|
|
  
|
|
Three for the road, and worth the trip
Restaurant reviewed 05/06/99 by Adam Pertman
21 Congress St. Portsmouth, N.H. (603) 430-9582 (Get directions) The powerful, pungent aroma of barbecued meat and the soothing, gritty sound of Southern blues stage a simultaneous assault as you enter the Muddy River Smokehouse. You quickly want to give in, and that turns out to be a wise strategic decision. Sure, you were looking for a place that feels like Portsmouth itself: graceful, old worldly, alluring in a way that only seaside communities in New England can be. But you peeked through the doors of this four-year-old downtown restaurant just to see what it looked like, and now you have to find out if it can do for your tastebuds what it has already done to your other senses. It can, and it does. The ribs and chicken aren't grilled here, as they are at many barbecue joints. Instead, they're rubbed with dry spices and smoked for up to 12 hours. The result is meat that takes on a lovely reddish hue, roughly the shade of Indian tandoori, and it becomes so tender that the gentlest of tugs pulls it off the bone. A woody-tangy flavor permeates the hickory-smoked chicken ($9.25), while a hint of cayenne tingles your tongue even as the St. Louis ribs ($11.95) melt in your mouth. And it's not just meat that's done right here. The tuna steak ($10.95) resides on the grill just long enough to form a crunchy crust, but just short enough to leave the inside appealingly moist. Ditto for the New Hampshire crabcakes ($6.25), an appetizer full of flaky meat encased in a slightly spicy shell. Two other starters of note: the tender-crispy catfish fingers ($4.95) and the deep-fried pickles ($3.95), which may seem a bit strange, but go surprisingly well with a cold beer. The portions are as oversized as the place itself, an almost cavernous dining room decorated with a mural (of a muddy river, of course) on one wall and illuminated faux stars overhead. But leave room for at least one of the homemade desserts - like the dense, intensely chocolate Tollhouse cookie pie ($4.75). Ah, sweet surrender.
Rocha Thai
Restaurant reviewed 05/06/99 by Adam Pertman
From the outside, Rocha Thai looks more like a well-tended little house than a place you'd go to pay for dinner. Its location, on a side street off a heavily commercial section of Route 9 just east of Worcester, isn't exactly enticing either. Don't be put off, though. Inside, both the staff and the decor are warm and inviting. Burgundy is the color of choice for the carpet and chairs, crisp white cloths cover the tables, and black-lacquered dividers are scattered around the dining room. And then there's the food, which is exceptional. The chef here has mastered the art of what could be called layered cooking - dishes prepared so that you initially taste the combined flavors, then the individual components. So our first impression of the tom yum soup ($2.75), a thin broth filled with chunks of either shrimp or chicken, was that it was pleasingly smooth and spicy; then a bit of hot chile kicked in, followed by a snap of lemon grass. The appetizer of paradise beef ($4.95) coated with coriander seed offered a similar experience, the soy and honey in its marinade coming through together and then separately. Several entrees in particular soared. Topping our charts were the shrimp cilantro ($11.95), which tasted as if the crustaceans had lived in a sea of honey and herbs before finding themselves on a grill; and the pad Thai, which appears on every Thai menu and therefore is a good standard for comparison. This version was among the most intense, and satisfying, we've ever had. Almost as good were the Oriental veggie 'n' chicken ($8.25), tender strips of meat surrounded by bok choi, shiitake mushrooms, and other vegetables in a garlicky, soy-based sauce; and the Siam duck ($11.95), which had crisper skin and a more pleasantly gamey taste than what we've found elsewhere at much higher prices. Rocha Thai is a find. Serious fans of Thai cuisine won't regret making a 45-minute drive to judge it against the best they've had around Boston.
Angelo's Civita Farnese Restaurant
Restaurant reviewed 05/06/99 by Diane Daniel
As it turned out, our entrees were great. And that's apparently no secret around town: Even at 5:30 on a Saturday, we had to wait 20 minutes for a table. But once inside the smallish dining room (avoid the function-room-like annex), we felt comfy and well taken care of. We started with antipasto ($3.75), bland except for the thinly sliced sharp provolone. The daily special (the menu, on a board, changes daily, with some fixed entrees) - ziti with black olives, broccoli, and garlic for $5.95 - was wonderful. The pasta was al dente, and so was the broccoli, and the garlic/butter blend struck a perfect balance. The veal cutlet parmesan with spaghetti ($8.25) excelled: The breading was light and well seasoned, the veal tender and juicy, and the tomato sauce sweet and spicy without overpowering. We also sampled the eggplant parmesan ($3.95), another generous portion. Again, the breading was flaky and moist without being oily, and the thinly sliced eggplant was fresh and flavorful. Other standouts are the calamari ($5.95) served only on Fridays, and pork chops with pasta ($10.25). Skip the tapioca ($1) and go directly to the cannoli ($2.25), light, crisp crunch on the outside, barely sweetened fresh ricotta on the inside. Note, for your chew-chewing pleasure: a little train circles the room on a track just below the ceiling, to the delight of diners young and old. Donate 25 cents to the Make a Wish Foundation and you can send it on a two-minute trip.
|
|
|
||
|
|
 Extending our newspaper services to the web |
of The Globe Online |
|