new restaurants and owners flood Portsmouth

Last year, downtown Portsmouth saw the opening of new restaurants like Rudi’s Portsmouth, Black Trumpet Bistro and Brazo, which settled into the former locations of The Metro, Lindbergh’s Crossing and 43 Degrees North, respectively. Spring 2008 brings a new batch of fresh changes to the Port City’s dining scene. When restaurateur Jay McSharry, who still owns Jumpin’ Jay’s Fish Café, The Red Door and Dos Amigos Burritos, sold The Dunaway Restaurant late last month, it was the latest in a spree of dining developments to hit downtown. New enterprises are quickly filling the spaces recently vacated by Isis, The Mustard Seed, AK’s and Gepetto’s, offering a variety of new lunch and dinner options. Most of these businesses should be up and running by late spring, diversifying the city’s restaurant population in time for summer. What follows is a roundup of the latest restaurant happenings in Portsmouth. Bon appetit.

The Dunaway Restaurant
66 Marcy St., 603-373-6112

Ray Guerin and Peter Dizoglio are already well known figures in Portsmouth’s downtown dining scene. The two have owned and operated The Oar House on Ceres Street since 1995, and Dizoglio has also owned The Dolphin Striker on Bow Street since 1991. When Guerin and Dizoglio purchased The Dunaway from Jay McSharry on April 28, they expanded their growing fold to include one of the city’s hottest restaurants.

Located on Strawbery Banke Museum property across from Prescott Park, The Dunaway has garnered stellar reviews from food critics since opening in 2005. Opting to stick with what’s working, the new owners will retain the services of executive chef Ben Hasty and general manager Benjamin Gaherty. They also vow to continue The Dunaway’s practice of using as many locally produced ingredients as possible.
“We’re looking to keep a very similar style,” Guerin said, adding that he would expand the menu to include more options.

The new owners will also expand the restaurant’s hours. Currently open only on Thursday, Friday and Saturday evenings, the business will be open seven days a week beginning sometime next month, Guerin said. It will also be open for lunch beginning sometime before June 15.

Guerin said he is pleased to see so many new restaurants coming to Portsmouth. He feels the city is destined to maintain its reputation as the restaurant capitol of New Hampshire. “I think it’s great for the community,” he said.


The Wellington Room
67 Bow St., 603-431-2989

Located above Harpoon Willy’s at the end of a section of waterfront restaurants and bars known locally as “the decks,” The Wellington Room has long offered expansive window views of Portsmouth Harbor. With its ideal location and solid reputation for dining, new owners Matthew and Karen Shalot do not plan to make any drastic changes, but they are making some modifications to the menu and the room’s interior.
“We’re gradually giving it our own flavor and stamp,” executive chef Matthew Shalot said.

Pending alterations include a new bar handcrafted entirely from found wood, which should be completed by June 1. The Shalots also intend to add some new menu items with more ethnic flavor, including Mediterranean and Asian dishes. About half the menu options will remain American and French fare with a New England twist.

Karen Shalot previously opened and managed restaurants in New York and California. Her husband most recently worked as a chef at The Green Monkey in Portsmouth and has also worked at restaurants in Amesbury, Mass., and Martha’s Vineyard. The couple took ownership of The Wellington Room in mid-March and they have since committed to using locally produced, organic products whenever possible.

“We definitely create everything in-house,” Shalot said. “(We) try and use as little farm-raised fish as possible and try and use organic whenever possible.”


Agave Mexican Bistro II
111 State St.
(former location of AK’s Bar & Bistro)

The spacious property at 111 State St. has been looking for a permanent owner for the last decade or so. The address was most recently home to AK’s Bar & Bistro, which enjoyed a short run after opening early last year. Prior to that, it housed Jack Quigley’s Irish Pub, which followed in the wake of Old Bridge Café. The latest owner represents a new and hopefully longer chapter in the brick building’s history.

Dawn McCandless, who opened an Agave Mexican Bistro in Newburyport, Mass., six years ago, hopes to duplicate her success with a twin bistro in Portsmouth. The new restaurant will have the same menu as the Newburyport location, offering authentic Mexican cuisine and more than 80 types of tequila.

The new business will also have the same floor plan as its predecessor, with a large bar and seating on the ground level and tables and booths on the second floor. McCandless has completely gutted the building’s interior and is remodeling both the kitchen and the dining space. By the time the restaurant opens in early June, it will have seating for more than 180 people. There will be four functional fireplaces (two wood and two gas), a large window in the building’s front room and two sets of glass doors at the entrance. The second floor will include a new tequila bar, along with a guacamole and tortilla station. The façade of the building is also being redone. The business will be open from 4 to 10 p.m., seven days a week. 

McCandless described Agave as a “sassy” restaurant with an atmosphere that is simultaneously upscale and fun. She said she was eager to open a second location in Portsmouth, where she once lived and worked.
“I just hope it does well,” McCandless said. “I put my heart into this.”

Loaf and Ladle
106 Penhallow St.
(former location of Isis on Penhallow)

The space at 106 Penhallow St. is another spot that has struggled to find a lasting occupant in recent years. Despite its prime downtown setting and a regal balcony bar, the location has experienced an exceptionally high tenant turnover rate. The space has alternately been home to Goldi’s Deli, Saucy Grace and Isis on Penhallow. Isis shut its doors earlier this year, while owner Meredith Stolper developed her latest idea.

Stolper, who also owns The Loaf and Ladle in Exeter and The Stockpot on Bow Street, plans to replicate her popular downtown Exeter restaurant with a second location in Portsmouth. She hopes to open the new restaurant this month, with menu items including homemade soups, chowders and stews; salads, breads and sandwiches; quiche, pies, cakes and cookies.

The new Loaf will share the same basic concept as its namesake, with a few variations. While the Loaf in Exeter has a cafeteria-style layout, Stolper said the smaller space in Portsmouth will call for waited tables. The Portsmouth spot will also lack a salad bar, although takeout will still be available. Stolper has repainted the room’s interior to make it lighter and brighter. 

Stolper’s son Alden Ulery will manage the restaurant, which will initially be open for lunch only. Dinner will be added sometime this summer, and the balcony bar will serve beer and wine.

Although Isis never caught on the way she hoped it would, Stolper expects the Loaf to fare considerably better. She noted that New Hampshire Magazine recently bestowed the Loaf and Ladle with honors for best soup in the state for the fifth consecutive year, and the Portsmouth shop will share the same recipes.

“Soup is pretty magic food. Make it and put it away and the next day it’s even better,” Stolper said.


Four Restaurant
189 State St.
(former location of The Mustard Seed Natural Living Center)

After 22 years in Portsmouth, The Mustard Seed packed up shop and moved to Nottingham last June, leaving behind a prime space at the corner of State and Penhallow streets. Simon Lampert, formerly executive chef at 931 Ocean in Hampton, plans to fill that space with a brand new venture this spring.
Lampert hopes to open Four Restaurant sometime in mid- to late-June. Initially, the establishment will be open for dinner only, Monday through Saturday. Lampert said he will use a wood-fired oven and implement as many local ingredients as he can.

The restaurant will feature two separate menus, offering a fixed à la carte menu with steak and other dishes, and a prix fixe menu that changes from day to day. There will also be a fully stocked bar with nine seats. Lampert said he is aiming for high-end quality in a laid-back setting.

“The atmosphere is just gonna be warm and casual,” he said. 

Lampert is in the process of completely renovating the interior of the building, which was constructed in 1815. “Layer by layer, we’re peeling tenant by tenant off,” he said. In the future, he may add tables to an outdoor courtyard and open for lunch, but right now he’s focusing on dinner.

A Hampton native, Lampert worked in Anthony Alberto’s Ristorante Italiano (now Ristorante Massimo) in Portsmouth before helping to open 931 Ocean at Hampton Beach. He said he is excited to provide quality food to an after-work crowd in downtown Portsmouth.


Gracie’s Diner
165 Deer St.
(former location of Gepetto’s Pizzeria)

Chef Jonathan Ury may have picked just the right time to start a new restaurant at 165 Deer St. Located in the same building as Gary’s Beverage in the space recently vacated by Gepetto’s Pizzeria, Ury’s new venture will be a mere stone’s throw from the coming Portwalk project and other Northern Tier developments. He’s hoping his new business will attract Portwalk construction workers and tenants, alike. 
Ury, who most recently worked as head chef at Rudi’s, is in the process of converting Gepetto’s into a breakfast and lunch diner called Gracie’s. The menu will include roast turkey, meatloaf, sandwiches, eggs and other basic comfort foods with a focus on quick service and reasonable diner pricing.

Ury is conducting extensive renovations, completely redoing the kitchen, repainting and building a new counter in the dining room. He said the restaurant will have a slightly retro feel with booths, bar stools and Moxie memorabilia. “I’m a diehard Moxie fan,” he said.

Ury plans to take an old-fashioned, hands-on approach to his new business. He said he will offer some healthier options than most diners, providing sides of rice and beans, couscous salad, potato salad with no mayo and other homemade alternatives to the standard chips and French fries. 

“More people are looking for an honest, handmade meal,” he said.

Ury hopes to open Gracie’s with a photography exhibit from Joe Stevens sometime in mid-June. He also hopes to host an antique car show sometime this summer. The diner will offer beer and wine selections.