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Like so many small towns in the North east, Durham maintains the quintessential New England downtown, a region that largely consists of a single "Main Street" lined with the quaint shops and restaurants that help to draw tourists to the region year-round, along with the colonial history, the mountains, the fall foliage, and the soon to be over-crowded beaches.
Some students here at the University of New Hampshire may feel that, charming as Main Street is, there really is not much in Durham.
Why spend your time here when Dover and Portsmouth's equally charming, but considerably larger, downtowns are a bus ride away?
What Durham lacks in quantity, however, it makes up for in quality. And it being a college town, if you look hard enough, downtown Durham offers just about everything that a college student is likely to need.
College = Pizza
Few needs are more important than food. And in terms food, what is more important to a college student than pizza and beer?
Students tend to agree, for an inexpensive and tasty slice, a pitcher of beer, and a fun atmosphere, the place to be is the Durham House of Pizza, best known by the acronym "D-HOP."
Speaking about late nights at D-HOP, sophomore, Wes Moseman, says, "It's always a good time." Especially popular are $1.50 pizza slices on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays after 11 p.m.
And given the late hour combined with students" propensity to over imbibe, Junior, Matt Fleury, says that "watching all the drunk people is hilarious." [Editor's Note: The Durham House of Pizza does not serve alcohol]
Rennie Petrovitsis and her husband Steve, the owners of D-HOP, take the rowdiness very seriously. It's unfortunate that they have to deal with it, says Petrovitsis. To deal with it, they even installed security cameras to deter such mischief as the theft of chairs.
Furthermore, because the majority of the student population will be leaving at school year's end, the popular $1.50 special will be suspended for the summer.
Like many businesses on Main Street, however, the real value of D-HOP emanates from the personal relationships that this family run business develops with their customers. Says Petrovitsis, if a student for some reason comes up short and can't pay for their meal, they will ask them to pay the next time they are in. This sounds a little risky, but she says, nine times out of ten, the student honors their debt.
Senior Alex Dyment, a loyal D-HOP customer, SCOPE member, and the drummer for the popular campus band, AmPm, described a similar scenario in which SCOPE, a campus organization that hosts entertainers and bands such as Bob Saget and the Dropkick Murphys, maxed out their credit card on hospitality pizza for a performer. However, because SCOPE is a faithful patron and always buys around $200 in pizza from D-HOP whenever there is a show, D-HOP forgave the debt.
Dyment is not the only AmPm member to give D-HOP the stamp of approval. Lead singer and pianist Mike Hesslein, who, being from New Jersey, admits to being spoiled by authentic New York style pizza, nevertheless, holds D-HOP above the other pizza shops in downtown Durham.
As any Chicagoan might debate the supremacy of New York thin crust over Chicago deep dish, there is hardly consensus on who has the best pizza in Durham either. If the lines at D-HOP are too long, some go a few shops over to Campus Convenience and grab a slice.
Others, such as freshman Jason Elmore and Brian McNally find that Village Pizza, located across the street, has the best value and not just in pizza.
The seemingly unanimous consensus among students is that the best buffalo wings can be found at Wings Your Way, located on 13 Jenkins Ct. However, while they've been recognized by New Hampshire Magazine for the best buffalo wings in New Hampshire, some find them to be a little pricy. "At the Village," however, says Elmore, "you'll get more wings and [it's] cheaper."
Additionally, fun as D-HOP can be on $1.50 pizza nights, says Moseman, he would go to Wildcat Pizza over D-HOP. "Sometimes you have to make a sacrifice for the taste."
Wildcat Pizza, owned by Marria Asprogiannia, is located just around the corner from D-HOP, and is part of a deeply entrenched tradition of Greek pizza makers in the Asprogiannia family. Not only does Asprogiannia's father own a pizza shop, but so do her uncles and her cousins. Pizza is literally in her family's blood.
What makes Wildcat pizza special? The family recipe.
The recipe being a secret family recipe, Asprogiannia was unable to share any revealing details about it. However, she did point out that she personally makes the dough fresh every morning and has the leftovers discarded at the end of the night to ensure quality.
According to Asprogiannia, her pizza is so good, visitors from out of state who have eaten there will go out of their way to eat there again. "We make a pretty mean pizza," she said.
Breaking news: We like beer
A beer is a traditional accompaniment to pizza, but it also goes well with burgers, fries, wings, and even bangers and mash -- just one of the more unusual items on the menu at The Knot, an Irish style pub with characteristically low rafters, hardwood floors, and a lack of windows that might temporarily convince someone sitting there with a Guinness and a bread soup bowl full of chowder that they were really in Dublin, Ireland not Durham, New Hampshire.
The effect must have been even more convincing during the pub's first year of operation during which, Ryan Wambolt, the owner, had live Irish music playing at supper times. However, the Irish music didn't catch on so he has since switched to modern, two-man, cover bands. Anyone interested in live music events at The Knot over the summer, however, will have to wait until the Fall semester before it starts up again.
Despite its image as a pub, The Knot is more than a place to grab a beer. It is a great place to just to eat, an image that Wambolt has struggled to promote. He does serve alcohol, including imported Irish beers and ales such as Smithwicks and Magner's Irish Cider, but for most of the day, until the kitchen closes at 10 pm, The Knot is just like any other restaurant and is available to underage consumers.
The menu is simple, so most dishes can be made fresh instead of from frozen foods. And aside from a few unique Irish dishes, most people will recognize the majority of the items and specials on the menu, including $3 burgers on Mondays, 25-cent wings on Thursdays, and their famous $10 steak tips.
Anything Irish is certainly in style these days so when Wambolt was asked why he decided on an Irish theme for his bar he replied, "Dunno, just like 'em. Who doesn't like an Irish pub?"
Seniors Stacy Childs and Rachel Monasmith, apparently do not -- at least, not The Knot anyways. While Dyment and his friends love The Knot and won't go anywhere else, Childs and Monasmith find it to be too crowded, so small that you can't hide from someone you recognize but want to avoid, and difficult to get cell phone service in. Monasmith's favorite bar is Libby's Bar and Grill, an eatery that maintains enough of a restaurant status to attract families and senior couples to dinner. But the really fun bar, according to Childs, is Scorpion's Bar and Grille.
You will not find The Knots' sophisticated selection of imported Irish brews at "Scorps" and their menu is not as prominent a feature. What you will find, however, are affordable domestic beers such as $3 pitchers on Tuesdays and $2 well drinks on
Thursdays, pool tables, lots of TV screens, karaoke Fridays, and the popular 30-cent wing deal on Mondays.
Says Graham Camire, the owner, "It's a good time [at Scorps]. You can let loose, feel at home. It gets a little crazy but not out of control."
Come June, however, The Knot, Libby's, and Scorps will have to contend with some new, old competition. After some rocky times under the former management of Ian Halpin and Liam Stapleton, which included a kitchen fire in January 2007, Murphy's Tin Palace will open its doors again under the management of the property owner, Jess Gangwar's niece. According to Gangwar, who is also the owner of Town and Campus, his niece comes from a background in the Friendly's franchise so there will be more of an emphasis on the food than the alcohol. Says Gangwar, "She's excited about it."
Off the beaten palate
Pizza, beer, and wings, though always a staple, can get a little old. So for those students and residents whose stomachs growl for something different, Durham conveniently provides a tasty but modest selection of international cuisine.
For lovers of Asian food there is the China Buffet located in Mill Plaza. which is situated beside the southern side of Main Street. However, for anyone looking for a truly unique international meal one needn't look further than Pauly's Pockets, nestled in its own little alcove on Main Street between Hair Excitement and Libby's Bar and Grill.
Pauly's Pockets is named for its owner, Paul Eja. After reading an article in the Boston Herald that stated if you wanted your business to succeed, you had to do something different, Eja left his old pizza business and started a Mediterranean themed restaurant based around pita pockets. Fast food, Mediterranean style, wrapped in a pita is certainly different.
Pauly's Pockets opened for business in 1997 and has since become a beloved staple of students and non-students alike.
"Something in my food, keeps you coming back," said Eja. He thinks it may be his sesame tahini dressing that hooks people. Sophomore Ben Dalphonse praises the quality and quantity of veggies that are served. Others just love the falaphel, the most popular item on the menu.
Says Eja, he has had students who graduated six or seven years ago come back just to eat at his place.
Stew Dedopoulos, a lawyer who has been eating at Pauly's for seven to eight years, likes to go there to cheat on his diet.
Whatever the reason, the dressing, the veggies, the falafel, or the magical combination of them all, Eja's has managed to create a flavorful combination that even caught the attention of New Hampshire Magazine, earning the restaurant "The Best of New Hampshire" award for vegetarian pockets in 2007.Every city has its own hidden treasures, and according to the Phantom Gourmet, the Boston based food critic, Durham's is Franz's Food, an 8x14ft kitchen nestled in the front left corner of the Durham Laundercenter.
Franz's Food first opened six years ago on Valentines Day by Franz Guest. The timing was not deliberate says Guest still, he says, "it's all about the love."
Since then, Guest has maintained a commitment to quality food, one that he continues to hold in spite of rising food costs. Someone had emailed him a business tip saying that he could save money by going a little lighter on servings. However, Guest refused the idea saying that even if he has to raise prices, "I'm not going to sacrifice quality ever."
But wait there's more
If, at four pizza venues, four bars, two ethnic restaurants and a Phantom Gourmet "hidden jewel" are not enough, you can enjoy a cup of joe and a pastry at Breaking New Grounds. Or you can grab some quick necessities at the local Store 24 located on Madbury Road, behind the Main Street shops on the north. In nearby Mill Plaza one can find ice-cream at Kaleidascoop, try one of the many varieties of bagel sandwiches at The Bagelry, or head over to Durham Marketplace to assemble ingredients for a home-cooked meal from their selection of local, organic produce; fresh meats; fine cheeses and a selection of wines that rivals most wine shops.
Main Street offers considerably more than good eats, however. So good advice for someone new to the area, says Moseman, is to "do everything, and, even if it's silly, do it anyways."
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