Popovers in Portsmouth NH

Over the weekend, I trekked up to Kittery, Maine, to check out all of the pre-spring sales at J.Crew and Ralph Lauren. After hours of picking through pressed cardigans and starched white jeans, we decided to take a break and head towards Portsmouth, New Hampshire, for a delicious lunch and a walk around Prescott Park beginning to bloom.

Portsmouth is essentially a larger version of the town I live in, with its brick buildings and sidewalks, green trees, quaint shops, with music and art around every corner. Except here, I have about 20 different restaurants to keep me coming back to try something completely new. For lunch we decided to try this restaurant called “Popovers,” can you guess what they served? Everything on the menu was piled inside and on top of warm, fresh, and light popovers. My mom, who prides herself on her popover-making-talents, was even impressed.

She eventually decided on the curry chicken salad, which was pretty good, but my choice was definitely the pick of the day. They happened to have my all time favorite salad in the world, poached pear and gorgonzola salad, and I was blown away with how the complex web of flavors complimented each bite. Atop a crispy bed of mixed greens, chunks of earthy and pungent gorgonzola cheese were sprinkled along with Craisin’s and walnuts. Soft caramelized onions were placed alongside a whole poached pear which had been cooked in a heavenly mixture of cloves and cinnamon. Fresh mango shavings for garnish, all drizzled with a combination of poached pear compote and thick and sweet balsamic vinegar, this salad was absolutely fantastic. As if it couldn’t get any better, this heavenly concoction was all served inside of this warm and flaky popover. I have never tasted a more delightful salad in my life.

On our way out of the door, my sweet tooth kicked in as the bakers were pulling sugary coconut macaroons dipped in chocolate, out of the oven. We couldn’t resist the urge, so we took home a dozen of these sweet treats and polished off half of the bag before we reached my driveway. Needless to say, it was a perfect lunch that I will surely revisit with my friends literally as soon as possible. (If the J.Crew Spring collection isn’t enough to get them there, I’m sure this picture will.)