some Lebanese food, and a good kids' menu. There is a full bar with a quality selection of wine, beer and spirits. It is comfortable and the wait staff is knowlegable and acommodating. The cook is flexible and will prepare food as you like it. I like the cutlaet parmesan but I often have a hamburger. My wife likes the salad with steak tips or shrimp. Try it.

This new restaurant in Haverhill is a delight. It is quiet, clean and tastefully decorated. The waitstaff is polite and knowledgable. Most of all, the food is delicious. See http://www.tasteofbangkok.net/ for the menus. We enjoyed the Veggie Crispy Rolls as an appetizer, six Thai style egg rolls stuffed with vegetables served with sweet and sour sauce. My favorite entree is Plan'n Vegetables, a fried fish fillet with mixed vegetables in a blend of garlic and oyster sauce. My wife enjoyed the Thai Chicken Salad, sliced barbecues chicken on a bed of mixed greens, cucumbers, red onions and tomatoes, with ginger dressing (on the side for her). We have tried several other dishes. The food is always carefully prepared to order, and is light and delicious. There is a fine selection of wines and a full bar. Try it, you'll like it.

The Revorno is off the beaten path (it is in Kensington on route 107); do not try to find it with Mapquest or other such computer generated maps (for some reason they are wrong). Your GPS will work using the restaurant's address. The menu has a substantial standard Italian selection, and there is a chef there. He will cook to order. The waitstaff is friendly, acommodating and thorough. The prices are reasonable, the portions are large and the food is very good. You may bring your own alcoholic beverage and they will serve it without charge, a money-saving benefit. On Sunday, there is a $15.95 special including a salad, any entree, a beverage and dessert. Two in our party had mussels fradiavlo, deemed excellent by each. I had scallops scampi with aglie olie, and my wife had pasta primavera aglie olie, both perfect. It is casual. We had a fine table in front of the fire, and we were able to visit with our friends as long as we wished.

Unfortunately, this little spot is closed--sorry. Don't know where they went either.

The Roma has improved quite a bit. The specials each day are worth trying and the price is right (about $10). Service is much better. Decor has been spiffed up.

This restaurant is now known as The Hampstead Restaurant and Tavern and has changed hands--new ownership. You'll have to see Jim now. We'll miss Danny and Pat. The prime rib is even better. We ate fish however; haddock Florentine was very well prepared and obviously fresh; salad was crisp and fresh; the stir fry vegetables were done perfectly and the cole slaw was just right. The good selection of wine remains and there is a full bar. We'll be back.

You have to try the Bayside---go at 12:30 any day (if you wait until 1:30 it will be jammed, but people seem comfortable waiting)). You can sit outdoors; there are about ten tables out there. Begin by having a botle of local wine; we recommend the Reisling from Wesport Vineyards; it's a crisp, semi-dry refreshing beginning. RE had the lobster salad; no mayo (on the side), plenty of lobster meat, wonderful assortment of greens. N had the crabmeat salad roll, with french fries (dark and crisp) and cole slaw (perfectly seasoned and tangy). The toasted roll was a perfect complement to the sweet pieces of real crabmeat with just the right amount of dressing. Plenty of home-made dessert (which we skipped). Indian pudding looked great! Oh, the view of the bay at Horseneck Beach is stupendous; you are right there at Allen's Neck. Go for a walk on the preserve afterwards.

This classy restaurant in an unexpected location is truy a fine dining experience. It is at exit 45 of interstate 495 (follow the signs at Canal Street). We visited the Mill Street Bistro & Bar ("... on our first level"). There is another dining room on the second level (for another time).
From the time you walk in, you are pleasantly greeted by the host who actually smiles, offers to take your coats, and leads you to your table. The garments are placed in a locked coatroom and you are given a check. Waitstaff is attentive, well trained and pleasant.
The menu is eclectic, and inspires you to encourage your guest to each try a different entree. Every one of our choices including the appetizer was superbly prepared, well presented, and a taste treat. There is a chef at work here. There is a substantial wine list and a full bar. Drinks are generous. The atmosphere is congenial. A good place to meet your friends. Try the coconut shrimp and have a garden salad with the house dressing. Enjoy the tomato butter on the home-made bread. We liked the steak (two kinds), the fish & chips (don't laugh---great onion rings, too), and the fettucini pasta.
This is a place one comes back to, not only to try another menu item, but to enjoy the service and ambiance.

The Corner Bistro is a new spot in town, and well worth finding. Go early and sit at table eight. It's away from the door and quiet. Attentive waitstaff helpfully suggest specials, but the menu is full of good, solid italian cuisine offerings. There is a full bar, and we were served a bottle of wine at our request (there is not yet a wine list).
Our selections, eggplant parmesan and lasagna, were intended to test the mettle. The food passed with flying colors; presentation, amount and taste were excellent. We will return to sample other offerings soon. Remind Andy that he is to work on his wine list.

This restaurant, once a Haverhill legend, has thouroughly gone down the drain. The food is bad and tasteless, the service is sullen and slow, and the employees argue with you, the customer. As though that will make the restaurant better. We witnessed one waitress deliberately mislead a waiter who was trying to learn how to serve us. There is something terribly wrong here. Don't go.

Rick's Cafe and Grille is a quaint, romantic restaurant just off the common in Kingston, NH. Rick Korn, the owner/chef, is likely to come out of the kitchen and tell you he has fresh swordfish or a tenderloin, and ask you exactly how you want it done. Then, whatever you order will be done to perfection---all entrees are excellent. He will also prepare a Ceasar salad for you at your table, and then for dessert, a beautiful Bananas Flambee. The waitstaff is attentive without being intrusive. Try to sit by the fireplace for the most romantic effect. Plenty of parking, a good bar with a modest selection of wine, and a varied menu ranging from fish to veal to chicken to steak to beef to pasta, with a great oyster stew. Only 8 miles from Haverhill off I495 up 125.

Starboard is the place we go to on a rainy late afternoon; sit by the window overlooking the Merrimack River and revel in being indoors. Have one of their great drinks, or choose a wine from their modest but good selection. Then you must have a shrimp cocktail; these are really JUMBO. Follow it up with the French onion soup or a cup of chowder. After being warmed by these appetizers and the drinks, I choose a scallop roll (it's not on the menu, but that's what's great about this place), and my wife has the lobster roll on a caesar salad (not on the menu either--tell 'em we sent you). Experienced, attentive waitstaff who will let you be. Daily specials, including pasta and surf and turf. Pick up a PortPlanet on the way in and read it while relaxing.

Little Italy is in a small strip mall on 72; it is not an imposing building, but go in anyway, because the food is outstanding. Steve is from Palermo and his family has always been in the business--he knows what he is doing. Try the veal parmesan; good veal is always the mark of the chef. Also try the rolled eggplant, sort of a family recipe. I guarantee you will return to this small, inexpensive place because of the food (not the very next day though, because you'll be eating the doggie bag food then). Steve needs to work on his wine selection, but the food makes up for that.

Right on the intercoastal waterway---can't get closer to the water. Get the outside table. Great seafood and atmosphere---nearby on the same property is kind of a tiki bar with lots of local characters. Go over there if your wife permits. Stay until after dark for the ambiance. Great waitstaff for this tropical joint.

You must sit on the deck (go early, say 4:30) and watch the birds and the fish cavort in Little Sarasota Bay. A good full bar will keep you amused, while many delicious appetizers are there to be tried. I like the calamari, but the conch is good too. The owner is often there (you can recognize his voice if you've ever been to Horizons at the east end of the Cape Cod Canal--that's his too). The menu has been improved this year, but you must have the seafood (I'm sorry the meatloaf is off the menu, but my wife isn't--it had veal in it.); try the shrimp au gratin. Early bird specials and happy hour two-for-one well drinks. A great place for romance--walk across the road to Turtle Beach, one of the Siesta Key beaches which is remote and less crowded.

You have to try this guy's chili. Have a dog too. But the chili is outstanding---this stand is open from April through December. Bruce makes the chili himself every night for the next day with Christine's help. Well worth the trip; it will warm the cockles of your heart. Try the chili dog if you want to, but I prefer to have a cup of chili first, then follow it up with a delicious steamed high quality hot dog. Plenty of parking. Meet some interesting chili and hot dog fanciers from all over.

You have to visit Danny on Wednesday or Thursday for the roast beef special---best roast beef in the area for a very reasonable price. My wife likes the end cut because it is crispy and well done (and large), but I prefer the rare cut; it is done just right, no matter how you order it. Good salads, soups, and deserts; substantial drinks from a full bar; good selection of wine. Very good service from an experienced, attractive waitstaff; they know how to clear and time their appearance---never rushed and never waiting for anything you need. Go early, or have a drink in the bar while you're waiting.

This restaurant is where the Colosseum started, in the Nettles Plaza across from Polcari's. It has been thougroughly renovated, and there are about ten very private, intimate booths on the window side and side wall. The food is outstanding and always cooked to order. The sauce is perfect. A good wine selection from its newly-furnished full bar. Pleasant non-obtrusive music. Good place for a romantic evening or a rendezvous on a snowy afternoon. Try the veal parmesan or the lasagna.