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Merrimack cafe ‘Rizes’ above chains
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Hot Rize Cafe and Coffeehouse
634 Daniel Webster Highway, Merrimack.
424-3367 or www.javarize.com.

FOOD: ...
SERVICE: Self.
VALUE: ...

CUISINE: Cafe bistro/bakery.
PRICES: From $2.24 for a small coffee and bagel. $5-$7 for a sandwich or salad.
HOURS: 6 a.m.-4 p.m. Monday-Friday and 7 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturday-Sunday.
HANDICAPPED ACCESSIBLE: Yes.
WIFI ACCESS: Yes. Free.
VEGETARIAN FRIENDLY: Yes.
ALCOHOL: No.
DRESS: Casual.
WOULD WE GO BACK? Yes.
A lot of small, independent coffeehouses have come and gone, but Hot Rize Cafe (formerly Hot Rize Bagel) in Merrimack has been a popular spot since it opened in 1993. From all appearances, the new owners, who took over three years ago, kept that appeal going while adding their own touch. For any small coffee place to stay alive for four days, never mind 14 years when big boys Dunkin’ Donuts and Starbucks are ubiquitous, something must be right.
We found a lot of things right about Hot Rize. The atmosphere is really cozy and warm. One corner has brick walls and built-in bookshelves filled with tomes. Cool jazz plays on the sound system, soft enough to talk over. There are really terrific vintage photos on the wall, like the photo of some long-forgotten Dartmouth College sports team, that has a distinct 1920s look and a fantastic shot of a room full of the portly, suit-wearing men who once made up the Maine senate. And our favorite – a counter table with black-and-white family snapshots decoupaged right onto the top. The whole vibe is “We’re all family here. We all live in New England where the cold weather begs for a clean well-lighted place with hot coffee, hearty sandwiches and good music.”
We decided to eat breakfast and lunch. It was kind of that in-between time. You order at the counter at Hot Rize. That’s when we ran into a few small problems. There are no paper menus. The menu is written on blackboards in chalk, which is a nice homey touch, but the writing isn’t easy to read. We can live with that, but it did create the need to ask a few questions about ingredients. The woman behind the counter answered, but seemed put upon as she did when we asked for a receipt. There wasn’t anybody else behind us in line, so we can’t attribute the snarkiness to being overly busy. Since other employees seemed pleasant, we’re willing to chalk it up to what very well could have been a huge breakfast slam or some other unknown source of frustration. The food and coffee were really good, so we got over it fast.
It was officially breakfast time, so we split one of the cafe’s new ciabatta panini – the garden vegetable ($3.99) – a large sandwich, which has as its center a western omelet with spinach, melted cheddar and fresh tomatoes. Surprisingly, the menu board also indicated the sandwich had mayonnaise on it, too. We just couldn’t picture mayonnaise on an omelet, so we asked for the sandwich without. This was really a great sandwich for breakfast or lunch. The toasted bread complemented the soft omelet, fresh vegetables and melted cheese. If it weren’t so close to Thanksgiving, we might have gone for the Turkey Cranberry ciabatta panini, too.
Of course, we had to sample Hot Rize’s coffee. One of us went for a small cappuccino ($2.77), which was steaming hot with lots of creamy froth. It was exceptional. The other had regular coffee, which she also found to be the right, hot temperature out of the self-serve carafes. This was a nice surprise because in so many places, carafes dispense tepid coffee that hasn’t been hot since it came out of the pot that morning. We also had a little slug of the caramel coffee. We don’t usually like flavored coffees, but this was an exception. It tasted like someone stirred our coffee with a Sugar Daddy – without the sugar.
Given the fact that the Hot Rize had its roots in bagels, we also sampled a poppy seed bagel (89 cents each), which blessedly wasn’t the size of an inner tube – we hate those over-doughy types – but a workable size. it was golden baked on the outside and the right amount of chewy on the inside.
After taking advantage of the oversized leather seats in front window, not to mention good coffee and conversation, we decided to order lunch – to be eaten on site and the rest at home if we couldn’t finish.
We went for the Turkey Dijonnaise sandwich with smoked turkey, onions, tomatoes, lettuce and honey dijon dressing, accompanied by chips and a pickle ($6.25). We chose rye bread, but you could pick from a variety of breads and wraps. This was a terrific sandwich– practically Carnegie Deli thick and moist, and the sweet dressing made it sing with zing.
We also tried one of Hot Rize’s salads ($6.25), this one was made with romaine, olives, sunflower seeds, bean sprouts, tomatoes, peppers and a heaping scoop of homemade (not overly mayonnaise-y) chicken salad. This was, as Elaine Benes would say, “a big salad,” with a giant mound of greens. They were quite fresh. The Parmesan dressing was a nice choice, because it added a cheesy creaminess to the plate.
We also walked out with a loaf of homemade pumpkin bread and two massive chocolate chip cookies ($2.99), attractively wrapped with a silk ribbon. The sweet bread was moist, excellent and couldn’t have been better if grandma had baked it. The cookies were crunchy might could have been a tad fresher.
We liked the Hot Rize a lot. It has great coffee, good food and a warm, personal touch – a nice antidote to chain coffee shops with cookie-cutter furniture and food. And you don’t even have to pay for the wifi.
Do you have a restaurant you would like to see reviewed? Send suggestions to tablefortwo@nashuatelegraph.com. If your pick was reviewed in the last three years, we’ll hold off to make room for newer entries. We give new eateries a three-month window to work out kinks.