WHO IS IN CHARGE When Whippersnappers closed last September, Mike Cook landed on his feet. The restaurant and nightclub executive chef took over Harold Square, another Londonderry, N.H., eatery that had been closed for a year.
Cook, who also was formerly the chef at the Concord (N.H.) Food Co-op, handles the kitchen. His wife, Maureen, runs the front of the house.
“At the co-op, everything was made fresh and cooked on the premises, “said Maureen. “We’ve tried to continue that here.’’
The couple raise their own fresh herbs on a rack in the vestibule of the restaurant. They use the oregano and rosemary on their pizzas and other dishes. They also make their own corned beef, pastrami, sausages, and bacon in a smoker in back of the restaurant.
“We try to make dishes that are contemporary, but with our own twist to them,’’ Maureen said.
THE LOCALE We like the vibe at Harold Square. It’s kind of deli chic, with a tile floor, café tables, decorated handmade centerpieces, and a wraparound chalkboard trim, advertising the specials of the day and inspirational sayings. Nothing fancy here, but there’s something refreshing about plain and simple with good food.
ON THE MENU We enjoyed the mushroom soup ($5), an earthy mélange of cream and stock that didn’t overwhelm, but celebrated the taste of the fungi. The spinach chicken soup ($6), while a tad salty, was a gorgeous bright green broth with generous portions of roasted chicken breast. It really could be a meal in itself.
Both soups arrived at the table accompanied by a couple of fresh-baked garlic knots: chubby, convoluted ribbons of dough that could also be ordered separately with marinara or pesto sauce ($4).
We enjoyed Harold’s salad ($14), a hearty plate of grilled steak tips on a mix of salad greens with caramelized onions and Gorgonzola cheese served with a chunky homemade blue cheese dressing.
The tempura-style chicken tenders ($10) with a choice of smoky serrano, garlic rosemary, or the restaurant’s signature Nitro Sauce, were also a big hit.
Harold Square has a great selection of sandwiches, including the Parthenon turkey wrap ($8): roast turkey with feta cheese, olive relish, and pepperoncini in house greens tossed in lemon vinaigrette. The house-smoked pastrami sandwich ($9) is served on a grilled brioche roll with spicy mustard.
We also tried shrimp and sausage Bolognese ($16), Harold Square’s own garlic provolone sausage and sautéed shrimp in a red wine marinara sauce tossed with penne pasta and melted mozzarella. The homemade sausage was awesome, but the shrimp got lost in the overly generous bath of melted mozzarella.
The next time we’ll take our sausage on a sub ($9), served with onions, peppers, and provolone cheese; or the sausage and sauerkraut entree ($14), cooked with beer and served with crisp apples. Or perhaps we’ll just start our meal with the charcuterie plate ($20) — a mix of house-cured meats, a cheese selection, marinated mushrooms, and artichoke hearts, all served with those awesome garlic knots.
Harold Square also offers a wide range of pizzas and a great selection of New Hampshire-brewed beers.
Harold Square, 226 Rockingham Road, Londonderry, N.H. 603-432-7144; haroldsquarenh.com.
Tom Long can be reached at tomflong918@gmail.com.
