In Clocktower Square, there is a humble-looking restaurant, outfitted with two signs outside. One is a small plaque next to the door which reads “WARNING home of the Zombie Killer ultra-caffeinated iced coffee. Purchase at your own risk,” which makes a lot of sense, considering that this restaurant was previously known as “Custom House Coffee of Portsmouth,” one of the area’s premier coffee houses. The other sign, however, is more relevant to the current incarnation of this coffee-house- turned-pub and contains the new name, “Portsmouth Publick House.”
Upon walking into Portsmouth Publick House, we were in the café area, consisting of a counter at which coffee and specialty drinks are ordered and a shelf containing rows of roasted coffee beans to buy for home brewing. Since the name change, Portsmouth Publick House is trying to focus more on being a restaurant than a coffee shop, advertising a wide variety of lunch and dinner selections, so I found it interesting that they kept the coffee counter as the first thing a guest sees when they enter. All of the tables in the dining area were taken, so we were seated at the bar, in front of a beautiful sight: shelves upon shelves of craft beer. We also had an excellent view into the kitchen, which looked very clean. The décor was simple, but overall nice for a casual meal or drink.
To start, we ordered a beet and arugula salad and the stuffed calamari. The beet and arugula salad ($14) came topped with gorgonzola cheese, which is a classic combination and, as can be expected from beets and gorgonzola cheese, was delicious. The calamari ($12) was a creative dish, and something we weren’t expecting. For this, they took the tips of whole calamari and stuffed them with a ritz cracker stuffing, seared them and served them with a puree of white wine, butter and golden raisins. The squid wasn’t chewy like squid can easily get when overcooked. The puree was sweet and buttery. A good choice, if you’re a fan of squid.
For dinner, I had the polenta, served with a mushroom ragù, and my companion had the oven roasted turkey dinner, a take on a classic Thanksgiving dinner, served with house stuffing and roasted corn relish. There were also some creative burgers on the menu, including a lamb burger with yogurt and cucumber dipping sauce, and a bison burger with mango chutney. The polenta ($12) had a great soft-almost-creamy texture, although the outside could have used a good sear, providing a golden crust and creamier inside. The mushroom ragù, however, wasn’t the highlight of the meal. There was a hearty helping of mushrooms, but it seemed to be more of a marinara sauce with mushrooms than a ragù, which is typically an Italian meat-based sauce containing aromatic vegetables and herbs. This was still a solid dish and went well with the Newport Storm blueberry ale I ordered to drink. The oven roasted turkey dinner ($13) was what you would expect out of a traditional Thanksgiving-style turkey dinner, although it was piled onto a plate smaller than the meal, making it pretty difficult to eat. The portion sizes were generous with both dishes, and we found ourselves stu!ed by the end of the meal.
The décor and food at Portsmouth Publick House lend well to a casual meal, but we found the price point to be just a bit ambitious for that type of meal. We would have been okay with smaller portions and a lower price point, which would make this a good restaurant for informal family meals. Portsmouth Publick House 600 Clocktower Square, Portsmouth (401) 682-2600
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