Grand openings in Portsmouth and Rye
Row 34 Portsmouth, the new oyster restaurant from the owners of Boston’s Row 34 and Island Creek Oyster bar, is set to open on May 24. Located in the Portwalk Place development, Row 34’s Portsmouth location is a “progressive oyster and beer bar,” with rotating artisanal oyster offerings, according to chef Jeremy Sewall.
“Portsmouth has been a town I’ve been coming to and watching for a long time,” says Sewall, a resident of York, Maine. “The food and the restaurants get better and better. It’s exciting to be a part of the next chapter of Portsmouth’s food evolution.”
Meanwhile, the Atlantic Grill in Rye hosts an official grand opening/summer-season kick-off on Tuesday, May 19 from 5 to 7 p.m. at the restaurant at 5 Pioneer Road. The event includes a ribbon cutting, appearances from local officials and representatives from the Greater Portsmouth and Hampton Area Chambers of Commerce, and the New Hampshire Lodging and Restaurant Association. The restaurant offers “classic New England cuisine” and “locally-sourced comfort food.”
Swap food in Stratham
The monthly Seacoast Food Swap at Meadow’s Mirth Farm in Stratham is still going strong. The event, which started last July, is a mix between a silent auction, village marketplace, and an open house. Participants bring in homemade creations (breads, canned goods, preserves, etc.) and trade with others. The next swap takes place Monday, May 24 at 5 p.m. at the farm, located at 61A Stratham Heights Road.
“(The farm) gives swappers the chance to experience a local food event in a local farm setting. I like to think of it as a ‘farm-to-swap’ type of event,” says co-founder Erin Urqhardt. For information, email seacoastfoodswap@gmail.com.
Meadow's Mirth Farm in Stratham hosts the monthly Seacoast Food Swap.
New deli and sandwich shop set for Portsmouth
People of Portsmouth, prepare your condiments: two new sandwich shops are coming to town. Kennebunk, Maine’s Bennett’s Store is set to open a second location at 41 Congress St., formerly home to Enrico’s Deli. Bennett’s Store will serve up hot sandwiches, including steak and cheese and meatball subs; cold sandwiches, and club sandwiches.
And those looking for a traditional New York-style deli need to wait only a few more months until they can satisfy their cravings for knishes. Gregg Schweitzer, owner of Bubby’s Delicatessen, says the deli, located at 241 Hanover St., should open sometime in July. Bubby’s will serve breakfast and lunch seven days a week, offering “really good New York-style bagles,” homemade soups, smoked fish, knishes, and everything else you’d expect to find in a Jewish deli, according to Schweitzer. A former bartender at The Press Room and the Hilton Garden Inn, Schweitzer says he’s excited to bring an authentic deli to the Seacoast.
“There’s a void in the restaurant scene for this kind of food,” he says. “People in northeast New England think deli just means ‘sandwich shop,’ but not traditionally.”