Culinary cornucopia

With no signature cuisine,New Hampshire serves upthe region's classic tastes

October 29, 2006|Lisa Wangsness, Globe Staff

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Mary Dumont , the executive chef, was voted one of the Best New Chefs of 2006 by Food & Wine magazine . She prepares rustic American cuisine with local ingredients; her herbs are grown in the gardens at Strawbery Banke , and she cures her own meats. If you forgot to make a reservation, sidle up to the bar for a glass of wine and a snack, like a charcuterie and cheese plate with violet mustard, duck liver mousse, local cheese, and house-cured meats.

A good meal is harder to find in the North Country, home of the White Mountain National Forest. Hungry hikers are in luck: Libby's Bistro in Gorham offers everything from homemade crackers to boneless breast of duck au poivre, served in what feels like somebody's parlor. Chef Liz Jackson worked on the television shows of the late Julia Child, and it shows.

"If you travel in Europe, you can be in a remote spot way up high in some mountain town and stumble into a little family restaurant, maybe grandma's in the kitchen," said her husband and co-chef/owner Stephen Jackson . "We hope that's what people find when they come to Libby's."

Don't miss dessert. The warm gingerbread with oven-roasted pears was about the best we've ever had.

It wouldn't be fair to end without a good old-fashioned N'Hampsha house of pancakes, and you can't go wrong with a stop at the Intervale Farm Pancake House . Run by Patrick Connor , a fourth-generation native of Henniker who grew up on the farm, the place looks a pine-board sugar shack and features homemade syrup.

After all, Granite Staters aren't about to let Vermont own the maple syrup brand.

"Vermont doesn't own anything," said Joseph W. McQuaid , publisher of the New Hampshire Union Leader . "They rent from New Hampshire."

Contact Lisa Wangsness at wangsness@globe.com.