Last weekend I had the amazing opportunity to go to the Anheuser Busch plant in Merrimack, NH, to attend the 6th annual Rock’n Ribfest. Hosted by the Nashua West Rotary, the Ribfest has grown into a huge festival. It is also the home of the New Hampshire BBQ Competition! With tons of things to do such as eat, drink, listen to music, and more, the Ribfest is a ton of fun! Even big bounce houses were available for the children and DCU and Re/max had tethered hot air balloon rides. There was a main stage that featured a Teen Band competition and bands such as Project Mess, The Risen , Brickyard Blues, James Montgomery Band, and more.

I had ribs from Stickyfingers and T-Roy’s. I’d have to say that I liked the way Stickyfingers used the wood grill and I liked their sauce better; however, T-Roy’s meat was grilled better.

It’s so hard to put everything about the Ribfest in this short article, but if you have never been, you should really think about going next year! Everything that goes towards the Rotary West club goes to charity, so you’ll be having fun while supporting a great cause.

In my world, a great dining experience must have three components: company, atmosphere, and food. Recently, stranded for a lonely weekend in the Bay Area, I was hungry for some lunch. I drove around the San Fran airport area and found little that seemed appealing. By chance, I drove past a restaurant that looked like a ship and a sign that said “The Sherman”. Already having driven around for a half hour, I decided this was the place. As I parked in the expansive parking lot, I realized that this place just didn’t look like a ship, it was a ship. As a matter of fact, it is an old steamer that was originally build in 1922 and now is the “The Sherman”.

I entered the ship, and the restaurant looked deserted except for a bachelorette/bridal shower party that was occurring. I asked the receptionist if they were closed for a private party, but she assured me they were now serving lunch. She took me up a glass staircase to the empty second floor, where you have unbelievable views of the San Francisco Bay and the SFO airport.

I took a table by the bow of the boat and settled in to enjoy the view. A helpful wait staff (I was the only lunch customer so I got the royal treatment of three servers), scurried over and delivered warm bread, water, and a asked for a drink order. I stuck with the water and looked through the lunch menu.

The lunch menu only had about 4 appetizers, 2 salads, 2 sandwiches, and a few entrees as choices (fairly light on the options). One appetizer caught my eye, the “Mango Crab Tower”, and when my waiter stopped back I told him I was having that and a soup, salad, sandwich combo: the salad was a Caesar (which I got with extra anchovies), the salad was a tomato-corn bisque, and the sandwich was ham and cheese.

While I waited for the food, I turned and tried to soak up the amazing view. It was a picture perfect, 90 degree day, and the bay was full of sailors. That made me think about the history of the ship I was in: it had been a military transport ship, a cruise ship and a showboat.

The food arrived in short order. The “Mango Crab Tower” was a wonderfully presented dish with an orange-colored mango sauce surrounding a layered tower of mango, avocado, and dungeness crab. Unfortunately, the presentation was the best part. The sauce lacked flavoring, and the tower was bland. This blah theme continued with the ham and cheese sandwich, which was deli ham and cheese on mediocre sourdough bread.  Sadly, the bisque was flavorless, almost not worth mentioning in this review. The Caesar salad, on the other hand, was a delight, consisting of a light dressing with wonderfully crisp romaine lettuce and fresh whole California anchovies.

After the meal I paused to get one last look at the view. This meal did not hit a home run for all three of my elements, but I still think it is worth a visit again when I have a companion. Given the mediocre food experience, you know the atmosphere is just that good.

When we think of barbecuing, we usually imagine steaks, burgers, and hotdogs lining the barbecue grill, but what if you’re a vegetarian? Even if meat is not part of your diet, you can enjoy many tasty foods hot off the grill.

Veggie Burgers: You can find veggie burgers in the freezer section of your supermarket or health food store, but the best ones are usually the ones you make from scratch. There are many recipes for veggie burgers on the web or in vegetarian cookbooks. Experiment with different recipes until you find one that you like.

Veggie Kabobs: Kabobs are a great way to customize your meal to each person’s particular tastes. Put out a variety of ingredients in different bowls. Some good ones to try include: mushrooms, cherry tomatoes, summer squash, bell peppers, tofu, and onions. Hand out skewers, and let everyone make his or her own kabob.

Teriyaki Eggplant: Slice eggplant thinly and marinate in teriyaki sauce. Grill on each side until tender. You can add green onions and peppers and serve over a bed of rice.

Grilled Pizza: You don’t need to heat up the kitchen to get a great homemade pizza – grill it! Brush your grill with olive oil and put your dough right on the grate. Watch it carefully and when one side is brown, flip it over to brown the other side. After you turn it, brush your crust with olive oil and add pizza sauce, chopped vegetables, and cheese. Lower the barbecue lid, and cook until done.

Grilled Corn on the Cob: You don’t have to be a vegetarian to enjoy grilled corn on the cob. Take off outer husks, leaving a few inner husks. Melt butter, carefully pull back the remaining husks, and brush each cob with butter, then cover again with the husks. Wrap the corn in aluminum foil, and cook on a heated grill until tender, about 20 minutes.