Restaurant Week is back in Portsmouth, Seacoast for first time since 2019: What to expect

Jane Murphy, Portsmouth Herald
·4 min read

PORTSMOUTH — Run, don't walk, to your computer or phone. Restaurant Week is returning to the Seacoast on Thursday, April 21 and phones are ringing at the more than 30 participating restaurants. Better make a reservation now.

Restaurant Week Portsmouth & The Seacoast Spring 2022 will be the first since fall 2019. Restaurant owners, chefs, staff and diners are welcoming the long-time tradition of prix-fixe lunches and dinners at an affordable price and the ability to try out new restaurants before the summer's tourists arrive.

Restaurant Week is back for the first time since the fall of 2019. John Akar, co-owner and general manager of Cava, is the chairman of the Restaurant Week Committee and is excited for its return. Restaurant Week kicks off Thursday, April 21 and runs through April 30.
Restaurant Week is back for the first time since the fall of 2019. John Akar, co-owner and general manager of Cava, is the chairman of the Restaurant Week Committee and is excited for its return. Restaurant Week kicks off Thursday, April 21 and runs through April 30.

'An exciting time for the community'

"It is very exciting to have it come back, it's a mainstay that we had for years and COVID put a stop to it," said John Akar, chairman of the Restaurant Week Committee and co-owner and general manager of Cava Tapas and Wine Bar in Portsmouth. "The local clientele waits for it. They love to go on the website, look at the menus and plan out their week. ... It's very cool to see people are excited to get back out to restaurants."

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Akar noted he'd just handled six requests for Restaurant Week reservations on Thursday afternoon.

“This is an exciting time for the community. It is invigorating to see our restaurants opening their doors wide again, and people eager to come visit," said Ben VanCamp, president of The Chamber Collaborative of Greater Portsmouth, which presents Restaurant Week. "The Seacoast’s extraordinary community supported our restaurant community throughout the pandemic, and our restaurant teams are eager to show their thanks and hospitality by offering special Restaurant Week menus ... We couldn’t do this without our generous sponsors who have been with us through the years and we are so grateful for their support. Portsmouth is back!”

A cocktail at Black Trumpet Bistro in Portsmouth, which is participating in Spring Restaurant Week offering a special dinner menu.
A cocktail at Black Trumpet Bistro in Portsmouth, which is participating in Spring Restaurant Week offering a special dinner menu.

Special menus

From April 21 to 30, participating restaurants will offer special lunch menus at $25 and dinner menus at $45. These prices don't include beverages or gratuity. Reservations are highly recommended. Visit restaurantweekportsmouth.com to learn which restaurants are participating, what special menus they have planned, which days they are open and if they are serving lunch or dinner. Links to the restaurants' websites are also provided so you can make that all-important reservation.

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"It's a blend of excitement for it to be back, and being on the board, it's a lot of work making it all happen," Akar said. "But it's also relief as well. You're relieved that we are actually, slowly getting back to normal."

"I love being able to write a flavorful, colorful menu," Julie Cutting-Kelley of Cure in Portsmouth said. She's written special menus for each Restaurant Week since before she opened Cure and was at the former Brazo restaurant. With the three-course, prix fixe menu, "people will get to try an appetizer or a dessert, which they might not order otherwise," she said.

She's created a whole new menu for this Spring Restaurant Week, "doing things I've never done before ... and emphasizing local produce and family-farm proteins." The outdoor patio just opened at Cure, she added, timed to give the restaurant more seats for Restaurant Week.

"It really kicks off spring and sets the tone for the season," Cutting-Kelley said. "I am so excited to be back in full swing."

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When asked about hiring staff for the busy season, Cutting-Kelley says they're ready. "I'm so blessed, most of my staff have been here five years minimum. We are struggling a little with support staff, but I'm a jack of all trades so I will jump in and do dishes on a Saturday night. We are starting to see some high schoolers" seeking summer jobs, she said. "We're looking pretty good."

John Akar, co-owner and general manager of Cava, is the chairman of the Restaurant Week Committee and is excited for its return April 21 to 30 at his restaurant and more than 30 others in the Portsmouth area.
John Akar, co-owner and general manager of Cava, is the chairman of the Restaurant Week Committee and is excited for its return April 21 to 30 at his restaurant and more than 30 others in the Portsmouth area.

Over at Cava, Akar says little has changed. "We have a core staff from executive chef and co-owner Gregg Sessler to the front of house, which includes my wife who is a bartender here, and Dan Sullivan," Akar said, noting his regulars will find Cava very much the same as before the pandemic. "The local clientele really feel like it's home," and much of that is due to the restaurant's staff, he said.

When the committee considered bringing Restaurant Week back last fall, Akar said, "Everyone had been through so much the past couple years, it didn't feel like the right time to bring it back." He said at that point many were still short-staffed and exhausted.

"Everyone felt strongly we should be patient," Akar said. "And everyone would be in a better place, COVID would be in a better place, in the spring."

A pair of margaritas at Vida Cantina in Portsmouth, which is participating in Spring Restaurant Week beginning April 21 and running through April 30.
A pair of margaritas at Vida Cantina in Portsmouth, which is participating in Spring Restaurant Week beginning April 21 and running through April 30.

More on Restaurant Week Portsmouth

For more information, visit goportsmouthnh.com; follow Restaurant Week on Instagram at @goportsmouthnh and post your photos of your Restaurant Week meals with the hashtag #RWPortsmouthNH.

This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: Restaurant Week Portsmouth and the Seacoast NH returns April 2022