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Pesce Blue
Rating Details »
Categories: American (New), Seafood, American (Traditional) [Edit]
103 Congress StPortsmouth, NH 03801
(603) 430-7766
- Price Range:
-
$$$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street, Garage
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- No
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- Yes
- Good for:
- Dinner
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
9 reviews for Pesce Blue
I was walking down the streets of Portsmouth on a recent fall visit, and found this little gem on the main street in downtown. Pesce has these two large windows, and at night you just can't resist the lure of the candlelight within.
Once inside, I was not disappointed--the interiors are just the right balance of unassuming, modern chic. Pesce, don't listen to the other reviewers, your mix of wood, abstract paintings and subtle lighting perfectly offset the zen treatment of the walls and ceiling.
As for the food, although it was slow in coming, it was worth the wait. Fresh ingredients and simple but tasty flavors that engage your palate. I had the garden salad, brussel sprouts and panecetta, and the spaghetti vongole with clams--all of it, quite tasty.
Given the location, I can see why the chef might hesitate to experiment more with flavors, but I did find myself wishing for more flights of fancy on the menu. Still, a lovely little place for that special dinner you want to treat your special someone to.
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I've eaten here twice and both times I left feeling like I overpaid and didn't get much. However, it is a great spot if you want to sit and have a few drinks and enjoy the atmosphere or perhaps have an appetizer or desert.
We just went tonight before the Bruce Hornsby concert. There weren't many diners at 6:30 but we had a reservation. The calamari was very good as an appetizer. My husband had the mussels. They were very good but the fewest I've ever seen served. The cesear salads were good but ultra garlicy. They serve all of their fish medium rare so make sure you get it the way you want it. Scallops are not good MR. Wasn't overly impressed with this place. Our friends both had the salmon. It was smoked or had some kind of funky flavoring that they didn't seem impressed with. On a positive note the bread and oil dip served upon arrival was excellend!
Too bad about those older reviews. This place is GREAT! Just went last night before a movie at The Music Hall for some small plates and drinks. Everything was absolutely delicious and made with as many local ingredients as possible. The atmosphere is nice - very modern but not cold. The servers are all friendly and willing to help. Bartender was friendly but not very attentive (we sat at a table in the bar area and the place was not busy because it was early). Had to ask two different waitresses for help to place orders or get a glass of wine I had ordered. I think if we'd directly at the bar we wouldn't have had that issue. Will definitely go here again!
My wife and I went to Pesce for our anniversary a couple of weeks ago. We had a relatively early reservation (7:00ish) and the place was fairly empty.
We started off with a few selections from the antipasto menu, which were all delicious. For the main course I ordered the fresh gnocci with sea scallops and my wife had the assorted grilled fish. My meal was deliscious, but the grilled fish was sub par. I am not sure if there was still some stuff left on the grill from the night before but the grill taste was over bearing. The fish was actually well cooked on the inside, but the char on the outside overpowered the dish.
We opted out on dessert but I would say that my experience was enjoyable for the most part. Aside from the fish, I would say my only other beef with the place was that their timing was off a bit. We had a glass of prosecco with our apps and then ordered a bottle of wine for our main course. Unfortunately the wine didn't come until after our main courses, so we ended up leaving an unfinished bottle.
As far as prices go, I found the food prices to be inline with expectations and the wine prices to be very reasonable. I will definitely go back to Pesce Blue again.
We were visiting Portsmouth house hunting for our upcoming relocation...Pesce Blue was in a local mag I picked up in the hotel, so we tried it...mind you we tried Jumpin' Jay's the night before and LOVED it! The wine we had - i LOVED (can't recall the name - husband is the wine snob not me) & i drank a bit too much of it because we waited and waited and waited for our food...other people who had been seated after us were served bread and then their dinners when we finally received our bread at our table (mind you we ordered nothing out of the ordinary off the menu).... that said the food was good (husband enjoyed it more than I did) but nothing to get excited about and the dessert was blah. After moving to Portsmouth I doubt we will ever step foot in this place again.....it is just not worth it....too many other places to try & we are very happy with the other places we did try.
on a positive note, the waiter was great (we can't blame him for the kitchen being slow) and they did seat us right away without a reservation - however we are talking a Tuesday night at 6:00 and maybe 5 other tables occupied.
The food was good, the waiter knew his stuff, and it was a beautiful night to sit outside. But somehow I had expected more after hearing so many other people rave about Pesce Blue and after seeing the prices on the menu. They weren't crazy but they were high enough to say "this is going to be really good." Nothing was bad, nothing went wrong, and I'd go again. But it's not so amazing that I'm likely to be a regular.
One odd thing about Pesce Blue - when you pay with a credit card, your entire credit card number shows up on the receipt. I haven't seen any restaurant credit card machine do that in years because it was a security problem. I wouldn't take away any stars for it, it was just a surprise.
Update 10/28/07: Another odd thing about Pesce Blue... my wife got a gift card for Pesce Blue from some co-workers recently. Well, she almost got it. They bought it and it was supposed to be arriving in the mail really soon. Weeks later it hadn't shown up and it apparently took quite a bit of prompting to get them to deliver. When it did finally show up, it was for more than expected, apparently as a way of apologizing. We'll still go back because the food really was good and we have a gift card (and thanks for that, folks!!) but if you're paying by credit card or you want to give a gift card to someone, my limited experience with Pesce Blue tells me that you might want to think twice.
Update 1/3/08: We went back about a week ago. They took the gift card, nothing was confused, and the only thing technically wrong was that they were out of the Vinho Verde (Portuguese wine) that we wanted. Somehow Pesce Blue isn't as satisfying overall as Jumpin' Jay's or Rudi's. It's not because both times we ordered wine that they didn't have. I don't know... something's not right. It's still worth four stars, but not five.
A thought (6/16/08): Not really an update because I haven't gone back to Pesce Blue in months, but that's the point. I haven't gone back because there are better restaurants everywhere. The food was okay every time I went but as the months go by, I find myself less interested in going back. I should try a Sunday brunch but for now, I can't keep giving the place 4 stars. I'm just not drawn to it that much. So I'm changing my rating from 4 to 3 stars. Someone will someday suggest going back and I won't fight very hard. If it's good, I'll go back to 4 stars. I'm not using the new update feature because I didn't go back. I just think that my lack of interest in returning to this restaurant is not consistent with a 4 star rating.
Still thinking (10/21/08): We still haven't been back and as I walk past, I'm not drawn to the place. The food has always been decent but everything else leaves me cold. Four months ago I said that I would go back if someone else really wanted to go there & no one has. You probably won't have a bad time here but there are so many better restaurants in Portsmouth.
If I could give this zero stars, I certainly would!
We tried to book this place last year for a private party and they never ever returned our calls. This year, one of the guys insisted we try again because he was sure that this place was going to be great. Our coordinator went in to the restaurant a few months in advance and booked the entire place for a private party. The owner said everything was squared away. Our coordinator asked him to give her the menu for the evening and he said that it would be "special" but never produced anything in advance. Two weeks before the event, she had not heard from the owner so she called. 35 calls and no return call from the owner, she drove up to NH and payed a visit. The owner immediately said, "Well, I'm sure you heard about my accident?" He supposedly hit a moose and had been in the hospital. He looked fine and never mentioned that he could have had someone take his place in his absence. Anyhow, our coordinator asked him if everything was a "go" for the night of our private party. Owner said that everything was fine except that "someone" had accidentally taken one reservation. But that they would be leaving as we were arriving. "No problem"....
We arrive at 7PM on the night of our event. The restaurant is FULL both inside and out. We had arranged a special cocktail and appetizer spread for the patio. This was not available either. We waited for two hours for them to clear the tables and set up for our party. After a lot of prodding, they finally brought out bread sticks for us to munch on. We were seated around 9PM and then handed the full menu. Not the special paired down menu that we had been promised (thus making it more difficult on the kitchen). I ordered the prime rib. My boyfriend had the rabbit. I tasted his rabbit and it was tough, overcooked and over seasoned. It resembled no rabbit I have ever had. My prime rib was a big lump of fat and gristle on my plate sitting atop some sliced potatoes. How unappetizing! Did I mention that our dinner was placed before us at 10:30PM??? The dessert menu was equally blah on top of the fact that is was so bloody late!!! The only thing positive I can say about this place is that the wait staff was pleasant and the bartender had an uncanny knack for remembering who was drinking what. Such talents do not make for a fine dining experience though!
Avoid this place like the plague! The owner was so completely dishonest about the whole mess - even if they serve small tables perfectly fine, I couldn't go back just on principle! I can't remember having a worse meal nor have I ever seen such a botched event! I felt just awful for our coordinator. She was completely embarrassed and there is nothing that Pesce Blue can do to take back the mess!
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The food is tasty, though can be a little pricey for what it is. Give it a try, though--I always have a great experience there.
