Restaurant Week-Portsmouth

November 8th-15th 2009
www.restaurantweekportsmouth.com

It's back and it's great! Take advantage of it!
Featuring special 3-course prix fixe menus: lunch $16.95 per person, dinner $29.95 per person (does not include beverages, taxes or gratuity) at participating restaurants throughout Portsmouth and the Seacoast. Restaurant Week Portsmouth is a bi-annual culinary event which spotlights Greater Portsmouth as a culinary and cultural destination. Wine & dine, shop & gallery hop, visit the theatre, and make it a getaway. Area hotels and inns offer special rates & packages during the event.
*Please note: Restaurants will not accept discount cards or other offers during Restaurant Week. Reservations highly recommended - diners must contact the individual restaurant(s) of their choice.

Ron's Landing, Hampton, N.H.

379 Ocean Blvd

Hampton, N.H.

http://www.ronslanding.com/

Open year round, Wednesday through Sundays from 4pm to close, Ron's Landing has some nice ocean front dining options. If you're going for a relaxed setting for dinner along Route 1A with ocean views, the menu options here at Ron's Landing are a good bang for your buck. Honestly, I have never had dinner here in the downstairs dinning room or the upstairs dinning area along the windows that overlook the North Beach, but I have been many times to have dinner in the upstairs lounge. I enjoy that in addition to the regular dinner menu options, if you get a table in the lounge, they also have a GREAT selection on their pub menu. Ron's also has a lighter fare menu with excellent meal choices on it. The prices are lower and the portions are still large and that is what I think a lot of us are looking for these days, good food at good prices and the pub menu and lighter fare menu at Ron's Landing provides that. There is live entertainment on Friday and Sunday evenings in the lounge. Usually it's a one or two man band that squishes into the corner of the bar area, but the music is good and the bar is often filled with locals. The have an extensive wine list, but I often just opt for the house Cabernet which is Sycamore Lane and only $5.95 a glass. The food has been consistently good (with one exception of a mishap my father had with a fried haddock sandwich and a piece of metal that broke off the fryer basket, but that was taken care of). The service however on occasion has been less than desirable. The bartenders work the tables in the lounge for the most part and are friendly and on top of things which makes for a a nice and relaxing evening. It can get pretty busy in the lounge, so you might have to wait a bit to score a high table or a few seats at the bar, but it's worth the short wait. I sometimes order for dinner off of the appetizer menu, the Sea Scallops wrapped in bacon served with sweet pepper soy dipping sauce $(11.95). It's that sweet pepper soy dipping sauce that separates these treats from the sea from ones I have had at other restaurants. The sauce brings a new taste that is well matched to the scallops. Off of the pub menu, I like the Bistro Burger ($9.95) which is an 8 oz Angus sirloin burger served with fries and a pickle, the Chicken Parmesan ($12.95) is worth every penny. You get a large, juicy chicken cutlet that is pan fried and topped with marinara, Mozzarella and Parmesan cheese and served on a mound of Cavatappi pasta. I don't think I have ever been able to finish the whole portion, but a few of my guy friends sure can. The last two dishes I wanted to mention are on the Lighter Fare menu and they are the Toasted Almond Salmon ($15.95) served with Hoisin glaze, over a Frangelico cream with sliced apple and toasted almonds, accompanied by house blended rice (but I hate that the rice is in a mold shape, it just doesn't look right served like that). Lastly, my favorite dish here at Ron's Landing is the Chicken Fontinella ($13.95), a sautéed chicken breast with prosciutto, sun-dried tomatoes, artichoke hearts and spinach, tossed with fresh egg fettuccine, finished with fontina cheese and a balsamic reduction. I love, love, love this dish (picture shown). Each time I have had it, it has been cooked perfectly and the fresh egg fettuccine is very good.

Maine Oyster Festival in York Cancelled for 2009

For those seacoast supporters who were wondering if it was or wasn't going to happen this year, I'm sorry to say we are going without the Oyster Fest this year. I'm quoting below what was posted on the York Lobster and Seafood BLOG:
"The decision has been made to cancel this year's Oyster Fest. While we all had a great time during the first 2 years, this year has seen hard times for Maine Oyster Growers. With all the rain we had this spring, the harvest in Maine was shut down for almost two months. The economic impact this had on the local growers was significant. We felt it would be an added stress on these growers to donate quantities of oysters to the event this year. "
For my fellow oyster lovers, we will just have to get out there and support all our hot spots that are serving up the local farms oysters and enjoy what we can while we can!

La Chiquita Mexican Restaurant & Cantina-Salisbury, MA

188 Lafayett Rd (Route 1)

Salisbury, MA

http://www.lachiquitas.com/

I think I have driven by La Chiquita Restaurant & Cantina at least fifty times in the past year and a half it has been located on Rt 1 in Salisbury, MA. Never would I have known about this diamond in the rough if not for a tip from a friend to give it a try.

Family owned and operated, Ricardo (O.K, Richard) will welcome you as a part of his family and bring the true, traditional, authentic flavors of Mexico. Sure, the building is nothing special and the decor is far from fancy, but take my word for it friends, the Mexican food served up here daily will blow you away. Open 7 days a week, serving a FULL menu until 1am (yup, 1am), you just have to give it a try. The Cantina offers you over 200 different types of Tequila (see picture of Ricardo in front of the Tequila wall) and they don't mess around with their Margarita mix here either. It's made right in house in the traditional Mexico style. I had the opportunity to attend one of Ricardo's Tequila 101 dinners which are now being offered every Monday night at 7pm. For only $29.95, you can learn all about Tequila, sample 3 different types hand picked by Ricardo, have dinner AND enjoy a house margarita with your choice of one of the three Tequilas you sampled. I learned about the 5 points of Tequila, why some leave me with huge headaches the next day and why some do not.

The food is amazing. The flavors bold and fresh. Everything is house made from the chips and salsa served up at 3 different heat levels, to the tortillas and the cactus salad. As part of my dinner, I chose the El Indio dinner combination plate ($12.99 on the menu). It included a huge side cactus salad (a cold pear cactus salad with fresh tomato, onion, cilantro, lime juice) and a chicken tamale. One bite of my tamale and I knew immediately I will be a new regular here. It was better than the tamale I enjoyed while visiting my friend Amy in San Diego who took me to a farmers market. I don't think there wasn't a clean plate in my group at the end of our meal. Two fellow diners had the Zapatas combination plate ($11.99) and they both inhaled the chile relleno (a battered cheese stuffed poblano pepper) that came along side a beef or chicken burrito. Another diner in the group went for the La Suiza ($10.99) which has 3 enchiladas, one chicken, one cheese and one beef served up with green and red sauce. All the combination plates are served with rice and beans. At the end of the Tequila 101 lesson and meal, we enjoyed our margaritas and it was seriously one of the best margaritas I have ever had.

In addition to the Monday night Tequila 101 dinners there is different entertainment nightly including Latin dance lessons on Tuesdays. If you go and have to drag a friend or two that aren't big fans of Mexican food, don't worry, they also have nightly American dinner specials and the Wednesday night all you can eat BBQ for only $10.00 is hard to beat. He even will host this by request for a larger group or gathering on the weekends if you call and ask him to. There is also a 2000 square foot patio off the back that is great in the summer. You can even play KENO while you dine if you want to. I have a friend Kristin that I think is a closet junky for that game. All football season you can watch the Patriots games and every time the Pats score a touchdown, they serve everyone a Mystery Margarita shot. What is it you ask? Well, any tequila bottles that have 2 ounces or less at the end of the night Ricardo pours into one large container, mixes it up with the house margarita mix and you have the next days Mystery Margarita (color and taste changes daily and it is on the Margarita menu for $7.50). All the Margaritas are 16 oz servings too and you don't see that often around these parts with the short pours. Every Thursday night during the month of October, Ricardo is running the Rocky Horror picture show at 10pm and in January there will be Mexican cooking classes offered. The next time you want authentic, good, homemade Mexican food, make the trip to Salisbury, MA and tell Ricardo your friend the Seacoast blogger sent you.

Anneke Jans- Kittery, Maine

60 Wallingford Square- http://www.annekejans.net/

Open all week from 5pm to close.

Downtown Kittery is often missed. Most people who travel into the area, scoot right up to the outlets and never really find themselves in the small, quaint heart of downtown Kittery. That's a shame really since perfectly placed on the corner, there is a wonderful little restaurant very well known to the locals called Anneke Jans. Owned by Donna Ryan and Andy Livingston this bistro style joint fills up fast and rightly so. Chef Charles Cicero offers ups some wonderfully creative dishes on the menu that change often and are full of flavor. The decor is simple with dark color schemes that give off a very seacoast New England vibe. The bar and dinning areas of the restaurant are both small so I highly suggest reservations or be prepared to wait a while for a seat.

I enjoy starting off my my meal with a glass of wine from their large and well rounded wine list while I eagerly wait for a dozen or so of the raw oysters (the last time I visited, it was the little Pemaquids) served with Bloody Mary & Preserved Lemon Mignonette (love, love, love the Preserved Lemon Mignonette!).

I will share with you my top 3 dishes here although it's a tough decision to blog only 3 and they will surely change as the menu does! The Seared Duck Breast with a blueberry glaze served with wild rice pancake and grilled asparagus for $27. the duck is moist, the glaze enhances the rich fatty flavor of the duck and the wild rice pancake I think is a nice change to have for a starch. The Roasted Half Chicken served with polenta and a mushroom ragoût for $19 is well worth it and delicious! I know, most will tell you when you dine out, don't be boring and get chicken, but this bird at Anneke Jans is worth being the "boring one". My favorite dish here hands down, so far is the sunflower seed encrusted Sea Scallops with a sunchoke puree, edamame cipollini and a light lemon cream for $27. The last time I dined here, I agreed to spilt my scallop dish with one of my dinning companions who had the sirloin strip and although the sirloin was very good, I was sad for having to agreed with the meal trade. ha ha ha.

Whether you find yourself around Kittery for the shopping or just by chance your cruising around the coastline, I definitely think that you should venture into Anneke Jans and see for yourself what the happy, full gathering of the locals is all about.

Fat Belly's- 2 Bow St., Portsmouth NH

Fat Belly's has made this one very easy for me to add to my reviews. Don't waste your time or money here unless you are just having a few beers. Move right on down the road to the plethora of other, better restaurants that Portsmouth has to offer.

The Tavern at River's Edge- Exeter, NH

Located below street level at 163 Water St. in downtown Exeter, The Tavern at River's Edge has a great menu to offer you in a casual dining setting. I have been a regular diner for a number of years and often opt to sit in the bar area where you can order off their lighter fare menu or their full dinner menu. I also like that a glass of their house Cabernet (Sycamore Lane) is only $5 a glass. I have yet to have a disappointing meal here and have almost always enjoyed the service. I'm a big fan of their Tavern Wings which are deep fried, then baked and you can have them finished either with spicy hot barbecue or sesame soy sauce ($9). I also like the blackened haddock sandwich- a decent sized pan seared creole filet of haddock topped with optional red pepper mayonnaise and french fries ($8). It's served on a big soft bulky roll and can really hit the spot. Their hamburger is average, but I have yet to find one that isn't on the Seacoast. Off of their full dinner menu, they really have a nice variety of meal options to choose from. When I in the mood for a little more than the lighter fare options, there are two dishes here that I usually go back and forth on. The Chicken Frangelico is a large serving of nut encrusted breast of chicken pan seared topped with a Frangelico cream sauce and finished with long grain wild rice and roasted vegetables ($18). I really like the Frangelico cream sauce (but who wouldn't?) and I find for the price, the portion is well worth it. My other favorite here is the Vegetable Lasagna. You can order a smaller portion of this delish dish for $12 or you can get the full diner portion for $16. I like to find restaurants that offer you the small meal options since I enjoy an appetizer before dinner I rarely can enjoy a large dinner out. The lasagna has roasted eggplant, hot house tomatoes, button mushrooms, onions and spinach layered with mozzarella and ricotta cheese with a smoked tomato cream. Here again (like the Chicken Frangelico), the sauce really makes the dish special and different. It has a very rich flavor that really takes the lasagna to a higher level than one that you would have just with regular tomato sauce. The chef here does change a few items every couple of months which is always nice, but he knows well enough to keep a few of the popular "staples" on the menu. The bar area is small, but the restaurant dining room is much larger. I really like the location of this place too, it's like by walking downstairs, below street level, you're a part of some secret or something. I don't know that might sound silly, but I think it's an Exeter town secret worth sharing.

Ron Jillian's- Hampton, N.H.

Ron Jillian's is a small, well known, casual Italian restaurant located along Route 1 in Hampton, N.H.. There is limited seating as well as limited parking so if you are heading in on a weekend evening, be prepared to wait. Half the restaurant is a small bar area that fills quickly with the locals. The food here is flavorful and the service for the most part is friendly and helpful. There is nothing fancy about the decor and when it's busy it can get really loud, which to me is always a good sign of people dining out and enjoying themselves.

****Update 11.9.09- I don't know what has been going on at RJs the past 6 months or so, but I have seen a decline in the quality of food served as well as the odds on getting good service. A new chef perhaps? I am curious to see if this downward slide continues or if they get their act together. I recently had the Lobster Mac n Cheese and it just wasn't as good as it was. Very disappointing.******

We started our meal with an order of the Bianco Sauteed Mussels ($9.95). They are a heaping mound of fresh PEI Mussels sauteed in garlic, white wine and herbs. I really enjoy them, but I think they can pull back a bit on the garlic. I was paranoid the rest of the evening with my killer garlic breath! For dinner we enjoyed their Eggplant Parmigiana ($13.95) and their Chicken Parmigiana ($14.95). The portions here are no joke! You will almost always have enough leftovers for another meal and you will see many people leaving the restaurant with their little bag or two of leftovers. Each entree here comes with your choice of soup or salad and these days, not having that a la carte is very much appreciated. Ron Jillian's offers a good selection of daily specials and menu options that expend beyond Italian and their brick oven pizzas. On this visit, they had a broiled haddock special that looked delicious. My absolute favorite meal here is served as a special on Sundays (although I did luck out once and they had it on a week night!) and it's their Lobster Macaroni and Cheese ($18.95). I love this dish. You get a huge portion of this rich, cheesy special that has big pieces of fresh lobster meat throughout. They don't skimp on the lobster meat at all! I say give Ron Jillian's a try and if you can manage, make it there on a Sunday for the Lobster Mac n Cheese.

Las Olas Taqueria

30 Portsmouth Ave.
Exeter, N.H.

I have become quite a fan of Las Olas Taqueria's "Clean Wave of Eating". Opened by Matt Burke in January 2008, this little joint has fresh Mexican food with a great taste and quite the local following. The restaurant is set up cafeteria style and your meal items are made to order right in front of you as you slide down the line. The service has been consistently fast, neat and friendly. The decor is vibrant and gives you a bit of a tropical feeling. It's a place that you might expect to come across in South Beach, FL, but is a welcomed surprise in Exeter, N.H.. All the ingredients according to Matt are prepared fresh daily and he tries to incorporate local meats into the menu where possible. It's opened daily for lunch and dinner and the prices are right for families to feel good about going and not breaking the bank. If you are in the Exeter area, it's definitely worth checking out. I find the portions to be more than enough and my favorite dish is their Vegetarian Burrito with black beans ($5.90). They also serve up salads, tacos, quesadillas, bowl meals and have specials posted on a regular basis. Sometimes I will treat myself to an order of their fried plantains which are often available as a side dish. I wish I could find these more readily available on the Seacoast, they are one of my favorite treats! The food is simple and fresh, making it very easy to be consistently a good restaurant to visit for lunch or dinner. Just look for the Palm Tree sign at the end of 108 and I hope that you enjoy this little Mexican oasis as much as my friends and I do.

Wentworth Hotel-Bubbles & Jazz Sunday Brunch

The Sunday Brunch at the Wentworth Marriott Hotel in Newcastle, N.H. is THE BEST available on the Seacoast. It will set you back about $40 per person, but it is sooooo worth it. They have a jazz duo that plays each afternoon while the brunch is served from 10am to 2pm. The price of the Brunch includes all you can drink Mimosa's and/or Champagne. The buffet spread includes breakfast pastries, rolls, a cold plate station which has salad options, shrimp and oysters on the half shell, soup, an omelet/egg station, several hot lunch entree selections as well as breakfast choices that include meats and sometimes stuffed french toast or banana fritters, a carving station (usually 2 choices), Chef Jon is usually manning the hot interactive cooking station and always has something really delicious for you to try (from Lobster Raviolis to Mahi-Mahi with a pineapple chutney)! I can't leave out the dessert table which always has tasty little treats to choose from (I'm a huge fan of the chocolate covered strawberries which seem to be a staple thank goodness!) and the portions are small almost bite size on most so you don't feel bad trying a couple different sweets!

I have been attending the Sunday Brunch at the Wentworth for a number of years and although I have checked out alternatives to compare it to, there just hasn't been anything that has beat this one. I have been to several that are menu Brunches, but I think those those lack the luster that a well put together buffet brunch offers. I have also attended the Wentworth for a number of holiday brunches over the years (instead of cooking at home with a small family) and they go all out with the decorations and the food selections. The staff is attentive and very friendly, the spacious ball room is always beautifully decorated and the jazz music sets the tone for a leisure afternoon well spent in the company of friends and or family. Since this best brunch on the N.H. Seacoast is at a hotel, I like that you can feel relaxed enough to either dress up a little or go casual and comfortable. If you feel you need to take a nice walk after your brunch, feel free to walk the grounds of the hotel. There is a nice walkway that goes around the front side of the property as well as the docks that you can stroll in season while checking out the yachts that are in.

I have never been disappointed in the service or the wonderful selection of food that tempts me at the Wentworth Brunch and if you plan on making a reservation to check it out yourself, make sure you say hello to Chef Jon for me!

ZAMPA- Epping, NH

www.Zampa.com
The interesting thing about Zampa I think is you don't really expect it. Not where it is, or what it looks like from the outside. When I first dined at Zampa a few years back, it was like I discovered something that only a few people in the know knew about. The menu does change (although it keeps a few staple dishes) and is created by chef and owner Julie Di Tursi and the Sous Chef, Alex Thomas. They try to use mostly local products and organically fed and sustainably raised meats, fish and dairy. I have dined here for several years and I have only been disappointed once in my experiences and it just so happened to be this latest visit to Zampa that was the disappointment. It happens, you can't win them all right?
We sat at one of the high tables next to the bar for dinner. I ordered a glass of Vina Los Robles Pinot Nior ( I know, ME ordered RED wine, unheard of!). The bar at Zampa is cute and seats only 6. Most that take a seat at it are waiting for a table. The restaurant is small and cozy. It is decorated simply with red walls, green trim and the tables are sparse and have tiled tabletops.
Instead of serving a bread basket, here at Zampa they serve a stash of bread sticks with a chipolte aioli. It's a nice change of pace I think. The food here is all cooked to order so before you go, know that you shouldn't be in a rush. I started off with The Roasted Beet Salad ($7.95) which is baby greens, roasted beets, grilled onion, blue cheese, toasted hazelnuts and has a sweet ginger vinaigrette. the salad is BIG so worth the almost $8 i think. The toasted hazelnuts was a nice change too from candied pecans which most restaurants serve. My dining partner ordered the Lavender Honey Spare Ribs ($8.95). These baby back pork ribs with a rosemary-lavender honey glaze are really tasty. Another good appetizer is their Arancina ($7.95). Tonight I ventured off of the menu and went with a Special dish, the Salmon Wellington ($19.95). It was a large serving of Atlantic Salmon with dill and mushrooms wrapped in a puff pastry served with mashed potatoes and a creamed cabbage. It was...Eh. My expectation was high and not met. It was a little too fishy tasting and I thought the salmon could have been wrapped with some more flavor than what it had. I was a little bummed. It seriously was the first time I have been to Zampa and was disappointed. My date had their homemade veggie burger ($8.95) and although it is small (so don't go thinking a regular burger, think more of a slightly large slider), I order it from time to time because I really like the flavor. Its a homemade patty of roasted mushrooms, seasonal veggies and is served with a scallion aioli. Other current menu selections that I can say I have had and enjoyed are their Eggplant Parmesan ($16.95), homemade Fettuccine & meatballs (15.95) and teh Half Roasted Chicken ($18.95).
Our server Sarah was a little off this time, but maybe it was because she assumed a slow night and it became quite busy, quite fast.
Since Zampa is a small restaurant, I highly recommend you call for reservations Thurs, Fri and Sat nights. You should be fine walking in earlier in the week. Although, this last visit was "ho-hum" I won't give up on Zampa and I invite you to try it for yourself and see what you think.

Black Trumpet Bistro

http://www.blacktrumpetbistro.com/

29 Ceres St.

Portsmouth, NH

Owned since March 2007 by Chef Evan Mellett and his wife Denise, the Black Trumpet is a hidden gem on Ceres St. in Portsmouth.

Taking advantage of available seating in the upstairs wine bar, I was excited about dining at the Black Trumpet. We were greeted immediately and our waitress promptly arrived at our table with our menus and the extensive wine list. Shocker, I ordered a glass of Cabernet and my friend Kristin enjoyed a glass of pinot grigio while we read over the menu. I decided to mix it up a bit tonight and started off with an order of their Stuffed Grape Leaves with pomegranate youhurt ($6). Kristin decided she was going to go for that too. We really enjoyed these flavorful little dishes! The pomegranate youhurt served with them was a unique and different flavor combination, but really enjoyable. Very creative and full of flavor. Next, I went with the Chef’s Meze Plate: a daily assortment of three little dishes in one ($13). Tonight's meze plate consisted of veal saltimbocca, a bamboo rice encrusted sea scallop and a puree of white beans, with garlic and ginger. I thought the large sea scallop was perfectly prepared, the veal saltimbocca was also perfectly cooked and had a wonderful richness to it. I wasn't a big fan of the white bean puree though. It was bland (even though you could definitely taste the ginger) and lacked that extra zing. We finished off our food adventure at the Black Trumpet with their Cheese plate of: Pont l’Évêque – France – Pasteurized cow’s milk, ripe and fragrant, supple and creamy. Paired with Meyer lemon pomegranate syrup. ($11) it was accompanied with sliced crostinis. I am a huge cheese fan (cheese, wine and chocolate, anytime, anywhere!) and love to have the opportunity to try new cheeses while dining out. I like how theirs is served on a slate cheese board with the cheese name written across it in chalk. This was for me the perfect way to finish our meal. Although we glanced at the dessert menu and it all sounded great, we were full and ready to head back out for some more Christmas shopping in downtown. I will have to remember to save room next visit for some dessert. Here is where I need to mention my friend Kristin's love of the fresh Artisan Breads that the Black Trumpet serves. She also wants me to say that they are not stingy with serving it and even giving you more when you finish the first batch. The butter was blended with black sesame seeds and herbs and had a really nice rich flavor to it. Kristin was a crazy person eating the bread, but she didn't care and made mention she will go back just for more! ha ha ha! Our waitress was friendly and really knew the menu well, the overall service with everyone making sure your water glasses stayed full and you were being taken care of was great. It's nice to be able to get out somewhere and really enjoy the food, the atmosphere and the service. The restaurant location has a great feel of history to it and is decorated simply with warm colors and low lighting. I think the wine bar is great to go with friends and the seating in the dining room downstairs screams GREAT DATE place! I strongly recommend you call for reservations since seating is limited. We were winging it and lucked out with getting a table in the wine bar quickly when we arrived. Everything is made in house and they strive to use local, fresh ingredients.

I would like to note that the Black Trumpet is currently offering a Stimulus Package Sunday-Thursday nights. For only $19 you will have an opportunity to enjoy a 3 course meal consisting of a soup or salad, a light entree or open faced sandwich and a dessert. The menu will change often so I definitely think you should give it a try at such a great price!