One warm summer Friday evening, a friend and I were comfortably seated in the crowded dining room enjoying insalata del giorno so elegantly sculpted it looked as if it belonged in an art exhibit.
Over cold Belgian beer, we experienced our main course, ahi tuna, with the ultimate accompaniment: live jazz. The Charles Harris Band, consisting of a stand-up bass, keyboard, and vocalist, played classics such as "Blue Moon," and "The Lady Is a Tramp." Despite limited space, one couple found room to dance.
During the second set, Rourke's friend Laura Smith took over the mike for a song.
Like most of the restaurateurs mentioned in this column, Rourke does not charge a cover fee. In his mind, live, quality performances are as much a diner's right as clean silverware. Increases in fuel and food prices are starting to sting, he noted, but he has no immediate plans to stop paying the band.
Opportunities to savor elegant cuisine while feasting one's ears on live music are limited, but not unheard of, in the Globe NorthWest area. In the past few weeks, I have found three restaurants, including Ricardo's, where musicians are almost as crucial as chefs on at least a few nights, and in one case, one morning, a week. Here are three others worth noting.
Fody's Great American Tavern: 9 Clinton St., Nashua. Between tending bar, managing a busy restaurant, and cleaning tables, owner Paul Foden makes sure his guests are treated to live music every Tuesday through Saturday nights.
"We've always had music," he said, since opening Fody's four years ago in a tall brick building built in 1833. "It's evolved more and more."
One Saturday night, a friend and I sat in the cozy dining room, scooping goat cheese, feta, blue cheese, and three-olive tapenade onto crostini while Mad Express set up their bongos and other gear and did sound checks.
As we took the last bites of our entrees - ale-battered fish and chips and pan-seared black peppercorn chicken - we were treated to a sinful helping of soul and a side of blues.
