King of the sea

Neptune’s brings traditional seafood to Portsmouth

By Kathy Gunst

NEPTUNE’S BAR AND GRILL, 86 Pleasant Street, Portsmouth, NH, (603) 436-8899. Open Tues. through Sun. from 11:30 a.m. to around 4 p.m. (lunch) and then until 1 a.m. (dinner). All major credit cards. Full bar.

 

FIT FOR A KING: Neptune’s is simply good.

Portsmouth, NH is a seaside town with a rich nautical heritage and a waterfront that has long been home to a fleet of fishing boats. You would think that a boiled lobster dinner would be easy to find in such a place. But, until recently, if you wanted your basic bright red lobster served with drawn butter, cole slaw, and a side of french fries you had to head north to Maine or south along the New Hampshire coast.

Neptune’s Bar and Grill aims to remedy this situation. Located in downtown Portsmouth, this small seafood restaurant serves lobster along with fried and grilled fish. Neptune’s opened in late February without much fanfare. We had never even heard of the place, but checked it out over the recent holiday weekend. What we found was that, for the most part, Neptune’s does a pretty good job. The food was simple and straightforward. And the chef knows how to properly cook seafood without a lot of fancy sauces and embellishments.

Neptune’s is as much a bar as it is a grill. When we entered the place, the unpleasant odor of tobacco hit us hard. Several locals were sitting at the bar, in front of four television sets playing different programs. The jukebox was pumping. We were there with our daughter and her friend, and I immediately wondered if the place would prove to be kid-friendly. We were seated at a tall table by the window, climbed up onto comfy bar stools, and met our waitress who took us through the simple menu.

She lured the girls into ordering Shirley Temples and was enthusiastic when I asked about the signature drink, the “Neptune Nectar,” a sweet, but oh-so-potent blend of dark and light rum, and orange and cranberry juice. It was so good I almost forgot about all the smoke wafting about the room.

We went to Neptune’s thinking we’d all order lobster, but the menu offered several other tempting choices. The clam chowder was standard, but perfectly decent — thick and full of tender potatoes and clams. The pale-pink lobster bisque was a bit gluey with a lobster flavor that seemed so subtle it was practically indistinguishable. And the Garlic Shrimp consisted of five small shrimp, looking pale and sickly, in a white wine sauce with a scattering of garlic on top. Fried calamari won hands-down as the best appetizer — a huge bowl filled with a generous portion of crisp, lightly coated, tender squid that was excellent dipped in Neptune’s roasted red pepper sauce.

The smokers eventually left the bar and several more families arrived for lobster dinners, and Neptune’s began to feel like a restaurant, and not just a bar that happened to serve food. The overhead fishing nets, painted wooden fish, and general nautical touches make the simple room appealing, not schlocky. Rock radio segued to Frank Sinatra crooning about his love affair with New York, and through the restaurant’s plate glass window we watched Pleasant Street, a side street just off Market Square lined with historic houses, turn magical in the early evening light.

The girls’ lobster bibs and crackers arrived, which is always good for a laugh. As soon as their lobsters were served I could tell the place was for real. The lobsters were steaming hot and perfectly cooked, sweet and tender the way they are supposed to be. The french fries were hot and crispy, and devoured by everyone. The cole slaw was interesting. No mayo in sight, just shredded cabbage and carrots in a tart, vinegary sauce. A nice, light balance to the rich lobster and potatoes.

My husband chose the mixed fried platter, a combination of fried clams and fried scallops, and found it not nearly as rewarding as the lobster. The fried clams, while plump and briny, were greasy and kind of . . . limp. They drooped with defeat. The onion rings, called onion strings, suffered from the same condition as the clams. But the deep-fried scallops were plump and fresh, without any sign of grease. Why would three foods, all presumably fried in the same oil and at the same temperature, differ so much?

The highlight of the meal was the grilled swordfish with a citrus-herb butter, roasted vegetables, and potatoes. I rarely order swordfish in restaurants because it is invariably overcooked and dry, but Neptune’s swordfish was superb — juicy, bursting with flavor, and as good as just about any grilled swordfish I’ve had in even the most upscale restaurants. The accompaniments — grilled asparagus, roasted red pepper and grilled zucchini wedges, and thick, tender slices of grilled red bliss potatoes — were also perfectly prepared and full of fresh, vibrant flavors.

Of course the girls wanted dessert. The Key Lime Cheesecake and Peanut Butter Pie were rich and sweet — exactly what they were looking for.

Next time we have visitors from out of town who want to walk around Portsmouth and have a classic lobster or basic fish dinner, I’ll know exactly where to take them.