A Not-Untypical Saturday Night

Awhile back, Heather noted that Saturdays seemed to increasingly be the day that our friends were choosing to take it easy and stay in. Like most things that everyone else is doing, however, we decided "screw that".

The night started out simple enough. We met our friend Brad (Heather's ex from about 10 years ago, and Jayson's long lost brother-in-arms from dating the same girl in high-school) at Breaking New Grounds, also known as the Grand Central Station of Portsmouth. If you can't find anywhere else you can find BNG. We decided to take an action shot for you readers just to see how seriously we were taking this "typical" night out.

Your Loving Authors

Before we begin, let us make one thing perfectly clear. We are not food critics. Our palates are not nearly as refined as the talented (J: and beautiful) Rachel Forrest. You will not get much out of us other than "it was okay", "it was good" or "oh my god this is the greatest thing I've ever put in my mouth".

However, realizing that our opinions were becoming increasingly important, we decided we need some kind of rating system. Loyal readers of Heather's column will remember our story about Tugboats, and so after a very short discussion, we decided that our rating system will consist of a number of Tugboats from one to three (respectively the very-non-innuendo-style quotations above). So, one Tugboat ("it was okay"), two Tugboats ("it was good"), or three Tugboats ("what did they say they put in their mouths?"). Got it? Good.

In honor of Retaurant Week which starts today, we decided to have a night out on the town and go to a place that at least one of us hadn't been. Our choice for dinner was The Black Trumpet Bistro on Ceres St. As a rule, we try to eat in the lounge or bar area of any restaurant we go to, as the atmosphere is generally more relaxed and you get to know the bartenders, waitstaff, and people much more closely. In the Black Trumpet's case, the lounge is upstairs and quite cozy, overlooking the water from a great angle.

The Black Trumpet staff did not disappoint. We showed up with reservations for three, but we were early by about 20 minutes. Without missing a beat, and knowing our request for an upstairs table, they had already prepared for it to be cleared. The people at our table lingered for a bit, which allowed us to sample some drinks from the bar beforehand.

The Black Trumpet Lounge

The Black Trumpet's menu changes with each season, and they have some daily options as well. We sampled some appetizers and put in our main courses immediately. Having a third person there was helpful, as it allowed us to try the Hake, the Duck, and the Lamb Shank all together. Brad got the Duck, which turned out to be absolutely fantastic (3 Tugboats). Jayson's Lamb Shank was really good ("2 Tugboats"), but outdone by the duck. Heather was so distracted by how good the duck was, she didn't comment much on her fish (1 Tugboat - see, it works!). We also snagged a good bottle of Pinot Noir (Canaletto) between the three of us.

Pinot Noir, and Heather

For dessert we shared the chocolate panna cotta between the three of us, which is somewhat like a delicious patty of chocolate mousse on a plate. It was very rich, but very light, which allowed us to actually finish it after being so stuffed. It was definitely 3 Tugboats good, however.

While there we learned some fascinating trivia. A Black Trumpet is actually a mushroom and happens to be the mushroom that is in the sauce that covers the restaurant's Fillet Mignon. The restaurant is great for cheese lovers, as their appetizer and dessert cheeses are numerous. Also, the building is said to be haunted (where were TAPS when we needed them?) and the ghosts like to do things like make wine glasses slide off the table and break. Really. It was the ghost. We swear.

Feeling dressed up with nowhere to go (except in Portsmouth of course), we decided to hit the Red Door, a martini bar that is, quite literally, signified by a red door next to Dos Amigos Burritos. Our luck wasn't running out, as the place was packed and there was clearly a bachelorette party present. Seriously - it was this busy:

Apologies to That Guy in the Front

Wondering why, we found out that world-renowned DJ David Ralph was in house. The Red Door has been known for bringing in talented DJs on Friday and Saturday nights from around the country, as well as providing an intimate venue for music through its Hush Hush Sweet Harlot music series. The thumping beats, delicious Red Door (Pomegranate) Martinis, and standard fare of familiar regulars and loosened dancers losing their inhibitions on the floor kept us entertained for the rest of the night, until it was time, as usual, for Rockband 2 until the wee hours of the morning.

Anyway, that's what happens when Saturday rolls around and no plans have yet been made. We love company, so if you're feeling the Saturday itch come along, feel free to email us. If there's anything to be learned about your contributors at Market Squared, it is that we don't idle well.