Bright Lights, Date City

Salutations! Welcome to another installment of The Novice Fork, and may I say that I’ve had some rocking meals lately! For some reason I have been out more this month than any other, and it’s only March 8^th! Whatever the reason it’s not a bad thing, and now I can share the vital info with you all. Let’s begin.

This overdue issue of the Novice Fork brings us to Portsmouth NH and the restaurant du jour Portsmouth Gas Light Co.

Portsmouth Gas Light Co.

64 Market Street

Portsmouth, NH 03801

(603) 431-9122

www.portsmouthgaslight.com

The Novice Fork gives this multipurpose

restaurant 4 Forks for good food,

convenient downtown location and warm ambiance

The outside of Gas Light Co. Very Portsmouth.

Why was I in Portsmouth, you may ask? Well on this particularly blustery winter’s night I traveled down to Portsmouth NH for a date and a good meal. Shocking I know! Who do I think I am? I’m always open to a little romance (and if good food is included then of course even better). My cohort suggested Gas Light Co. after much debate and while I’m sure any restaurant would have been fine, I’m glad we went here. The space, naturally, is the first thing you notice. Exposed brick, copper topped tables, candles, live plants, a warmly lit and substantial bar and lots of seating options, it’s a beautiful restaurant. From the more formal street level dinning room or the downstairs pizza zone, the restaurant has a lot going for it.

The service here is professional and top notch. Our waitress had our waters refilled instantaneously, our happy hour half off wine (from 4-6pm) was very tasty and never empty, and our food came out so fast we didn’t have time to even ask those always comfy first date questions. (We had plenty of time after the food came though, not to worry.)

So the food? The menu here is sort of pan American with Asian and Mediterranean influences and a strong focus on seafood. (Wow I wonder why, we were near the ocean.) I had a really, really good Greek inspired garden salad with freshly grilled chicken atop, adorned with feta cheese and cucumbers. This was such a good salad I didn’t mind the massive portion and I ate the whole thing. My date? An “Apple Harvest Salad” a spinach salad with fresh cut apples and bacon with a cider vinaigrette and bleu cheese. (Which was just as large and looked real tasty too).

The prices here are a bit steep, my salad came out to be around $14 once including chicken. But you get what you pay for, with the great service and the atmosphere that surrounds you as you eat. The dessert list looked great and since my date knew I’d be writing a review, they insisted I get one to try. (Do I need any more reason? No.) So we got the very tasty fresh berry cake, a yellow cake with compote made of fresh berries on top and cream inside. It was very, VERY good too.

So, a summary? The food is good here, and spans a few different culinary influences, allowing you to get whatever you want. The service is good here, so you’ll never be waiting for your wine, and the restaurant itself is nice, which adds atmosphere to a fun and romantic date. (I’m happy to report this last fact and I’ll keep you all posted.) A 4 fork experience for certain. Hooray!  

Words for the day...

Simply to go out and enjoy the last remaining days of restaurant week, you never know what kind of adventure you'll have. Over and out.