Cure — Restaurant in Portsmouth

There certainly has been a blizzard of activities going on for sure. 😁 With all the doom and gloom of miserable weather, my bride and I decided to make date night Friday night. Impending miserability can make anyone depressed. There was only one decision we could make, we went for a total CURE. Uh huh, we found the medicine we needed was at 189 State St in Portsmouth.

We were greeted and seated with a compliment of menus. After looking over the cocktails, my wife made the difficult choice of a Vodka Collins and I ordered The Cure(Pic 1). This is made with Woodford Reserve Bourbon, sweet Vermouth, maple syrup and a brandied cherry. Both drinks were complete perfection and just what the doctor ordered.

Upon delivery of the cocktails, we ordered appetizers. My bride ordered the Creamy Tomato Soup(Pic 2) made with mirepoix(a flavor base made with diced vegetables), herbs, just enough cream and parmesan crisps. I ordered the Lobster Bisque(Pic 3). This is slow simmered and has rich flavors of sherry and tomato, and of course, fresh lobster meat. Both soups were simply magnificent. Rich, creamy, flavorful. The perfect start to a meal on a very cold night.

For dinner, my wife ordered a beautiful Simple Greens Salad with Grilled Chicken(Pic 4). This salad had mixed greens, radish cucumbers, shaved carrots, shallot, grape tomatoes and finished with a beautiful champagne vinaigrette that was light, refreshing and very flavorful. She ordered a second Vodka Collins.

I ordered the Halibut Special(Pic 5). Why? Well, just for the halibut! (Sorry 😏) I also ordered another drink. This time I got the Elder-Fashioned made with Basil Hayden Bourbon, Elderflower liqueur, orange and bitters( Pic 6). My dinner had a beautiful, moist piece of herbed fish that included a blue cheese farro risotto and bacon wrapped asparagus. This dish was a remarkable play on flavors that worked well together. My wife is not a blue cheese fan, but this risotto had her reeling with surprise. She loved it! It really was an incredible side to a perfect meal. Oh, and who could doubt the addition of bacon to perfectly cooked asparagus? I still think about that meal.

For dessert we ordered the Kahlua Creme Brulee with raspberries(Pic 7). Before you ask, yes, it was a delicious, sensuous, decadent dessert that was perfect in every way. What a way to top off a magnificent meal.

CURE is a top flight restaurant that continues to deliver excellence at every phase; service, food, and atmosphere. I know many of you have been here, so you know what I'm talking about. For anyone who hasn't been to CURE, you are missing out on a true dining...

I have recently returned from a social distancing driven “vacation” to a fellow “safe state” and have a lot to say about several restaurants and venues. This review will be specific to Cure in Portsmouth New Hampshire. One of the great things about have adult children vacationing with the family is the built-in baby sitting and that means Date Night! My wife and I decided on Cure in Portsmouth based on the website and the menu. We almost didn’t get in having left that decision to the last minute which meant we were one of the last seating’s around 7:30 at night. I must say that Cure is also a cure for the Covid-19 Blues as we were treated to top notch service, food, and cocktails during our visit. Let’s start with the ambiance. This place had limited seating before Covid-19, now it is just this side of exclusive private dining. We were given a small table for two in an enclosed courtyard, very cute, very romantic, and most importantly to my wife, open to the outside air. Restrooms were a short walk from the tables, clean, well maintained, and smelling of sanitizer. I really miss seeing the faces of waitstaff as everyone is hunkered down behind a mask, but at least they took it seriously, none of this nose coming up for air from behind a scarf stuff. The service. Excellent. To be honest almost every dining experience we had in Portsmouth had above and beyond level service. Great in the moment, hard on my tipping wallet. We were taken care of by our lead waitress and a very attentive table runner. We also spent some time chatting with the young man who created some of their signature cocktails. The cocktails are based on the ask and ye shall receive mentality. They were perfectly crafted by people whose knowledge goes far beyond tonics and mixers and who cringe at the thought of shaking a Manhattan or putting more than a tsp of soda water in an old fashioned. My wife enjoyed a nice pinot noir which was recommended to balance her main course, it did. I finished the night with a ten-year-old port. Bigger glasses please :) We started with blue cheese stuffed dates wrapped in bacon OMG, and a baked artichoke dip. Yeah I know, everybody does that one, but Cure does it very, very, well. On to the Pan Roasted duck breast, perfectly medium rare on a generous bed of rice mushroom risotto and wilted spinach. My wife had the signature braised short ribs which she thought were perfect and with a large enough potion I got to eat the leftovers for breakfast! We finished by sharing something chocolate and delectable. Though this was our first visit to Cure it won’t...

House Manager saved a 5 rating. I had two dishes, the PB&J ribs (app) and Peach & Buratta salad. I started with the salad and loved the play of the various ingredients and textures: saltiness of the prosciutto with the tart sweetness of the balsamic vinaigrette and peaches and the nuttiness of the pistachios and greens. The texture of the burrata with the firmness of the peaches and the crunch of greens. It was really wonderful. Skipping the ribs for a moment, my wife had the Vegetable Gnocchi Carbonara and thoroughly enjoyed it. She especially loved the combination of the vegetables with the creamy sauce and pillowy gnocchi. She ordered the cornbread also and it was good but didn't stand out as the other dishes did and we found it odd it was served in a crock with butter in the middle but was only tepidly warm on the top. I think it would have been better served a bit hotter. So now for the ribs. I was intrigued by so many things on their menu but the Peanut Butter and Jelly Pork Ribs won out. Unfortunately I found them to quite dry even with the delicious raspberry jam. I did not complain as I realize kitchens can have off days. However, the house manager did notice and came to our table to specifically ask about the ribs. I have taken home many a full doggy bag, sometimes because I ordered too much; sometimes to "fix" the food at home but this was literally the first time anyone has ever specifically asked about a dish I didn't finish so I did give her an honest answer and was pleased at her response and her solution. When someone cares that much about their customers and their product, you know it is a good place. She saved the 5th star for her service and I look forward to experiencing more of Cures very interesting menu. Thank you for an overall wonderful evening and for taking the time to ask and listen. UPDATE: the day I posted this review I got an email response from the owner/chef through Google who thanked me for my honest review and for letting the front house manager know because they were already working on a solution to the dry rib issue. Things happen but it's this kind of response that really shines through any clouds. I really can't wait now for our next time in Portsmouth because we're going...