Good Enough to Blog About: The Rustic Leaf Bistro

In addition to sharing recipes and healthy tid-bits of information on the blog, I'd like to start a new series of restaurant reviews!  I'll be scoring the restaurants with a total of 20 possible points, with three subscales including taste/quality of ingredients (10 points), location/ambiance (5 points), and value (5 points).  To kick things off, I'd like to share my recent experience at The Rustic Leaf Bistro in Milford New Hampshire.  

 A friend of mine from Nashua NH discovered this restaurant and after hearing about her experience and reading their website, it didn't take much convincing for me to cross state borders to try it for myself.   The green cuisine offered at the Rustic Leaf changes with the season to ensure customers are being offered the highest quality ingredients at their peak freshness.  The produce served on each dish is either purchased at local farms or grown in the owner's personal garden.  Entrees include locally inspired vegetarian fare, free range poultry, grass fed beef and lamb, and day boat caught fish. 
The Rustic Leaf Bistro ditched the ol' bread and butter basket for a small bowl of seasoned shelled edamame.  I do love my carbs but the edamame was actually a refreshing and far less filling stray from the norm.   I ordered roast duck breast with fruit chutney served with mashed sweet potatoes and fresh seasoned green beans.   The fruit chutney (apples and dried cranberries) was a very flavorful not too sweet complement to the juicy duck.

 My friend and future fellow dietitian Juliana had gnocchi with eggplant, summer squash, broccoli, mozzarella balls, with fresh tomato pesto.  I snagged a few bites and it was delicious!  Full of fresh veggies and bold flavors.

With all appetizers under $10 and entrees ranging from $14-$23 The Rustic Leaf Bistro is definitely reasonable for the quality and quantity of the dishes.  If you aren't from the area, the restaurant is sort of in the middle of nowhere but definitely worth the drive if you are into healthy eating.  The interior was quaint featuring a few small dining rooms, clean with white table cloths and oddly enough decorated with rustic leaves... how clever!  If I had to point out a flaw in this lovely establishment, I'd say the service was mediocre... our server was not cheery at all and slightly awkward, but no major blunders.  
I'm going to give The Rustic Leaf Bistro a total of 15.5 out of 20 points, 8 of 10 in taste, 3 of 5 in location, and 4.5 of 5 in value.  Great experience for the health conscious diner, and I'm definitely looking forward to their fall menu, pumpkin makes everything taste better :)