Jul 22, 2013

Review for Surf Restaurant in Portsmouth, NH

While staying at the Marri0tt Hotel in Portsmouth (recommendable), I asked the receptionist for a seafood restaurant recommendation.

She suggested the Surf Restaurant on 99 Bow Street. When we got there, we only had to wait a couple of minutes to be seated, even though the restaurant seemed packed.

We ordered the NE Baked Seafood Dinner, Shrimp Vindaloo. Bamboo Shrimp, and for myself, I ordered the Blackened Fish Taco.

Shrimp Vindaloo

Shrimp Vindaloo

Bamboo Shrimp

Bamboo Shrimp

NE Baked Seafood Dinner

NE Baked Seafood Dinner

My dinner companions were pleased with their food, but my Blackened Fish Tacos were disappointing. I suppose I expected some Cajun style spiciness to the fish, but I found it bland tasting. Of the three tacos, I could only finish two.

Blackened Fish Taco

Blackened Fish Taco

I’ve read the restaurant has a fine waterfront view. As the restaurant was crowded and our table was next to the entrance, we did not bother getting up to see the view.

The service was excellent as is the case in most restaurants in the States.

I would give the restaurant another try, but would definitely skip the tacos.

Jul 22, 2013

On the Road in the USA – Concord, NH

On our way to Boston, we stopped in Concord, a town rich in history.

We went to see Thoreau’s house in the woods where he wrote his famous novel Walden. 

 … two months later, Thoreau embarked on a two-year experiment in simple living on July 4, 1845, when he moved to a small, self-built house on land owned by Emerson in a second-growth forest around the shores of Walden Pond. The house was in “a pretty pasture and woodlot” of 14 acres (57,000 m2) that Emerson had bought, 1,5 miles (2.4 km) from his family home. (source: Wikipedia)

Thoreau house

Where Thoreau wrote “Walden”

Of course, our teenage children could not resist from modifying his sculpture for a little fun. Thousands of others must have done that before them.

Thoreau sculpture

Next we went down to Walden Pond to have our take-away lunch by the beach.

Walden Pond

Walden Pond

This was my first Reuben sandwich in 30 years and it was delicious. Reuben is corned beef, topped with sauerkraut, melted cheese and 1000 – Island dressing on toasted/or marbled rye.

Reuben sandwich

Reuben sandwich

We had gotten our take-out lunch from a restaurant on Main Street. The menu to choose from was plentiful and most decorative!

restaurant menu

Again and again, I see so many homes which have tiger lilies growing right around the edge of the house.

tiger lily

tiger lily

From here in Concord, it is only a one-hour drive to Boston, where we will spend the weekend to walk the famous Freedom Trail.

Jul 19, 2013

On the Road in the USA – Portsmouth, NH

Portsmouth was settled first in 1623

Portsmouth was settled first in 1623

Portsmouth is a very quaint town with all its historic buildings, many shops, and a lively feeling permeats the city in the evening hours. The population is only 21.000, surprisingly.

Portsmouth

We had dinner at the Surf Restaurant and I’d rate the food quality with *** (out of five).  I had chosen Blackened Fish Tacos, but instead of some Cajun sting, the wrap was filled with mild ingredients. My companions enjoyed their meals more than I did.  More about that in another post.

We left our hotel (Residence Inn Marriotts Portsmouth/highly recommendable) to walk down to the waterfront.

waterfront

The town is so inviting I ended up buying a colander from a home supply store. I have never done anything like this on holiday…

Portsmouth at night

Portsmouth at night

Wish we could have stayed a bit longer, but we had our friends in Maine waiting for us. Not only them, but hitting 10 locations (incl. a wedding, visiting friends, our teenage kids wanting to see Boston, breaking up the drive down the East Coast, etc.) in 18 days is not a leisurely feat.

It is fun, tiring, nerve wrecking, exciting, educational, and so much more.

I’ ve learned that a fee for checking out late does not mean much to sleepy teenagers. I have listened to Selena Gomez and company so much, I knew some of the lyrics by heart. I must have said, “Take out these ear plugs and listen once more!” at least thirty times already. I have learned to say everything twice, e.g tell them our next overnight place, how long the drive is from A to B, etc. Well, when we come to the end, I will share this in a bit more detail. Maybe.

And now, for an additional tidbit of information, I’d like to point out Greenland, NH. This is a vibrant community with a small-town feel that makes for a great getaway from the hustle of the East Coast cities. For more information, visit: AllTheRooms.GreenlandNH:Things To Do

More about Portsmouth from Amazon.com:

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