My dad knew bar food: where to go, what to order when you got there, best day of the week for rib-sticking, old-fashioned soups. I tagged along with him from my high-school days to well beyond my adult middle-age. Due to these many forays, I could still tell you where to get the best, size-of-your-head, fish sandwich. Many years ago, we held my dad’s funeral lunch there, and in his memory most of us ordered, well . . . you can guess.
My takeout dinner from SNAX, a newish (opened in October) restaurant in Centerra Park in Lebanon NH, reminded me of my dad’s affinity for bar food. SNAX’s menu is a tad more elevated and modern. Small plates, lots of finger foods like Korean-style BBQ ribs and lime-marinated steak skewers, creamy zucchini noodles that do require a fork, well-charred brussel sprouts with bacon, shrimp sticky with Thai chili sauce, all easily transferred to an oven (see photo, above) or microwave for reheating once home.
And glorious guacamole, fresh and chunky with herbs. Comes with salty, delicate chips that nonetheless are sturdy enough to get the job done while waiting for the buzz of the oven timer. You can plate the food and bring it to the table, but its nature seems to call for a buffet on the kitchen counter followed by snacking in front of the TV.
Online ordering and curbside pickup was flawless. From order to pickup was about 25 minutes, and the time spent curbside waiting for delivery to the car could be measured in seconds. Prices are reasonable but as is the case when ordering small plates, the total mounts up because your eyes are always bigger than your stomach. It’s one of the reasons I forwent adding an order of the ultimate bar food: onion rings. You needn’t follow my example.
SNAX is part of the Blue Sky Restaurants group that brings you Jesse’s Steakhouse and Molly’s Restaurant. For information on SNAX’s days and hours, or to view a menu, click here.
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Susan B. Apel shuttered a lifelong career as a law professor to continue an interest (since kindergarten) in writing. Her freelance business, The Next Word, includes literary and feature writing; her work has appeared in a variety of lit mags and other publications including Art New England, The Woven Tale Press, The Arts Fuse, and Persimmon Tree. She connects with her neighbors through Artful, her blog about arts and culture in the Upper Valley. She’s in love with the written word.
Perhaps by the time we return you and I can have a SNAX session together?!
Susan, It is almost NEVER that I even think that I wish I were home in NH rather than here in Florida, But your description of the offerings at SNAX dud the trick. As we were not going out and knew nothing about SNAX before we ventured south, we are delighted to know something new, delicious with curbside service awaits our return in the Spring! Thank you for making us homesick! Karen Blum