How Exeter became a new hotspot for fine dining: 'A great alternative to Portsmouth’

EXETER — As he was trimming sugar snap peas ahead of that night’s dinner service, Otis owner and head chef Lee Frank reminisced about Exeter's dining scene throughout the years.

His sous chef was blanching green beans and setting up mise en place behind the chef’s table. It was going to be a busy night as Phillips Exeter Academy was holding its graduation.

“There wasn’t a ton downtown,” said Frank of the dining scene. “There were restaurants but there wasn’t necessarily … fine dining. Fine dining existed in Portsmouth. Once you go outside, there isn’t a ton.”

That has changed in recent years with the additions of Vino e Vivo, Il Cornicello, Ambrose and the newly rebranded Epoch Gastropub, making Exeter the new “it” place for chef-driven dining. Since then, other restaurants have joined, including Sawbelly Brewing, Street, Otto Pizza and coming soon the Big Bean Café.

Tony Callendrello, owner of food and wine bar Vino e Vivo, said when he first moved to town in the '80s, the dining options were of “convenient and comfortable” food — mostly Chinese restaurants and pizzerias.

“There was one decent restaurant called The Starving Chef,” he said. “I still remember what I used to get there. It was Lydia’s Chicken.”

Callendrelloopened Vino e Vivo at 163 Water St. in 2018. Its wine list changes frequently and is curated by Callendrello himself, with more than 20 selections by the glass and 50 by the bottle. The wine is paired with food by head chef Paul Callahan, who was one of 20 semifinalists for best chef in the Northeast in the coveted 2023 James Beard Foundation Awards.

Otis start of Exeter as a dining destination

Callendrellodescribed Frank’s Otis restaurant as “the first trailblazer for fine dining in Exeter.”

“Otis had opened up and proved that there was a market for fine dining and a food and wine experience,” he said. “That gave me the confidence that at least we had a shot.”

Frank opened Otis at 4 Front St. in September 2016, serving “Modern Americana” food driven by locally sourced ingredients.

“The space in Exeter found me more than I found Exeter,” said Frank, who also owns Lee Frank’s, a casual “burger joint” in South Berwick, Maine.

Previously a chef at M.C. Perkins Cove in Ogunquit and Anneke Jans in Kittery, the Los Angeles native said owners of the Inn by the Bandstand contacted him about setting up shop in Exeter.

“I came down and I looked at the space,” said Frank. “I didn’t know much about the town to be honest, but I fell in love with the space. I looked at the demographic around town and it seemed like the town and the people could support a higher-end restaurant.”

Frank credits Kathy Gallant, owner of The Blue Moon Evolution for shaping the town's dining scene into what it is today. The former restaurant, also known as The Moon, was one of the town’s first farm-to-table cafes. It closed permanently in the fall of 2021 after 25 years.

“It seemed like the town was ready for something besides the Blue Moon,” he said. “I will never take anything away from what they did, but it seemed like the town was ready for something loud and hip and local … kind of pushing the culinary scene in the Seacoast forward.”

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Exeter: An alternative to Portsmouth’s dining scene

Local restaurateur Jay McSharry took over the Blue Moon space and opened the second location of Street Restaurant in the spring of 2022.

McSharry — who also owns Jumpin’ Jay’s Fish Cafe, Moxy and Vida Cantina in Portsmouth among others — said he saw an opportunity to bring Street and its eclectic international street food concept to the town.

“Street is one of our most popular restaurants in the group, it’s a fun restaurant,” said McSharry. “We chose Exeter because it’s a great town. I feel like it’s a very great alternative to Portsmouth.”

Tim O’Brien, owner and head chef of Il Cornicello, agrees.

His restaurant, which opened in 2020, prides itself on homemade pasta and sauces, giving customers an authentic Italian experience.

While it got off at a rough start with the pandemic forcing them to do takeout for six months, as soon as dine-in was allowed the people came and the reviews were glowing. So much so, that reservations are almost always needed.

“It shows that you don’t have to be in a big city like Portsmouth to have great food,” said O’Brien. “It’s the convenience of not having to go into a big city, find parking and deal with all that madness … that’s a big thing for us here.”

The chef said he decided to open a restaurant in Exeter because of two things: ambiance and proximity.

“First and foremost, when I’m looking at different places, I’m looking for a vibrant downtown … I like the downtown, it’s walkable and there’s a community here,” he said. “Secondly is access to farms that are nearby. We have a plethora of farms in the area that we draw from.”

O’Brien said in bigger local cities like Portsmouth, restaurants usually have higher overhead costs, resulting in thinner profit margins. But by being in Exeter, he said, he could offer customers much more for less.

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Exeter restaurants complement each other

When it comes to fine or upscale dining offered in Exeter, there aren't two of the same, each one is unique.

“There are no chains downtown,” said Jaime Lopez, the innkeeper of Inn by the Bandstand. “We want it to be unique and an experience for everybody who comes to town and for us who lives here.”

In 2021, Lopez brought in head chef Stanley Orantes to lead Ambrose, a tapas-style restaurant within the inn. The restaurant — which was thought by many to be a secret dining spot — is open to everyone, he said.

Otis, Vino e Vivo, Il Cornicello, Ambrose and Epoch Gastropub all bring something different to the table, offering customers, both local and out-of-town, something new each time they dine in.

“We all provide a different experience,” said Callendrello.

If customers want modern, upscale American food, they head to Otis. For food and a longer list of wines, it's Vino e Vivo. Craving for authentic, homemade Italian pasta? Il Cornicello it is. If you are feeling adventurous, Ambrose offers an eclectic selection of tapas-style fusion menu. And for elevated New England everyday staples, head to Epoch Gastropub.

And because each of these chef-driven restaurants sources its ingredients locally, the menu changes often (even weekly sometimes), offering customers unique seasonal menus.

“I think we all have our own space in the market,” said Frank. “It’s a small town and some of us share a clientele, but I don’t think that’s a bad thing, it just adds more options in town and people are taking advantage.”

The same goes for the other fare in town. The town offers a variety of options when it comes to casual food, including Thirsty Moose Tap House, Capital Thai and Otto Pizza.

“Exeter is unique,” said Noy Senesombath, co-owner of Capital Thai. “It’s pretty diverse (compared to other towns in New Hampshire).”

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The future of dining in Exeter

Frank said Exeter’s dining scene is divided into three primary locations: downtown, Portsmouth Avenue and Lincoln Street, with the first most sought after.

“It’s simple supply and demand,” he said, referring to downtown. “It just seems like as more people want to come to town, there’s less space available. As spaces become available, the rent is going to reflect the demand for them.”

Darren Winham, the town’s economic development director, said many businesses — mostly retail and restaurants — are looking to expand to Exeter, specifically downtown.

"We just don’t have the spaces,” he said, referring to downtown.

With the development boom along the Epping Road corridor off Route 101, Winham is optimistic that the area would serve as an alternative to downtown.

"We believe Epping Road will continue to grow and thus I've been trying to steer interested businesses in that direction and Portsmouth Avenue," he said. "As space does free up, it's snagged pretty quickly. The fortunate thing is I know almost all the property owners and can help steer 'appropriate' opportunities in their direction."

Back in his kitchen, Frank was done with the sugar snap peas. He next took a cutting board out and started to slice fistful-sized portions of haddock fillet. He said that he sees a bright future in Exeter’s dining scene.

“Hopefully, chef-driven restaurants will continue to grow,” Frank said. “Eventually people won’t know Exeter as ‘the little town near Portsmouth.’ With the talent we have in town right now, we’ll be able to stand on our own and be just as big of a destination for dining as all the other places.”

This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: Exeter NH: New hotspot for chef-driven dining on Seacoast