I'm not a big fan of fish, sorry:
"Chefs cooking up a food revolution in Portsmouth, N.H." by Taryn Luna, Globe Correspondent March 26, 2015
PORTSMOUTH, N.H. — It’s a rainy Saturday night and there’s an hour and forty-five minute wait for a table at Moxy, a bustling American tapas restaurant known for its goat meatballs, short-rib marmalade, and other creative small plates.
You could get on the list for a seat at the packed bar. But that’s an hour wait.
If Portland, Maine, was the new Boston when it came to New England’s next burgeoning gastro scene, then Portsmouth is the next Portland, a small city hungering to enhance its renaissance through top-tier, farm-to-table dishes such as cornmeal crusted skate wing tacos served recently.
Locals and visiting diners crowd into Moxy because they have heard of chef Matt Louis. Louis is part of a tight-knit group of local chefs feeding the area’s surge in prestige. Now the small port city is attracting big-city restaurateurs who see an opportunity for Portsmouth to emerge on the New England culinary map as a major dining destination half way between Boston and Portland.
“I can easily envision it becoming a necessary stop for anybody who’s into food,” said Garrett Harker, the Boston restaurateur behind Eastern Standard, Island Creek Oyster Bar, and Row 34. “Up in Portland, the food scene just caught some people by surprise. Portsmouth feels similar. There’s Boston-level talent happening up here.”
You know, I'm not really into food and I imagine all the starving and hungering people in this country feel the same.
Look, it's a paper of and for the Bo$ton elite by those happy to be included in the fun. I recogni$e that; I hope you can understand why I discarded it without eating any more.
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The potential economic impact of a vibrant restaurant scene is on full display in Portland, said Chris Hall, chief executive of the Portland Regional Chamber of Commerce. Now Fore Street, Central Provisions, and Street & Co. are regarded as among New England’s best.
Portland’s restaurant scene has boosted the local economy, added jobs, and helped increase tourist spending in the city, Hall said.
“It creates a cultural vibrancy that attracts people from all over the world and all different parts of life,” he said.
Mayor Robert Lister of Portsmouth hopes to see the same impact. “We’re pleased with anything that will help the economy,” he said.
Portsmouth’s culinary reputation has been held back by the food business facts of life in a seasonal tourist town. Many established restaurants play it safe by serving fried fish and lobster rolls visitors want three months a year.
But the local culinary movement didn’t happen by chance.
It wasn't by chance that I posted this today. I'm getting rid of some Thursday leftovers.
Despite all the recognition, critics and chefs agree Portsmouth still isn’t quite a fine-dining mecca.
Even after this front-page public relations piece?
They say more restaurateurs like Boston’s Harker will have to notice Portsmouth before the scene really takes off....
C'mon, readers, let's go.
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Damn. Didn't leave a tip.
Maybe Massachusetts could train-track some water out there? Got six years worth of it.
UPDATE: Regulators say several critical fish species have rebounded
