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The dazzling dining options of the Granite State seaport are just a stone’s throw away.
Photo by Jumpinâ Jayâs Fish Cafe via Yelp.
Everyone knows that the dining scene in Portland, Maine is well worth the drive from Boston. If you want to save some time and gas money, though, take heed: Portsmouth, New Hampshire is a similarly quaint seaport thatâs only an hour awayâabout half the ride, but with a restaurant scene that competes with cities many times its size. (No wonder Bostonâs own Row 34 chose the historic downtown for its first out-of-state location.) Ready to hit the road? Let the best of Portsmouth whet your whistle.
Dim, cozy, and swathed in brick and wooden beamsâthereâs palpable âye olde seaport historyâ inside the Black Trumpet, a waterfront building that once served as a ship-supply mercantile. Today, though, the place proffers rustic-refined New American cuisine (plus excellent wines) from acclaimed chef Evan Mallett. Think: confit chicken with farro and figs, crispy veal sweetbreads with agrodolce, and slow-cooked goat with balsamic kale and berbere carrots, all emphasizing ingredients sourced from New England farms.
29 Ceres St., Portsmouth, 603-431-0887, blacktrumpetbistro.com.
Occasion-worthy French cuisine and a boatload of gin? Yes, please. Inside a revitalized mill building blooms Botanica, where brick walls are painted lily white (when theyâre not covered in floral print). On the menu youâll find a garden of delights, from the fromage blanc-filled pasta squares to the brandy jus-sauced steak frites to the chocolate soufflĂ© with vanilla crĂšme anglaise. Flowery cocktails, meanwhile, make ample use of the restaurantâs namesake spirit, tapping top-shelf varieties: Maine-made Wiggly Bridge gin, for instance, is paired with herbaceous Salers Gentiane, a French liqueur, for a white Negroni.
110 Brewery Lane, #105, Portsmouth, 603-373-0979, botanicanh.com.
Weâd like to buy a vowelâpreferably a âu,â for the âyumâ that comes dribbling out between bites of A-plus burgers of beef or bison sourced from Maine farms. (Other meats and veggie options are available, too.) Build âem how you want âem from the list of toppings, which covers everything from fried avocado to kimchi to blackberry-and-serrano jam. Or opt for one of 15 different preconceived patties, such as the Wise Quacker (a duck burger with crispy kale and goat cheese), the Up in Smoke (bison with gouda, bourbon barbecue sauce, and smoked shallot and tomato jam), and the Reuben (good old-fashioned cow heaped with sauerkraut). Theyâre all RLY GD.
34 Portwalk Pl., Portsmouth, 603-294-0902, brgr-bar.com.
The garden patioâs greenery-festooned living wall is a pretty, picturesque backdrop for warm-weather sipping on sparkling Spanish wines. And when wintry chills move in? Warm up inside with transportive tapas that pulls from Spanish territories and more Eastern Mediterranean-leaning influences. See: Brussels sprouts hopped with harissa as well as a Canary Island-rooted garlic sauce, seafood stew in a saffron clam broth, and piquillo pepper-amped paella.
10 Commercial Alley, Portsmouth, 603-319-1575, cavatapasandwinebar.com.
Chef Julia Cutting-Kelly. / Photo by Cure via Yelp
She didnât go all the way, but Portsmouth chef Julie Cutting-Kelly earned high praise from tough judge Martha Stewart when the iconic queen of divine dinner parties hosted her own special series of Chopped episodes, filmed last year at nearby Hidden Pond Lodge in Kennebunkport, Maine. If you missed her on the small screen, snag a seat at her intimate street-corner spot, where she puts a special focus on meat and seafood. Pan-roasted duck with a white wine balsamic beurre blanc? Cider-molasses BBQ short ribs with roasted sweet potato and dijon sauce? As Stewart would say, âitâs a good thing.â
189 State St., Portsmouth, 603-427-8258, curerestaurantportsmouth.com.
Photo by Jumpinâ Jayâs Fish Cafe via Yelp.
When dining in a seaport, best to test the local watersâand in Portsmouth, that means a meal at Jumpinâ Jayâs, a 20-year-old veteran of the restaurant scene. From the name, you might expect a hokey joint with a battery-operated Big Mouth Billy Bass flapping on the wall. Nah, not here. The vibe is casual but still keeps it classy to meet the modern, upscale-tilting cuisine: swordfish, served carbonara-style with pasta and peppadew in a creamy Alfredo sauce; a piccata take on haddock, with a ratatouille of squashes; and fresh catch of the day, accompanied by a choice of lobster veloutĂ©, red pepper hazelnut romesco, and other sauces. Oh, and raw bar offerings abound. Shuck yeah.
150 Congress St., Portsmouth, 603-766-3474, jumpinjays.com.
With its lion statues standing sentry by the front door, ornate walls and ceilings of intricately carved dark wood, and shelves lined with hardcover tomes, the Library looks like the set for a reboot of Clue. Itâs not, and it was never actually a library, either. So, what is it? A former judgeâs mansion and current quintessential New England steakhouse, thatâs what, where the steaks are sizzled to perfectly pink, the sides like bourbon creamed corn and lobster mac ânâ cheese are served family style, and the award-winning wine list is replete with ruby-red bottles for the rich tastes that populate this old-school Portsmouth institution.
401 State St., Portsmouth, 603-431-5202, libraryrestaurant.com.
Photo by Moxy via Yelp.
Chef Matt Louis trains his eye on seafood at his other, also-excellent Portsmouth restaurant, the Franklin. Moxy, though, is where he built his bold-faced name and bolder repâand it remains an essential part of the Seacoast Regionâs culinary conversation. Itâs all about eclectic share plates here, with lots of goodies made for grazing: crispy pork belly with sour cherry jam; mussels with leek in a Mezcal cream; marinated beets with sweet-and-sour charred onion, peanut dukkah, and tahini labneh. Add kicky cocktails, plus a particularly adroit way with crafting booze-free bevvies, and youâve got a go-to people pleaser you wonât want to keep to yourself.
106 Penhallow St., Portsmouth, 603-319-8178, moxyrestaurant.com
Photo by Ore Nellâs BBQ via Yelp.
Okay, weâre cheating just a bit here: Plopped right on the other side of a borderline-spanning drawbridge, Ore Nellâs is technically in Kittery, Maine. Technicalities. The point is, if youâre hankering for âcue, itâs hard to imagine doing better than this standout from pitmaster Will Myska, a Texas native. He gives us Yankees all the good stuff: trays of brisket, pulled pork, and St. Louis-style ribs; starters and sides, including a loaded deep-fried baked potato, as well as chicken wings slathered in Alabama-style white BBQ sauce; and superb sweets like honey-drizzled âState Fairâ funnel cake and signature banana pudding. The real state weâre in: Bliss.
2 Badgers Island West, Kittery, 207-703-2340, orenellsbbq.com.
Vida Cantina chef David Vargas. / Courtesy photo
Though most of these restaurants are in Portsmouthâs quaint downtown, itâs worth wandering just a bit afield to get to Vida Cantina. Weâve already dubbed it a dining destination, and for good reason: James Beard-nominated chef David Vargasâs Mexican eats are among the best in the northeast, and covers all the bases, from tortas to tacos to enchiladas. The crowning achievement, though, might be the confit pig head platter served with a salsa flight (thereâs also 40-plus tequilas, if you want to try a few of those). Is the place housed in a former strip-mall Friendlyâs? Sure, but the James Beard awards didnât care when they named Vargas a semi-finalist, and neither do we.
2456 Lafayette Road, Portsmouth, 603-501-0648, vidacantinanh.com.
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