Shopping the frozen north (of Boston)
Thanks to CH, I went to Thwaite's Market in Methuen today, coming away with 2 kinds of house-made sausage and one each of the 12 available varieties of pub pie. For the unfamiliar, this is an individual pot pie, about 3" diameter and a little over an inch thick.
Not having had lunch, I ate the top one, which I knew was pork, right away. The rest, when cooled down, will go into the freezer. They are indistinguishable, so I'm in for some dining adventures. The counterman offerred to label the box, but other customers were waiting and I didn't want to inconvenience them. The pork was just so-so - seemed like all ground meat with little seasoning and no bechamel or veggies. I hope the others are better - I recall that among the others are cornish, chili, chicken, broccoli/cheese, and hamburg/onion.
Thence to Costco and Trader Joes in Nashua/Tyngsboro for my usual suspect purchases. Noticed that the former Shanahan's Jazzwine Bar&Grill on DWH will soon be an Angela's Coal-Fired Pizza. The On the Border building remains empty, with a for lease sign. At 7:30 pm on a Thursday, Carrabba's had a full lot. I passed Cafe Il Cipresso and recalled that it's had some good reviews but couldn't recall specifics and decided just to head on south to home.
I have to make a couple more schlepps down to the car for perishables/frozen stuff. As for the kibble and vitamins, carpe manana!
By greygarious
on Oct 30, 2008 07:01 PM
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Re. Cafe Il Cipresso: When is that place open? Dinner only? My son goes to school down the road and I've pulled in many afternoons to see a "closed" sign on the door. I remember reading about them and thought they served lunch.
If you continue to North Chelmsford Sq., there is Lisa's Pizza on the right. They sell the best thin-crust cheese slices! My son and I often stop in for a couple slices on our way home from school. We've also eaten at Rosie's Diner. It was okay but pricey for what we got. We both had steak wraps. The quality of the meat was excellent but there was no seasoning and they used a bland provolone cheese. It would have benefited from a nice yogurt sauce, I think. Lunch for two including 2 milks and a slice of forgettable strawberry shortcake came to over $20. Nice people, though.
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Searching the NE board, looks like they are closed Mon/Tues. Posters raved about the quality and authenticity, so I guess I should have gone in. Probably best to call for hours before making a special trip.
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One of my best friends from high school used to work at Rosie's on weekends. I've never eaten lunch there, but it's great for breakfast. They're a spin-off from the OWL diner farther down in Lowell.
Also, if you're referring to NDA, I'm an alum. Il Cipresso is one of the only reasons I head over there when I'm home now.
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This Saturday I will be doing the same! I'm preparing to park the car for the season, so I need to stock up on frozen foods- I wonder if those pub pies are worth it?
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I warmed one up last night - turned out to be broccoli and cheese. As I bit in, I realized that BC was stamped into the dough. The rest were already in the freezer but I assume they, too, have some letters to identify them. It was fine, though basic. Though they are small, they are surprisingly filling. I probably would have eaten 2 as a meal - however, having had that pork one as I was driving, I found that 30 minutes later I felt fully sated and would not have wanted another. So, although I normally go for ample portions, I think that one of these, with soup and/or salad, would be a satisfying meal. They are only $1.99 each, so I'd say, go for it! You might not be crazy for them, but they are convenient.
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I agree, they are very basic and extremely rich. Two of them at once is overkill, even though at first glance a hearty eater would not think so. I loved the Reuben Pie with their homemade corned beef.
Voodoo, the uniqueness of them makes them worth trying IMO.
http://thwaitesmarket.net/index_files...
The Homemade Tomato sausage here are very unique too. They are breakfast sausage size and the filling is pureed. They have a very nice flavor, but they are a bit greasy. After cooking these a few times in a skillet, I found that their skin always cracked and the juices ran all over the pan and dried up. I emailed the shop and they gave me these instructions on how to cook them. Next time I cook them, they will be done in my oven.
"Cook them on a skillet with a layer of water that just coats the bottom of the pan (no pam is neccessary), but keep adding water as it boils out. Heat stove top to Med-low for a half hour and keep turning the sausage from side to side to cook evenly. Also if you want to try it in the oven then you can heat the oven to 350 and cook the sausage for a half hour. This will give the sausage a crispy outside (my favorite)."
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You should check out Cote's Market sometime for great comfort food (pot pie's, sheppard pie, stuffed peppers, stuffed cabbage, pork pie, salmon pie, salmon puffs, chix pot puffs, mac&cheese, american chop suey, etc, etc. etc.)
It's in Lowelll - oh, and famous for their baked beans - been in the paper several times.
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Is the mac& cheese and pot pies very good at Cote's Market? Do they have them on Saturday or only during the week? What else would you recommend at Cote's Market. Is there street parking near Cote's Market? Any information would be appreciated. Thanks
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Yes, they have their owning parking lot just beside it. They have all sorts of stuff, sometimes different stuff on diff. days of the week. They might have fresh stuffed peppers and bbq ribs cooking that day, but have all the other stuff left from yesterday, etc. Better off calling to see what they are cooking that day, but they have a huge food case with loads to choose from. They are on salem st.: I think they are closed on Sunday and Wed.
http://maps.google.com/maps?ie=UTF-8&...
Love love love their food.
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and if I left anything out, here's more:
http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/389777
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I went to Cote's Market in Lowell yesterday. I picked up a chicken pie, pork pie and a quart of dark baked beans with salt pork on top. The chicken pie was good with large pieces of white meat. The chicken pot pie gravy was a little salty but not too salty. The baked beans were also good. You can tell that they are homemade and not from a can. Next time I go to Cote's Market, I want to try the light baked beans. The man behind the counter, who I think is the owner said they are famous for their light baked beans. The pork pie was very good and the pie crust was delicious. I think I like the pork pie a little better than the chicken pie. I didn't buy any mac&cheese because they only has small takeout sized portions available. I saw them take out a tray of their homemade meatloafs. The man stated that the first tray of meatloafs sold out very fast.
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Cote's Market
175 Salem St, Lowell, MA
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awesome, next time try their puffs (salmon and chicken) - they sell out fast. All their stuff is great. They do a good business. They tell me all the time to call the day before I'm coming and they'll make what I want. Even big platters for a party.
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FYI, Liamo's in Nashua has gorton.
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