Rudi's Portsmouth

20 High St

Portsmouth, NH

http://www.rudisportsmouth.com/

Open Daily Lunch & Dinner
11:30 a.m. - close (Late Night: Bar/ Lounge)

Rudi's Portsmouth is a tucked away neighborhood gem. The atmosphere inside has an old town feel to it and has a great little piano bar lounge that I often will start a relaxing weekend at with friends and listen to the live music (which they have 5 days a week). The menu features dishes that use local farm ingredients and is varied enough that I'm sure you will be able to find a few that tempt your taste buds. I have 2 favorite dishes at Rudi's Portsmouth, my top choice is the Sesame Encrusted Atlantic Salmon ($25). It has a homemade teriyaki glaze, Napa cabbage salad, pickled cucumber slaw and served on a bed of basmati rice. I think it is one of the best salmon dishes served up in the area. My second favorite dish is the Fresh Lobster Ravioli ($28). It is served with sauteed leeks, roasted grape tomatoes and a fresh basil chiffonade in a white butter truffle butter. I have also indulged a few times and have had the Grilled New Zealand Lamb Rack ($28). Served with a cranberry-mint demi glaze, roasted garlic mashed potatoes and sauteed spinach. I usually request the basmati rice as my starch instead of the mashed potatoes, but either accompanies the lamb very well. Wow, just typing these dishes makes my mouth start to water. Rudi's Portsmouth has strong roots in Portsmouth and is one of the locals favorite restaurants. They have a wonderful Sunday Jazz Brunch menu offered weekly from 11am -3pm. Upon all of my visits here, the service has been courteous and prompt and always helpful with any special food requests or recommendations from the menu. I also want to mention it's one of the few Portsmouth restaurants that actually has their own parking area too which is very convenient. Rudi's Portsmouth is also a FIRA member which if you haven't taken advantage of joining, I would check it out at http://www.localflavor.org/ for more details. If you haven't had the opportunity to visit Rudi's Portsmouth for dinner yet, I invite you to give it a try and just relax and enjoy.

4th Annual Portsmouth, NH Cocktail Competition

http://www.portsmouthcocktail.com/

The 4th Annual Portsmouth Cocktail Competition is to be held on Sunday, June 6, 2010. Starting at the Portsmouth Gas Light Co. restaurant and wrap-up party at Ri Ra Irish Pub. Tickets cost $30 in advance and $40 at the door. Tickets include cocktail samplings at 9 downtown Portsmouth restaurants, Souvenir Shot Glass, Event Map and entry into the Wrap Up Party with LIVE music by the band FLUSH and LIVE broadcast by WXGR 101.5 FM. New this year, get Poked by Poken Social Business Card! Poke new friends by simply putting your "poken" cards together when you meet someone at the event. Your information is digitally exchanged and stored on the USB device and ready for download to your computer. Participating locations this year include the Portsmouth Gas Light Co., Dolphin Striker, Riverhouse, TJ's, Hilton Garden Inn, Rudi's, The Page, Sake and Ri Ra Irish Pub. This is a really enjoyable event that you can take part in and vote for which restaurant takes home the title of "Best Signature Cocktail of Portsmouth"!

Maxwell's Pub- Ogunquit, Maine

243 Main St

Located right smack downtown in Ogunquit, ME, Maxwell's has prime real estate for a great restaurant...too bad it isn't one. I wanted to get this up on the blog because I know so many people will be traveling through Ogunquit this summer and I wanted to let you know that if your looking for a good casual restaurant to grab a decent bite, this is NOT where you want to stop. Sure, it's as good as any other bar for a drink and gets quite the crowd on weekend nights for libations, but you can't really mess up a beer. There are several fine establishments around Maxwell's that have good food at good prices that I would recommend you try instead while visiting this quaint little seacoast town.

Bonta- Hampton, N.H.

http://www.bonta.net/
A beautiful Italian restaurant & bar located at 287 Exeter Road in Hampton, NH, right off Exit 13 on 101 serves up some outstanding regional Italian and Mediterranean dishes. The decor is simple, warm and elegant, with a country Italian feel. Well known for their fresh, flavorful food and their cozy, upscale bar, I have yet to be disappointed in my dining experiences at Bonta.
Off of their Appetizers menu, I have enjoyed their rich Tuscan White Bean soup ($8) and their Mussels Fra Diavolo ($11) which does have a bit of a kick. They offer quite a few dinner selections and also a daily specials menu. I like that with their main pasta dishes, you can have either a full order or opt for a smaller portion at a lower price. The smaller portions of pasta are perfect if you are in the mood for either an appetizer or saving room for one of their desserts or both!
For a main dish, I recommend the Tagliatelle alla Bolognese ($12/$23) that is made with fresh, homemade pasta which always makes a big difference in taste when dining out for an Italian meal. If you aren't in the mood for pasta, I recommend their Tuscan Chicken under a Brick ($25) served with a creamy Gorgonzola risotto, broccoli rabe and a house-made gravy. The chicken is juicy and tender, and consistently cooked perfectly. During my visits at Bonta, the waitstaff has been very friendly, attentive and willing to make menu suggestions if you are having a hard time deciding what to enjoy. It’s also worth mentioning that Bonta has an outstanding wine menu that has been the recipient of the Wine Spectators’ “Award of Excellence” for outstanding wine selections for the last eight years. The staff has been very knowledgeable and helpful with pairing recommendations. I love my vino and it's nice to indulge in one or two wines that I haven't explored. The Mahogany Bar at Bonta is well known with the locals. It's small and comfortable and I have enjoyed the service by bar manager Al who has been at Bonta since it opened. He has a great smile, is always friendly and on top of his game. The Bar menu is quite wonderful and has small plate options, sandwiches and also some great signature Artisan flat breads. From the bar menu, I am a big fan of their Margherita flat bread ($9) that has house made tomato sauce, fresh Mozzarella cheese and basil and also the Chicken Picatta dish ($11) with sauteed chicken, lemons, capers, white wine, stewed tomatoes served over Gemelli pasta.
You don't have to spend a lot of money to enjoy a really nice evening out at Bonta and if at all possible, try to save room for dessert. It's actually one of my favorite dessert menus on the Seacoast.
MANGA! MANGA!

Restaurant Week Portsmouth: March 26th - April 3rd, 2010

www.PortsmouthChamber.org/Restaurantweek.cfm

It's that time of year again my fellow foodies! The Portsmouth, N.H. Chamber of Commerce proudly puts on this bi-annual culinary event and this time around it has over 30 restaurants participating in it from around the Seacoast! It's nice to see some new additions taking part this year.
Portsmouth Restaurant Week is a great opportunity to dine out at some of the restaurants you either haven't been able to try yet or have been wanting to, but may be out of your budget range. The restaurants will be featuring a 3 course prix fixe dinner menu for $29.95 per person and some of the restaurants also will be featuring a 3 course lunch prix fixe menu for $16.95 per person. The Portsmouth chamber website will have the menus posted as soon as they become available so that you can see which ones where sound the most delicious to you.
I love this event and I think it is especially welcomed in times like today where the economy is "not so hot". Reservations are HIGHLY recommended and there are also many area hotels and inns offering special rates and packages during this event.
I hope you are able to make it to one or two and that you enjoy your time spent here on the Seacoast. See you around town!