 The Seedling Cafe 9 Water St., Nashua 594-4002 theseedlingcafe.com Price guide: $ Inexpensive - up to $15/person; $$ Moderate - $16 to $30; $$$ Expensive - $31 and up Ratings guide: * acceptable * * good * * * worth a detour * * * * worth a journey Visit the Dining section of NewHampshire.com to read previous Our Gourmet reviews listed by town. |
What’s also a surprise is that a restaurant has finally taken the “wrap” sandwich to a new level, filling them with ingredients so complex and interesting that each bite offers up a new texture and flavor sensation.
Young Joshua and Danielle Enright incorporate all those concepts we’re learning to look for in fresh, healthy and socially conscious food — local products, grown in local gardens, seasonal offerings — and put them all into soups, sandwiches and salads, the right way...with pizzazz.
Walk up to the counter and order up lunch or take it out. There’s a regular menu on a chalk board and flyers listing daily specials and the seasonal offerings. The Fall menu is chock full of cranberries, apples, pumpkin and nuts and the soups are similar.
After ordering, place the seed packet they give you at the table so the welcoming staff knows where to bring your lunch. I started with a cup of sweet potato and mango soup ($3.50 cup/$5 bowl) , a smooth as silk mix of nutty and sweet and a beautiful warm orange color, served in a large crockery cup.
A Fall salad called The Lola, with organic Romaine lettuce hearts, apple-infused cranberries, mandarin oranges, apples, candied pecans and crumbles of gorgonzola cheese, is large enough for a meal, but we split it for two ($6.25). We tried the poached apple vinaigrette, which made the apple and nut flavors in the salad pop. The textures of the cheese, nuts and oranges worked well together.
The list of ingredients in each wrap is huge, but they all compliment each other. The Matt is a pesto wrap filled with slices of meaty and smoky Portobello mushrooms, slivers of roasted red pepper, chunks of marinated artichoke hearts, baby spinach, fresh pesto and mozzarella cheese ($6.75). The wrap is slightly warmed in the kitchen so the flavors meld together a bit, but you can still pick each out individually. The gooiness of the cheese, the soft red pepper, the creamy pesto and the robust mushrooms create a mix of terrific textures.
The Jeff is large, tender chunks of white meat chicken with an apple cider glaze, lightly tangy caramelized apples, toasted walnuts, cranberries, candied pecans, cheddar cheese and an apple aioli on a wheat wrap, all of which seems like too many flavors for one sandwich but which really delights with each bite, especially, again, in textures with the soft chicken, crunchy nuts and crisp apples augmented by the tang of cheddar ($6.95).
Many of the wraps here are vegetarian, and while they do have ham, I saw no wraps with beef in them at all. It’s not really necessary. One of our favorites was The Cluny, with a sort of peanut-glazed tofu salad, coconut candied cashews and a peanut reduction in a chili wrap ($6.75). The effect was a pleasant surprise with mellow, soft tofu mixed in with the sweet flavors of coconut and hints of warm peanut. I’m a meat lover, but this was my favorite wrap.
Not all of the choices are served in wraps. Some are made panini style or with bread, although wraps make up the majority. The sandwiches are served on a hefty crockery plate with crunchy and spicy chips and a pickle. Drinks include wonderful loose-leaf teas served in large glass cups in cloth bags. I had a black tea with a hint of Madagascar vanilla that was great. They also have locally brewed beer in bottles and wines including some from New Hampshire’s Jewell Towne Vineyards.
The Seedling Café goes far beyond the usual wrap, sandwich or salad with vibrant ingredients of the season in combinations that must have taken loads of experimentation to come up with. The results are worth the effort and each bite delights in intriguing and surprising ways.
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