15 Bow St.
Portsmouth, NH 03801
603.431.5222
www.dolphinstriker.com
Fancy pants restaurants are becoming more prominent in Portsmouth and although this restaurant has matured into one (having been around since the mid-seventies) it certainly is in the running for fanciest pants. Not knowing this before dining and having called asking about dress expectations, we showed up in jeans and t-shirts, which might have been out of place if we hadn't been the only two customers in the place at 6 PM on a weekend night.
Our waitress was friendly (enough) and not overbearing presenting us with a wine list, telling us about some of the specials, and then giving us time to contemplate our decisions. The recommendation for the Panarroz Jumilla (Spain) was a good one but the touting of the on premise curing of the meats in the charcuterie was a whole different story altogether. A mix of meats, sausage, and pate served with a terrifically average small pile of sliced baguette, the charcuterie was not impressive. Each of the three types of meats were unique but none were even particularly good.
For entrees we tried the "tasting of Lamb" and the Sirloin Steak. It didn't take too long for them to arrive and the presentation was beautiful. They looked as if they were going to be terrific but oh how looks can be deceiving. As with the restaurant itself, too much time, thought, and effort was put into the appearance and not enough into the quality.
Don't get me wrong, the lamb was good, flavorful, paired well with the sweet corn, and the steak was decent - cooked properly and relatively flavorful. Both were things that we could have made at home with ease though, there was no real discernible skill used in the creation of either.
For the dessert we again went with the waitress who recommended the ice cream and cookies. Being a fan of ice cream it is always nice to get a selection of ice creams for dessert. The ginger, white chocolate with mint, and the pumpkin were again, all pretty average. Not too sweet which can be a wonderful thing as long as that means the flavors are used properly and they were either too flavorful (in ginger's case) or near flavorless (in the white chocolate with mint case). The cookies were the same, three different kinds, all either overwhelming or just too plain. The coffee though was a bright spot, strong and flavorful.
This seems like the sort of place that a date might go nicely at (in fact - I'm certain of that), but other than the idyllic setting, you would have to count entirely on your date to bring you joy as the food here isn't likely to. Worth a look around, maybe a cup of coffee, not worth the investment.