Restaurant Review
I have to say we don’t eat a lot of Mediterranean food at our house or even when we go out, well unless you count our yearly trip to our local Greek festival! So when my friend Rosalie called and invited me to go to Habibi Mediterranean Cafe I was ready and willing! Habibi is located at 2968 Lafayette Rd, in Portsmouth New Hampshire.
Rosalie and I got there just as they opened and I’m so glad we did as this place gets busy extremely fast during lunch hour. The first thing I noticed as we walked through the door was the amazing aroma’s coming from the kitchen. We were greeted by one of the owners and given menus. We found a table in the back of this very small restaurant. Although Rosalie had already picked out our appetizer I wanted to get a good look at the menu. Everything they have is made from scratch daily from generations of family recipes.
To start, Rosalie ordered us the Habibi Mezza Plate that had hummus (ground chicken, peas, garlic. tahini and lemon), Baba Gannouj (eggplant, tahini, lemon, and spices), Tabouli, 2 falafel balls (deep-fried balls made of chickpeas and spices), and 2 warm stuffed grape leaves. Everything on the plate was just as good as the next bite. If I had to pick a favorite it would be both the hummus and grape leaves. The grape leaves were warm, light and filled with rice and tomato. The hummus, I have to say, was the best I have had anywhere or even made myself. It was light and creamy and went so perfectly with the house-made pita bread.
We ordered this delicious house-made pita bread to go along with the Mezza plate. They make this bread to order and when it comes out it all puffed up before you break into it. This was the lightest pita bread I have ever had.
Shortly after our appetizer came this beautiful salad came to each of us as it comes with the entrees that we ordered. There was no shortage of food, that’s for sure. The salad was so refreshing and great bites while still nibbling on the appetizers!
I ordered the Chicken Shawarma that comes with their house sauce and rice. There is so much flavor in this dish. The fresh herbs and spices make this a dish to remember. The chicken was so tender and juicy. I can see why this is a popular dish.
I have saved the best for last. Rosalie ordered the Gyro Lamb. If you don’t think you like lamb or have never tried lamb I highly recommend this dish. Rosalie and I always share our plates and today was no different. Although I have had lamb and enjoy it, this dish was beyond good! The lamb was cooked perfectly, it almost melted in your mouth. This was my favorite dish of the day. One that will keep me going to Habibi Mediterranean Cafe!
I enjoyed this restaurant so much I was not about to leave without a dessert to take home! So this crispy, sweet piece of baklava came home with me and I am so glad, as it was delicious later that evening.
If you are not sure if this is something you would like don’t worry they have an incredible menu for eat-in or take out that include sub sandwiches, panini’s, calzones and even pizza. They do an incredible take out business as the door was revolving from people eating in or taking out. Many of their dishes are naturally vegetarian as well as gluten-free.
Habibi Mediterranean Cafe is closed on Sundays in the winter but open Monday through Saturday at 11 am. You can find the full menu and more information on their website. http://www.habibiportsmouth.com/menu
Enjoy!
Petey’s has been around for a long time and although all of my family and friends have been I had never been there until recently. Petey’s is located at 1323 Ocean Blvd. in Rye NH. And guess what? They are open year-round! Many restaurants in this area are only open seasonally, but not Petey’s. There are a number of restaurants in Maine and NH that do close for the winter but my favorite time to visit those restaurants is early spring and fall. You get the same menu with far fewer people as the tourists are much less, so there is little to no wait time. This holds true for Petey’s as well although they did have a busy lunch crowd when we arrived!
My friend Judy and I arrived and were able to get a seat right away. Of course, Judy has been here but she knows how much I love scallops and asked if I had ever had fried scallops. Believe it or not, I never have and scallops are my absolute favorite seafood. I cook it at home and eat it out quite often. I was very skeptical as scallops are so light and sweet I have always thought deep frying would take away that balance. Judy ordered the fried scallops as an appetizer for us and this came with tartar sauce. All I can say is I have been missing out for a very long time. These scallops were delicious. The batter was not heavy at all but added a nice crisp texture to the sweet scallops. I will be ordering these often!
Judy had the baked stuffed lobster. Look at those huge lobster pieces sneaking through that gorgeous crispy crumb topping! A squeeze of lemon with some extra drawn butter, this is what life is about…right here this is it. Judy had a baked potato and coleslaw on the side. But really…can you look at anything beyond that lobster? Judy loves her dish, but it’s one of her favorites on the menu!
I told you how much I love scallops right? Well, here it is again! Baked stuffed scallops with a side of rice and coleslaw. This was a fantastic lunch. The scallops cooked just right with the crisp topping and a squeeze of lemon was just the perfect bite. The rice was good but the coleslaw needs a little shout out. This is one of the best, if not the best coleslaw, I have had. It was a little sweet, a little tangy with a nice crisp bite from the veggies. Really, really good. Judy and I left happy and full!
Petey’s is a must-stop if you are in the area. Great food, excellent service. They catch their own lobsters, they cater and have won many awards including best seafood, best chowder, best lobster roll…the list goes on. In the summer they have an outside picnic area. If you can’t come to Petey’s, Petey’s can come to you, as they ship fresh live lobsters, steamers, and lobster meat right to your door.
Be sure to check their website for hours of operation, the full menu and catering information! http://www.peteys.com/
Enjoy!
On February 26, The Great Food Truck Race, came to Portsmouth N.H. Living just ten minutes away I knew I had to go no matter what the weather was going to be! My friend, Leanne, and I went around lunchtime hoping to find the four remaining trucks in the race. We did find all four of them. Three of them were close to each other in downtown Portsmouth but one truck, The Creole Queens from New Orleans was parked further out in the McKinnon’s Parking lot.
The four trucks left are the Creole Queens, Magical Mystery Hero’s from Ohio, Big Stuff from Colorado and Lia’s Lumpia from San Diego.
The first truck we found was the Magical Mystery Hero’s truck. They were selling Sriracha Lime Chicken Tacos and Holiday Peppermint Pancake Stack. All of the trucks were challenged to use peppermint in one of their dishes. The line at this truck was very long. Due to the weather being incredibly cold and windy we decided to go to the Big Stuff food truck as we could see the line was not as long.
At the Big Stuff truck, Leanne got the Sloppy Stuff which was tater tots covered in pork green chili for $15.00. Leanne really enjoyed the dish and was nice enough to share a taste with me. This was a hearty warm comforting dish which was perfect on this cold day.
I ordered the Tyler Florence Special. The special was Peppermint Fritters with chocolate sauce and a much needed hot chocolate. $15.00. The fritters were very good and the peppermint came through. The hot chocolate was ok, but much appreciated as it kept my hands warm for a bit!
After a brisk walk and stopping in a few stores for some shopping and to warm up a bit we found Lia’s Lumpia truck. They had the largest line. One of the items they were selling was Lobster Mac and Cheese for $20.00. We heard from people there it was delicious. It was funny as everyone we met in line was doing the same as we were and… going truck to truck.
The last truck we found was the Creole Queens, but they were in the McKinnon’s parking lot further away from the downtown area where the three other trucks were. Although we did find them we did not order anything. They did have a few customers but I did not see many people ordering, many people hanging around talking.
We knew that one team was going home later that day but we did not wait to find out as it was just too cold. I’ll be watching to see who goes home but I have a pretty good idea. The winner of The Great Food Truck Race goes home with fifty thousand dollars.
Best of luck to the remaining trucks!
On a trip to Brattleboro, Vermont early in the summer we found a very unique restaurant and brewery called “Whetstone Station”. Whetstone Station is located on the Connecticut River right on N.H./ Vermont border. In fact, the state line goes right through the restaurant. You can drink beer in both states at the same time. We in fact did just that!
Whetstone Station has a beer garden where they have 60 craft beers. Although we were not there for the beer, but for lunch, we sat in the dining room area of the restaurant. With beers in hand, Jim and I both decided on getting hamburgers for our lunch.
I had the French Onion Au Gratin burger. This is served with Vermont cheddar cheese, caramelized onions, French onion dip spread, onion, lettuce, and tomato. (13.99) If you like onions you will enjoy this creation. I enjoyed this burger. The burgers also come with fries, but both Jim and I upgraded the regular fries to the Station Fries. Station Fries are hand-cut potatoes tossed with chive oil and Parmesan cheese. I loved the fries…so crisp and full of flavor.
Jim had the John Wayne burger (13.99). The John Wayne burger has a lot going on. The burger has Vermont cheddar cheese, maple smoked bacon, beer BBQ sauce, onion rings, lettuce, tomato, and onion. Although Jim liked this burger it was overdone for him… definitely well done.
Whetstone Station is a great place to dine with gorgeous views of the Connecticut River, but they also have a food truck called the “Rollin’ Stone”. Not only did we eat at the restaurant, but the campground we were staying in was having a BBQ fest the following day. The “Rollin Stone” was serving not only beer but the most amazing poutine we have ever had. We ordered a small order to share as we were having other BBQ items as well. We devoured the first order and decided we needed another order…they really were that good. I should mention the people that own Whetstone, also owns the campground.
Let me tell you a bit more about that tasty poutine. It’s called “Midnight Poutine” (6.99). it starts with the hand-cut fries with beer-battered cheese curds smothered in gravy. That right, there is a bit of heaven.
If you find yourself in Brattleboro, you can find Whetstone Station Restaurant at 36 bridge Street. The restaurant opens daily at 1130 am. For more information go to their website as they have their full menu and beer information on it as well as more information as to how the state line goes through the restaurant. Give them a like on Facebook and don’t forget to keep an eye out for the ‘Rollin Stone’ food truck!
Enjoy!
Roost is Dover, NH’s newest restaurant so we knew we had to check it out. Roost is owned by the same family that own’s Blue Latitudes on Central Ave. We arrived for an early dinner and were seated at a cute table by the window.
I ordered the seared scallops (26.00). Seared fresh dry scallops with a pork belly fried rice cake with wilted arugula along with a Frangelico Buerre Blanc and a fig balsamic drizzle. The scallops were beautifully seared, creamy and delicious. I really enjoyed the balsamic drizzle with the scallops. The pork belly fried rice was different although I liked it, it was not my favorite part of the dish. Jim tried the rice and really enjoyed it.
Jim had the fried chicken and country gravy (19.50). Buttermilk fried chicken cutlet with country pan gravy. Whipped russet potatoes and cinnamon sugar carrots on the side. The chicken was crisp on the outside and tender on the inside just as you would want. The gravy was well seasoned and complemented the chicken and potatoes beautifully. Can’t forget about those carrots. Tender with a little crisp and sweet from the cinnamon sugar.
Our dinners were very good overall, although a little pricey but we were not done just yet. They had a grilled peach shortcake as a dessert special so we decided to split one. This had a biscuit, grilled peaches, ice cream, whipped cream and a drizzle of caramel sauce. Although we liked this dish we would have loved it had they grilled the biscuit and if the peaches were warm. That would have put it over the top for us.
Roost is located at 50 Pointe Place in Dover, N.H. and is open 1130 am Monday through Saturday and 10 am on Sundays for brunch. Roost has a full bar service and will take reservations for parties of 6 or more. Find them online and on Facebook.
Enjoy!
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