Restaurant Week in Portsmouth, NH (http://www.portsmouthchamber.org/restaurantweek.cfm) is a week set aside for restaurants to encourage patrons to try them for the first time, or return for new menus. Most, though not all, restaurants agree upon a prix fixe menu price of $29.95 for a three course meal: Appetizer, Entree and Dessert. It is usual to have selections to choose from, though that is not always the case. It is a great way to get to some of the more expensive restaurants and sample their fare at a reasonable price for a delicious multi-course meal.
I visited Cafe Mediterraneo (aka Cafe Med) with friends on the Wednesday of Restaurant week. It was jam-packed full of patrons. We had a reservation for five and were seated in the very back corner of the restaurant. It was the first time I had been in since their move onto a main street in town. The ambiance was nice, the decor was suitable though the acoustics were a little tough once the place was filled to capacity. Not only that but the service was extremely slow. I would have expected "all hands on deck" for restaurant week, even if it was just Wednesday.
It took a long time to get our orders in, but I did decide to go for the Restaurant Week Prix Fixe menu. I had the Tuna Bruschetta appetizer, Shrimp and Mushroom Ravioli entree and the Tiramisu for dessert. It's not worth really going into great explanation as each dish was just mediocre. I'm glad I went back to give them another shot, but there I only confirmed why I didn't frequent the restaurant before.. there are too many great restaurants in this area to waste time at the mediocre ones.
To take advantage of the specials, I made a plan to go to FOUR on the Friday night of Restaurant week. It is a newish steakhouse restaurant tucked onto the corner of State and Bow Streets. We were seated immediately and the staff was friendly and courteous. A little over-friendly at the bar in fact as I would say some frequent patrons were camped out and I had to listen to banter about the bartender's personal life while waiting for my friends to arrive for dinner.
However, once we were seated, we were treated to some homemade foccacia bread. I knew I was in for a treat once that started.. it was served with butter and whole cloves of roasted garlic. The restaurant week menu was actually a little disappointing since this was a steakhouse but it is reasonable to understand that they might not be able to fit many meat selections into the fixed price. So, the only steak they had was a hangar steak, known to not be quite as tender and succulent. The appetizers ranged from salads to haddock chowder, the entrees were the hangar steak, a fish, and noodles (what!?), and there was one dessert, upside down pineapple cake. That made my mind up right there. I was going to order off the nightly menu.
I shared an appetizer of Lobster Mac and Cheese with a friend.. creamy and loaded with chunks of lobster. It was rich but as a shared dish, it didn't ruin my appetite. I then had the Filet cooked Medium with roasted mushrooms and creamed spinach. You're allowed to select two sides with a cut of meat and that was tough to choose. The mushrooms are a favorite, I had to have those. The spinach was just ok.. but tasty in combination with the very tender and juicy filet mignon.
Then for dessert.. the O of my O face.. was steamed chocolate cake. Think brownie meets cake meets molten chocolate cake with whipped cream. It could've been a messy, messy treat (as my friend demonstrated with his portion), but I couldn't waste one bit of this by spilling it on the table. I was careful to get every last drop onto my lips. OOOOooooooooooooooooooo so good!
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