Surf Restaurant — Restaurant in Nashua

So, I went to Surf Restaurant with my fiancé and holy mackerel, that place was packed! We arrived at 6pm and had to wait for 45 minutes. I felt like we were queuing for the latest iPhone release or something. But the workers were super friendly and prompt with helping us, so I guess that made up for the wait. Maybe they're just really good at surfing, so they can handle a packed restaurant with ease.

Once we were finally seated, we decided to order the Red Dragon Roll and Chili and Crispy Garlic rolls. The fish was fresh and delicious, but the size and seasoning of the rolls left something to be desired. It was like the restaurant was trying to sneak in some inflation into our sushi experience. Maybe they're secretly in cahoots with the Federal Reserve or something.

We also tried the Lobster fries, but they were a bit of a letdown. I was expecting some fancy, lobster-filled fries, but they were just regular fries with a bit of lobster on top. It was like ordering a fancy steak and getting served a hotdog. Maybe they should change the name to "Sad Lobster Fry Imposters."

But the real star of the show was the Crispy Brussels sprouts salad. I'm not usually a fan of Brussels sprouts, but this salad was like a superhero in a bowl. It was like a party in my mouth, and everyone was invited! Maybe they put some secret spices in there that makes you feel like you're at a rave or something.

Side Note: You know, I totally get it - Surf Restaurant wants to cater to their audience. But come on, let people taste some spices! A little bit of diversity might lead to some adversity in the restroom for the first time, but hey, at least it's an adventure. I mean, what's life without a little bit of risk-taking, am I right?

I'm all about tasting the ingredients in my food, but sometimes it feels like chefs use it as an excuse to not add any spices. Maybe they're afraid that the flavors will be too spicy for people, but I say bring on the heat! It's like a challenge for your taste buds. Who needs a bungee jump when you can have some spicy sushi rolls?

Overall, Surf Restaurant was hit-and-miss in terms of food, but it was definitely a fun experience. It's like going on a rollercoaster - some parts were great, while others left you feeling a bit queasy. But hey, at least we didn't have to sign a waiver before eating the food. I'm definitely going back to try more dishes, I know that there are more dishes...

A stellar dining experience, as I've come to expect at all the Michael Timothy restaurants.

We arrived at 5:30 pm and sat at the bar to catch the vibe of the restaurant. I figured it would be prime time and we would have difficulty finding a seat but that was not the case as there were plenty of places available at the bar. Not so, 20 minutes later, as the bar, and restaurant were packed. Lucky timing for us.

We had 3 bartenders and each reached out to us, repeatedly, to make sure we were all set. When we finally decided on what to drink, the order was taken and the drinks were quickly in front of us.

We chatted for a bit, enjoying our drinks, with no pressure to enhance our order with food. After a bit, we inquired about our food options and menus were quickly presented. Our bartender went through the specials and the basil in the sushi special sounded AWESOME but was paired with a peanut sauce (an extreme allergen of mine) and a cilantro glaze (no allergen but who in their right mind desecrates sushi with freakin' cilantro... the mind boggles). I expressed my desire for the sushi special, with my concerns, and was told that I could have the special made the way I preferred, no peanut sauce, no cilantro glaze. [And it was AWESOME... the basil... so unexpected in a sushi roll but such an extreme and wonderful flavor]

We also had the crab cakes as an appetizer. Expertly prepared. A light crunchy exterior, tender crab interior, a perfect accompanying sauce and the coleslaw... it's worthy of being an appetizer on its own; perfectly balanced between sweet and sour, not drowning in sauce, crisp and julienned components, it was really damn good.

I had the Korean BBQ scallops with wasabi mashed potatoes, green beans a ponzu sauce. She had the miso salmon... and other stuff. I reluctantly offered her a scallop (which I was so thankful she rejected... I think we were both doing our own mini Tolkien version of "its'es is MINE... my precious.... MINE". I don't feel bad for it... mostly).

All in all, everything about my experience at Surf was excellent. Extreme attention to detail in servicing, a willingness to accommodate my peculiarities (to my extreme satisfaction) in the selection of the appetizer special, the absolutely delightful food that was the entrees.

It was expensive, to be sure, but it was SO worth it. My date was extremely impressed, as was I. Will do...

Had dinner, or tried to, tonight. Sat down at 6:15pm, left at 7:45pm with no dinner. Had 2 Dragon rolls, it's OK. Very expensive ($18) for basic spicy tuna w/tempura crunch, see pic. Very average, bummer if you're a sushi aficionado. People were giving rave reviews about the sushi, but if you know about sushi you will be very disappointed. Checked out the sushi case, should have taken pics, not impressed at all. Hamachi looked a lil brown, no bluefin, maguro was meh, not many choices for fish. Salmon wasn't cured in salt or vinegar washed sushi style, just plain salmon. Tuna was pink, not a bright red. Didn't see any Uni, Tamago, Ika, mackerel, and etc. Sushi rice was bland, sushi is all about the rice and good fish(I didn't say fresh as all sushi fish is flash frozen, anyone telling you otherwise is wrong). Maybe I'm being too hard on them as I've owned 2 restaurants in my life and my father was a sushi chef for over 40 years in Japan, but I've had better in NH at some Chinese places.

Ordered a watered down expresso Martini, came out too strong. Wife doesn't drink much.

Ordered atlantic haddock, never received it. Had to ask manager to take it off my bill.

Clam chowder flavor was good, a lil too salty but cornstarch was used to thicken instead of a rue, so it became watery.

Oysters on the half shell was the best, champagne mignonette was good, cocktail sauce is canned or bottled.

Smoked trout and smoked salmon was good.

Service was just average, new waitress? She or the kitchen forgot about my dinner, never offered to make things right, basically just ok.

Layout of restaurant is open style with a bar off to the side.

Overall, an okay place for drinks and some appetizers. Don't expect much for sushi, very disappointing. Can't tell you how the entrée is, never received it. Ambiance is meh, Buckleys in merrimack, part of their group is better. Over priced on a lot of their menu items, decent prices on a lot of their menu items. Dinner came to $135 for 2 with no entrées a couple of drinks, and 5 appetizers w/o tip. Was very excited to try out Surf but came away very disappointed, my expectations wasn't met, still looking for that great seafood restaurant in...