I am always up for trying new restaurants. I actually live for it. And when a friend highly recommends a place, I make sure to take a mental note of it. When more than one friend highly recommends a place, I make sure to go. My boyfriend’s brother and his girlfriend have been chewing my ear off for the past year about how much they love The Tuckaway Tavern. However, most of their stories started with how long the wait had been. The longest they had ever waited was two and a half hours. Now, I know that may be a deal breaker for some, but as I have stated before, if the food is worth the wait, I shall wait. My conclusion? It is well worth the wait.

This past Monday, my boyfriend and I decided to do a double date for dinner with his brother and his girlfriend. Since it was Monday, they all demanded that we go to The Tuckaway because every Monday and Tuesday, if you buy one lobster roll, you get another one free. After learning this, I was 100 percent on board. Now, for those of you who don’t know me, I am a true down-home, backwoods, farm-loving New Hampshire girl. A side effect of this is being obsessed with rustic farmhouse-style decor. I experienced this emotion the second I walked into The Tuckaway. The floors are made of beautifully worn wide-planked barn wood which travels up into the ceiling with gorgeous beams that run wall to wall. Even without the rustic charm, the atmosphere was still intoxicating due to the warm relaxing lighting and the lively conversation that filled each room.

We were directed to our table within five minutes of arriving, and our hospitable waitress immediately greeted us. When she brought over our water, I fell in love all over again. They serve their drinks in mason jars. I am obsessed with mason jars. Yet another side effect of being a true New Hampshire girl. They do, however, pride themselves on their beer selection which are served in traditional beer glasses. Sadly, I was the only one at the table that was not 21 (only a few more days though!) so everyone else ordered a beer while I got a nice virgin iced tea. Served in a mason jar (*insert wide grin here*). I have made it my mission to go back once I turn 21 because this place has the best beer selection I have ever seen in a restaurant, as well as beer knowledge. The waitress was extremely informed about the selection of beers when my boyfriend asked for a recommendation. It is honestly one of my biggest pet peeves when you ask a waitress for a recommendation of any kind and they either don’t have an answer or the ever popular “Everything is good here!”

The good times kept rolling at The Tuckaway when we were brought a complimentary basket of chips. Now, I love chips just as much as the next person, but when I go to a restaurant I don’t want chips out of a bag that I can buy at the grocery store down the street. I want made-in-house chips and that is exactly what this basket contained. They were golden, lightly-salted, crispy deliciousness. The homemade theme carried over into the appetizer we ordered, which was pita chips that they fried themselves, smothered with pulled pork, cheddar cheese, chipotle and cilantro ranch and a bunch of other good stuff. Definitely took the gold-medal for nachos in my food olympics. But onto the main event.

I can’t believe I am admitting this publicly, but I, Marisa Bulk, have never consumed a lobster roll. I know, I know. As a girl, who has spent her entire life in New England, not eating a lobster roll is considered to be one of the seven deadly sins. At least, I’m fairly sure it is. Anyhow, I lost my lobster roll virginity at The Tuckaway Tavern and it was exhilarating. It was the Mt. Everest of lobster rolls. There was so much lobster meat that they actually have to flatten the rolls completely. Whole pieces of claw meat, tail meat, leg meat, body meat. You name it, it’s in there. You couldn’t pick it up if you tried. Its probably the only lobster roll that you will have to end up eating with a fork and knife. You can either get it cold tossed lightly with mayonnaise or hot served with drawn butter. I got hot and my boyfriend got cold. Both were absolutely delicious. The lobster was tender, fresh and tasted like it was supposed to, like lobster, not butter or mayonnaise.

After we were filled to the brim, we discovered the quaint little market/butchery that is attached to the restaurant. It was full of local jams, pickles, ice cream and beers, as well as an endless selection of in-house fresh and marinaded meats. Being a wellness and sustainability major, this place was basically heaven for me. I could definitely spend my life savings in that place.

So I’ll end with just saying thank you, Tuckaway Tavern (and butchery!). Thank you for reminding me why I fell in love with the culinary profession.