Blue Mermaid

First stop on our trip to the Northeast. Lots of inside seating, great selection of food and beers. Service was decent, known more for their food than their drinks. Tributary Brewing was located right next door, so a bonus for us. Food was worth the stop.

The only other place worth visiting in Portsmouth after Portsmouth Brewery. This is a restaurant, not a restaurant-pub. This is not a place you can go for a few pints and a snack. You go there for a nice meal. The beer geek will find something interesting among the 8 taps or so. When I was there they had Moat Mountain line, Smuttynose, Long Trail, etc. Food is a bit pricy compared to pub food but this is unfair comparison because this is not a pub, this is a fine cuisine restaurant that happens to have a decent tap selection. Food is creative “Island” cuisine (for lack of a better description) but you can order a steak if you don’t feel adventurous. Expect $30 to $40 per person just for food if you want a full course. Funny enough I don’t think most of the food pairs well with beer. Not a place for a bunch of beer geeks wanting to have a good time but this is definitely the place to go for the beer geek travelling the with significant other.

Nice restaurant in the heart of Portsmouth. Interesting menu specializing in Caribbean food and wood fired selections. Service was about average and the prices were about average. Beer selection was decent for a restaurant. Mostly local stuff, Moat Mountain, Shipyard, Harpoon, Grittys and Long Trail. Also, some bottled Belgians. I didn’t care much for my meal, but that does not reflect on them. I was trying to be brave and order outside my comfort zone and I just didn’t care for what I choose.

Upscale Caribbean-style seafood place in downtown that specializes in wood-fire grilled fresh seafood, homemade spicy sauces, plantains, sweet potatoes and the like. Excellent food that was a bit pricey, but this is in a nice downtown resort area and when compared to the rest of the places around there it’s in-line. Good beer selection with about a dozen local-regionals on tap and another dozen or so bottles that included some Belgians. Friendly staff who actually know a little about the beer.

A great place for lovers of seafood and electic fair including blending carribean,asian, and cajun tastes to name a few. Food is the attraction here and is always top notch and is not overpriced regardless of what others have said.Beer selection here is limited, they don’t try to stock everything, but what they do is usually well rounded and pairs well. They typically offer NH products like Moat Mountain and even imports like Unibroue.

I honestly didn’t eat much of the food because it was too damn expensive, but what I did eat was very good. Unfortunately, I went in the place based on the lunch menu which looked somewhat affordable, but got the dinner menu which was ridiculously expensive and very limited. The service was fairly good, but there just aren’t that meny beers there. Maybe my southern tastes are cheaper than most people, but I would have expected to find something to eat other than an tiny appetizer under or around 10$.

Too bad this condo rise is being built right in front of it as its facade is now hidden from view. We sat in the second floor dining room, and were treated to a dinner which we will remember for a long time. First off, they have local beers on tap, I chose Moat Mountain’s Stout. I never thought I’d see this brewpub’s beers anywhere else than the brewpub itself, which shows how far they’ll go to get something interesting and regional. Other beers on tap were also interesting, a Smuttynose seasonal, Buzzard’s Bay, etc. But the food is the real highlight of this restaurant (duh!). The menu is creative, electic, and ingredients are very carefully chosen. My wife and I had two mesmerizing plates, both unique and full of details up to the tiniest bite. I’d never had so much fun tasting side vegetables. Flavors melding perfectly with each other, a harmonious union of delicate class. All for under 20$ an entree. Healthy and very tasteful, the chef is doing wonders here, and I will be back next time I’m in the area for sure. Bravo!