Summer Preview

As we wrote about a few weeks ago, the "Decks" that line Bow and Ceres streets are now open. And since we, like most people, are starving for summer, this weekend and yesterday in particular have been absolutely fantastic (I mean, 90 degrees in April? Awesome.)

I went camping this weekend, but we managed to hit Poco's at least before I left. The most economical way to... ahem... "enjoy summer" there is through pitchers of their delicious (3 Tugboats) Sangria. One pitcher gave both of us two-and-a-half glasses.

Sangria stems from the root word for "blood". Heather likes blood. (H: God, J-- way to make me sound SUPER creepy while glossing over what you REALLY did this weekend. That's fair. . . )

We also ate. Poco's has the best balance of price, experience, and food when it comes to eating Mexican.(H:Unless you want fast food, in which we encourage going to Dos Amigos.) We'll be writing an awful lot about Poco's (it's one of our favorite places) so we'll pause on the food review for now.

A note about Ceres Street. We never call it Ceres Street. Instead, the entrance to the deck walkways was dubbed "Judgement Hill" by our third partner in crime, Kristi. It's called that because if you are waiting in line for (or sitting in) Poco's deck, you can see everyone who is coming down to enjoy the decks. And judge them. (J: Well, not me, I don't judge people. And if you believe that, I also have a bridge to sell you.)

The hill isn't judging you, we are.

Anyway, Tuesday's ridiculous temps saw the three of us rushing to get out of work and get down to Old Ferry Landing for their world* famous "Jimmy Juice", a drink with 3 kinds of rum that all other restaurants in Portsmouth have tried to replicate and give their own name to, but the original is still the best.

If you cheers three Jimmy Juices together, Captain Morgan will appear. Like Captain Planet or Shazzan.

We didn't eat there this time, but Old Ferry Landing has the best fried seafood of all of the deck restaurants.

After downing the Jimmy Juice, we made our way across the now abandoned deck of what was the Stockpot. We've heard that a new restaurant will be there soon, but it still makes us sad, since the Stockpot's food was so good and perfect when you just wanted something simple or lunchable.

But the now barren deck leads you to the end of the deck row, at Harpoon Willy's. I had never been there before, and was not disappointed (J: Why? Because you can still smoke there!). The drinks were good, and the food (J and K: Fried haddock sandwich. H: Cheeseburger sliders.) was reasonable and hit the spot (1 Tugboat). But the selling point was that it has more of a "local" feel than the other places. If you need to escape the swarming tourists-- even if you are one--, go to Harpoon Willy's.

As an added bonus, it's well protected from wind and rain in an emergency.

Sadly, the weather shifted overnight and robbed us of our summer preview. But have no fear, it will be here soon, and so will more deck-action.

*Well, our world anyway.

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15 Seconds of Fame

Last night, Marketsquared had the privilege of presenting three awards at the 15th annual Spotlight Awards at the Portsmouth Music Hall. If you haven't been to the music hall in awhile, you really should go, as they've completely rebuilt the first floor into this ridiculously amazing bar that seems like something out of Pan's Labrynth. We didn't get any really good pictures of it, so stay tuned for a music hall review in the future.

Naturally, we dressed up.

No Sequins* were harmed in the making of Heather's dress

We were graciously invited by Spotlight editor Jen Stevens (okay really Heather was invited, since she's a columnist for the Spotlight. Jayson was invited because he's her "platonic partner in crime"), and ended up presenting the last three awards - Best Production of a Play, Best Production of a Musical, and Best Rock Band (in our opinion, the best three categories ever). The full list of winners can be found here.

(J): I was told "No Witty Banter" by Heather. Your loss.

The Spotlight awards is voting-based, so you know that things aren't the manufactured opinions of some elite academy. We're very thankful for this, as it meant that the wildly entertaining "Gay Bride of Frankenstein" musical, written by Portsmouth natives and very clearly Broadway calibur, swept the awards ceremony. It's our deepest regret that we missed it while it was out, but luckily, we've been invited to the CD release party at the Muddy River on April 20th. Its creators include the famous Billy Butler, who now lives in New York but is a Portsmouth regular through and through (and had a great song about the reality of Portsmouth vs. Dover from last year's Spotlight awards).

The afterparty was also held at the Muddy River, with the stylings of Tim McCoy and the Papercuts.

See Jenn, this is what I was really taking pictures of.

Anyway, it was fun and a good taste of the culture Portsmouth has to offer, as well as a sobering look at how far our little town of 20,000+ is starting to reach. It also made us realize we really need to go out and see some more plays!

*A Sequin is like a Penguin from the Caribbean. Except, instead of being flightless birds, they are swimless fish. Go ahead. Look it up.

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Liquor? I don't even know 'er!

You may have noticed Portsmouth has a lot of bars. Let's face it. People come here to go out and drink. And I say go out and drink because with the exception of a few wayward freshly 21-year-old coeds from UNH*, Portsmouth's alcohol scene is not about the drunkenness but about the atmosphere and the variety.

*(Heather: That's Jayson's favorite flavor. . .)

Don't be fooled by their delicious appearance!

That of course doesn't mean we don't like to go out an occassionally get completely pissed. But although Strawberry Banke has its charm, it also reminds us we were founded by puritans, and honestly, I wonder when (if) we actually got over it.

Recently there's been a lot of hooplah over a few "incidents" at a few of the more popular bars in Portsmouth for doing a crazy thing like serving their patrons. The bottom line is that the bars are being held responsible for the intent and actions of the people that come there.

Whether it's arresting a server for serving someone under the magic "responsibility" age or costing a restaurant thousands because they don't have intoxication-sensing super robots, the reactionary, overzealous way that we as a state and a city confront the issue is baffling to me. We even go so far as naming the "offending" clerks in the media as if they are some sorts of pariahs for doing their jobs.

UPDATE: Here's another example of this ridiculousness (Thanks, Heather.)

Look, it's not the responsibility of a bar or store to not serve people. It's the responsibility of those people not to break the law. Luckily, a bill sponsored by Portsmouth Senator Martha Fuller Clark that was passed and is now moving through the House would change at least part of the law so that a bar must know that the person is intoxicated in order to be held responsible. Sure it's vague, but it's a start.

Of course, you start to understand where the problem stems from when you hear that the state's liquor law enforcement chief, Eddie Edwards (yes, that is his real name)** suggests that it's a better idea to limit everyone who drinks at a bar in portsmouth to one drink per hour. Seriously. That will fix the problem, and in the interim we can fine and arrest the people who decide to bar hop every 10 minutes.

Whether you think Portsmouth has an alcohol problem or not, I wish people would realize that they way to solve the problem is to stop treating alcohol as some terrifying taboo and educate people that like all things, it can be enjoyed in moderation... most of the time.

**(H:)William Carlos Williams feels your pain, Eddie.

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In With the New

So I realize we apoligized for this last time, but really, sorry we haven't posted in nearly a week.

Between my moving to Cabot St. (that's all you're getting about my address) and the fiasco I had with Comcast, I haven't had the time or the internet access to be able to contribute any adventurous anecdotes or delicious decisions. So bear with us while we dump some of the events of the past week on you.

Last Thursday we made our first trek into Ri Ra's, the new "Irish Pub" located in the remains of the banks next to Breaking New Grounds. Since its opening on March 28th, it has been packed non-stop. We decided to finally take a look and revel in the realization that in our current economy, banks are closing and bars are opening in their place.

We got there, and it was seriously packed. I mean this packed:

But Jayson, how did you get UP there?

It took us approximately an hour and a half to get seated, but we had beer, so it was okay. To be fair, we also had eight people and showed up unannounced. So word to the wise, while the rush is on, make reservations.

Reading the menu while waiting.

But alas, I was eventually out of beer.

I was not aware at the time that Ri Ra's is a chain. It's somewhat like an Irish Margaritas of New England and the North Atlantic states. That fact makes its location and atmosphere a great addition to Market Square for the visiting tourist. The food was decent (around 2 Tugboats on average - their wings were delicious).

What was cool about RiRa's was its humungous open ceiling and the fact that some of the tables were set up in the vault and safety deposit box areas. There was also a small cover band playing there too. Perhaps in the future there'll be some local irish band playing there.

Dinner you can bank on! Hahaha! Hahaha... ha... ahhh...

The rest of our adventures will be posted soon. In the meantime, here's a reminder that MarketSquared will be presenting one of the awards at the 2009 Spotlight Awards at the Music Hall on April 16th!

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Just a reminder

This is where Jayson and I will be on Thursday Night.


Blue Mermaid

Benefit to support the Seacoast Science Center

Thursday, April 9th at the Blue Mermaid island grill
Present this to your server to indicate you are dining in support of the Seacoast Science Center
In return the Blue Mermaid will donate 10% of your dining proceeds.

For music lovers:
Tone Twins will be performing in the lounge 7:00-9:00 pm

An acoustic duo playing tunes from the 60's-today

Lunch begins at 11:30; Dinner is served from 5:00-9:00 pm

This offer is only valid on 4/9/09 and can not be combined with any other restaurant discounts or promotions.

More info: www.seacoastsciencecenter.org
Menu & Directions: www.bluemermaid.com

Seaocast Science Center, 570 Ocean Blvd., Rye, NH 03870

Phone: 603-436-8043 Fax 603-433-2235

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A Second Helping

Dear Portsmouth—I’m sorry. We drifted off the face of the Earth for a while, and it’s mostly my fault. I had a rough week that didn’t really inspire motivation, and Jayson jetted off to San Francisco for a long weekend. It doesn’t mean we hadn’t been checking things out for you, it just means I was a lazy writer and a picture hog and Jayson was an evil abandoner* and—whatever, we’re back now.

Hooray!

On Tuesday, March 24th, I brought a bag full of clothing to Second Time Around, my favorite consignment shop in Portsmouth. I love that place. I use it mainly as a way to buy pricey jeans I could never afford otherwise, but I’ve also found great sweaters and coats and boots in there. It’s a good mix of high end and lower end, and the people who run the place have a good eye for what will sell. In fact, in just one week, two-thirds of my stuff is gone and I’m over $50 richer.

This is (sadly) not me.

Here’s how it works:

1. Call ahead and make an appointment to consign your stuff. Sometimes, especially around Christmas, they’re booked for a few weeks. Plan ahead.
2. Sift through your closets and find the quality stuff you don’t wear anymore. (Common sense says not to bring stuff that’s torn or stained unless that’s the way it’s supposed to be—just saying). Make sure it’s seasonal, or they won’t take it yet. I have a pile of sweaters in my closet that are just waiting for colder weather to come back (even though it hasn’t actually left yet.)
3. Bring it to the store at your scheduled time. Browse through the stuff they have while someone decides what’s worthy and what you should probably just donate to Planet Aide.
4. Receive your account number. Go home and register online, and you can see how much your stuff is going for and what’s already been sold. (This kind of feels like Christmas, actually.) You’re done!

You can get a check cut quarterly, or use your money as credit in the store at anytime. They take 60% of the sale, you get the rest. If it doesn’t sell quickly, it will go through a series of markdowns, and at the end of 3 months, you can either come collect what’s left or let them donate it to charity.

In the end, your wallet and your closet will thank you. So will the person who finds that dress that never fit you quite right but makes her feel like Cinderella. (There’s a guy section,too. It’s just much smaller.) And if you tell them I sent you, I get $20 as a referral reward, and *I* will thank you. Profusely.


*What? I’m codependent.

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