FOOD PROFILE: Porters at The Birchwood Inn • Temple, NH Comfort food & gourmet dishes: Porter's has it all!

The menu at Porter's is full of surprises. &emsp;You can still expect the standby favorites: onion soup, grilled cheese, patty melts and burgers. Yet on the same menu are choices you'd never expect to find in a tiny New Hampshire town: chicken paprikash, roasted chicken (coated in a paprika-rich sauce); paper-thin pork schnitzel; tofu and cauliflower tikka marsala with spiced broth and Basmati rice. &emsp;The menu is the brainchild of chef Nellie Belanger, who, along with manager Darcy Conway, took over the restaurant at Temple's historic Birchwood Inn in July 2024. Having worked as a professional chef for over three decades, Belanger, a Peterborough native, is returning to her roots at Porter's. &emsp;"I used to play here as a kid. Some of my earliest memories happened right here," she says. &emsp;"It's always been the kind of place to come for a special dinner," adds Conway, another Monadnock native and Belanger's best friend. &emsp; &emsp;With so much personal and local history attached to The Birchwood, the pair don't take the mission of transforming the Inn's dining lightly. &emsp;"We're trying to keep alive the spirit and energy that has always been with this place," says Conway. &emsp;"I want to feed people really great food that isn't pretentious and is accessible to all," says Belanger. &emsp;That goal is not without challenges. &emsp;The Birchwood Inn has been a fixture of Temple since 1775. Set on Route 45 in the center of town, the structure is a simple colonial building of red brick and white clapboards, with a wide front porch and attached barns. It's a beloved place, so making any lasting changes is going to take some getting used to. &emsp;The restaurant's layout remains unchanged: a tavern and two dining rooms. The tavern is long and skinny, with wide floorboards, exposed post-and-beam woodwork, and a long bar and high tables made out of a salvaged cherry tree. The changes here have been paring back the decor and painting the walls a historic navy blue. The color brings surprising warmth to the wood tones and lamp-lit tables. On each table are individual sets of antique salt and pepper shakers that Conway has collected for years. &emsp;Off the tavern are the two smaller dining spaces, one of which gave the restaurant its name. &emsp;In the mid-1800s, Rufus Porter, a landscape muralist, inventor and founder of "Scientific American Magazine" painted the walls of this room as payment for his lodging. The nearly 200-year-old murals were uncovered in the 1970s, having been perfectly preserved under layers of wallpaper. &emsp;The result of this smaller capacity means that Porters can only accommodate two turns a night, so reservations are strongly recommended. &emsp;Still, the atmosphere lends itself well to the kind of slow, intentional dining Belanger and Conway are aiming for. &emsp;"You're welcome to sit and enjoy your meal. We're not a burn and turn," says Conway. &emsp;Whatever kind of dining you are looking for, whether it's the social energy of the tavern or the intimacy of the smaller dining spaces, there is no doubt that Porter's is a chef-lead restaurant. &emsp;"I cook what I love," says Belanger. &emsp;While she concedes the need for a set menu, it's the specials at Porter's that allow Belanger to bring her creative flare. &emsp;Sourcing locally from several vendors, including Tenney Farm in Antrim and Barrett Hill Farm in Mason, Belanger creates an ever-changing series of unique dishes. &emsp;Here's what you can expect to find on one of Belanger's specials menus: Homestyle ragu made with short ribs; Matar paneer cheese served over rice with a spiced tomato gravy; beef and mushroom pie made with ribeye; Thai tacos; and fried Holumi cheese. &emsp;No creativity is spared with the desserts, either. Thanks to Belanger's work as a pastry chef, she offers patrons ever-changing, high-quality desserts such as salted butterscotch pot de creme, Queen of Sheba cake, and spiced butter cake with chai and poached pears. &emsp;Belanger and Conway hope their experiment with Porters will catch on as the New Year begins. &emsp;"When you cook what you love, you hope people will try it and fall in love with it," says Belanger. Her hope is to be so sought after come July that there is a two-week wait for reservations. &emsp;"You need to be willing to travel for the experience," says Conway. "But we're here and ready to welcome you when you do." BOX (with logo) Porters at The Birchwood Inn 340 Route 45 Temple, New Hampshire Open for dinner Wednesday through Saturday from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. Sunday Brunch served from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Reservations are strongly recommended. Call 603-878-3285 for availability.