American Eats: New Hampshire. The Red Arrow
The Road to the White House goes through 61 Lowell Street in Manchester, New Hampshire.
The Red Arrow is a 100-year-old diner in the Granite State that has been universally acclaimed as one of, if not, the, best diners in America.
Due to New Hampshire’s First in the Nation primary status in Presidential Election years, it of course becomes a right of passage for candidates running for President to visit The Red Arrow:
New Hampshire’s primary is the first in the nation, just days after the Iowa caucuses, and its voters place a premium on “retail politics” — the standard baby-kissing, glad-handing, flesh-pressing, and earnest head-nodding that are the foundation of a politician’s rapport with voters. As the premiere venue for crowd-working in New Hampshire’s most populous city, the Red Arrow occupies an outsized place in Granite State electoral politics — it has been a Jeopardy! clue — and it plays its part eagerly. “Would you like to schedule a political visit?” the top of its website beckons, while dozens of presidential hopefuls gaze down on patrons from the walls. Al Gore, Hillary Clinton, Ben Carson, Barack Obama, John Kasich, Ted Cruz, John Edwards, and Donald Trump can be seen in a single glance.
Even Trump, whose 2016 campaign was marked by its near-total rejection of traditional retail politics in favor of mass rallies, could not avoid a visit to the Red Arrow — which has since rebranded its most gluttonous creation, the Newton Burger, which consists of a half-pound of ground beef, a deep-fried ball of mac and cheese, and two slices of melted American cheese, all wedged between two whole grilled cheese sandwiches that serve as the bun, as the Trump Tower Burger. As the Associated Press once put it, “It may not be spelled out in the Constitution, but the simple fact of the matter is, you really can’t run for president without grabbing some grub at the Red Arrow Diner.”
I went to the Manchester location long ago, in the summer of 2007, before the Presidential Primary Season really ramped up in earnest. It was a small diner (relatively speaking) and spoke to its blue-collar roots. Coffee was free-flowing. Huge breakfasts are the norm. A blue plate special was available. The food was hearty, filling, and delicious.
The most important thing of all was the Dinah Fingers. They are homemade Twinkies. Let me say that again. Home. Made. Twinkies. They are far, FAR better than any version of the Twinkie that I have ever eaten from Hostess.
Many readers of The Duckpin are political aficionados. So if you find yourself in New Hampshire during the primary election, The Red Arrow in Manchester (though there are other locations) is a must-stop whether your candidate is there or not.