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Continuing with our Summer Restaurant series, we travel to the Lakes Region of New Hampshire. This seventy-six year old resort is home to a fine dining restaurant, which is open from Memorial Day to Columbus Day weekend. In addition to the restaurant there also is a beach-side bar that offers the full restaurant menu after 5:00 p.m.
I spoke with Cynthia Makris, general manager of the resort to learn more about the NASWA.
TT: Do you use local meat, produce, or dairy in your menu?
CM: We do use all locally grown fruits and vegetables when available. We receive deliveries six days a week of New England native items.
TT: What menu items would make for a perfect summer dinner at your restaurant?
CM: Salad NASWA- Baby greens tossed with pure NH maple syrup (from Cormier’s Sugar House), mustard vinaigrette, grated sharp cheddar cheese, sliced apple, candied walnuts and dried cranberries
Entrée- Miso glazed salmon with Asian snow peas, red pepper, shiitake mushrooms and sushi roll rice with grilled asparagus and soy sauce for dipping or Fruitti de mari- lobster, shrimp, clams, calamari, house made marinara
TT: Rumor has it that the 84-year old matriarch makes most of the desserts. Can you tell us some of the desserts that she makes?
CM: Our resort became computerized 15 years ago, which gave my mom less to do and time to bake. As she is named Hope, the desserts are called “Hopemade”. Every night there are eight to nine Hopemade desserts on our tray. The most popular is the Tommy Bahama Cake. It is six layers of white cake soaked in dark rum. In between each layer is pineapple and white chocolate mousse. It is finished with white chocolate mousse and toasted coconut.
TT: Besides being a summer-only restaurant, what makes the Restaurant at the NASWA unique?
CM: We have a bar on the beach. We try to do everything different. Our service is excellent. We take college kids and teach them how to do fine dining. Every year we have 140 employees. You can’t keep people year ‘round, so you hope many are able to go get a good winter job. (For three days last week), I was training 60 new people. It is like completely opening a new business each year. The fabulous thing about being seasonal is getting to start fresh each year: new drinks, new events.
TT: What else can you tell us about the NASWA?
CM: Last year we celebrated our 75th anniversary. In honor of this Governor Lynch declared June 29th NASWA Day.
To learn more about The Restaurant at the NASWA Resort, the NazBar, or the NASWA Resort, please visit their website.
