You can fake the funk on a nasty dunk*, but you can't fake a good craft beer selection in your restaurant. Here are some quick hits and impressions about just a few of the different restaurants along the Seacoast that tout a craft beer menu.
(* Disclaimer - This blog in no way endorses faking the funk on a nasty dunk)
The Heritage Smokehouse (Route 1, North Hampton) - At the time of writing, this place has only been open just over a month, and I'm not so sure the word is out yet. I was there for lunch on a Friday, and I was literally the only person there. Then again... it was a late lunch and it was a weekday. Anyway, this is a place that comes equipped with it's own narrative. Everything is made from scratch with fresh, local ingredients. For my meal, I had an amazing smoked meatloaf (everything is smoked, too) and mashed potatoes that were the TRUTH. The beer list is very small, but I think that matches the whole fresh, local narrative, as they only carry a few beers each from local breweries. In this case, Throwback Brewery and Smuttynose Brewery with three beers from each available on tap. Even with the small selection, the styles offered within each were enough to make some good pairings. Throwback's Love Me Long Time Pilsner went great with the main course... of which I was so impressed I just had to have the dessert suggested by my waitress: a "Southern" S'more. Basically, a southern biscuit smothered with chocolate and melted marshmallow, ice cream on the side. It went amazing with Throwback's Campfire Smoked Porter. Oh, and the staff here is amazing and super friendly. Plus, even though it was a slow afternoon, there was no dip in quality (or, if there was and this was them on a bad day, good days must be transcendent). Can't say enough good things about this place. Go go go go go.
Thirsty Moose Taphouse (Congress St, Portsmouth) - There's good and bad points to this one. For one, this is the kind of place that's probably more exciting to the lay beer drinker, because with 116 taps, if I recall correctly, it's a big, shiny, bouncy ball that's just fascinating to novice and intermediate craft fans. Really gets the attention, you know? And, I have to say, I like the food. Last time I ate there, I had some kind of steak pizza special thing, and it was pretty happening, The menu, though, like the beer list, might offer a few too many choices. On one hand, the amount of choice is almost overwhelming. On the other, on the two or three occasions I've been here, I honestly wasn't blown away by the tap list. Out of 116 (or whatever) choices, I could find maybe 4 beers I really fancied (this was also confirmed as being "not just me", as I've been here with friends who felt the same), and inevitably 2 of them were kicked. Strangely, I consider them being out of something a GOOD sign. My greatest fear with a place with this many taps is getting old beer, so at least they're moving product. Still, the staff is knowledgeable and more than happy to let you try samples. A place like this definitely fills a niche by exposing more people to craft beer, even if it's not my first personal choice in town.
WHYM Craft Beer Cafe (Route 1, Portsmouth) - Full disclosure, Jay, the biggest, reddest beard of them all, works part time at this fine establishment. I assure you, this does not affect my impression of this restaurant. Although located in a quite strange spot behind an Inn just barely over the Portsmouth border, this place is (I have to say) fundamentally the opposite of a place like The Thirst Moose. WHYM offers a small menu and a small tap list, but both are obviously well curated. It's also the kind of place that will probably have vastly different beer on from visit to visit. I know I've been there three times and there was always something new and fresh to try. This, perhaps, is one of the better restaurants around for beer geeks. They even offered a few beers I wasn't too familiar with (the beer menu is simply divided into "near" and "far" if you're interested in local fare), but the staff was more than happy to answer any questions. Oh, and the food... equally as impressive. Especially dug the Bleu Cheese Burger. This is the kind of restaurant that doesn't have a ton of choices, but you can rest assured that all of them are good.
Joe's NY Pizza (Route 1, Hampton) - This surprised and intrigued me. The local Pizza chain I knew from High School and college, where I would often pop in for a late-night slice was now jumping into craft? I was skeptical when I saw the "32 craft beer taps" posted outside, but sure enough, these guys built a nice little bar in their side of the road pizza joint. I don't feel like I need to say much about the food... if you're from the area, you've probably had their pizza, and if not... well, it's pizza. Very good pizza, with lots of interesting specialty pizzas. One this occasion, I dined on the Chicken Cordon Bleu pizza, and it was everything I could have hoped for. Anyway... about that 32 craft beer taps? Yeah, not exactly. Some of these "craft" taps were "crafty", but even accounting for that there were still well over 20 true craft beer selections at a pizza place. What's more, the selection is fairly diverse, and they actually had about 5 or 6 things I hadn't had before, and I consider that a pretty good percentage. My major beef is that a lot of the beers, when not served in tulips, were served in frozen pint glasses. SERIOUSLY, every restaurant? STOP DOING THIS. NOW. Still, I had fun on my visit. There were some townies at the bar with me, and they were open to my craft beer suggestions after hearing me talk with the bartender, who was even willing to mix up my suggested beer cocktail of Southern Tier Brewing Company Pumpking and Creme Brulee for us for dessert. This place has a thing or two to overcome (seriously... frozen pints are antithetical to properly serving beer), but it's making an honest effort.
That's it for today kids. There's more ground to be covered here for sure, but let's pace ourselves and save some room for later.
No comments:
Post a Comment