The Dolphin Striker Portsmouth, NH Raves and a Review

While taking a break from photographing the Fall gardens at Strawbery Banke in Portsmouth, N.H. recently, Rob and I fell into a memorable, fun, leisurely meal complete with fantastic food, great drinks, a comfortable atmosphere, and a pair of the most talented owners memory can recall. While I have known about The Dolphin Striker since my undergrad days at UNH, it has always been a place I’ve associated with live bands on a weekend night, not necessarily a dining destination. Well, things have changed! New owners, Chef Scott Massidda, his wife Michelle and their business partner Peter DiZoglio have made their mark and it was apparent right from the colorfully chalked blackboard at the front door.  They’ve kept the live music, garnering great bands, and have also upped the ante on the food.

When I mentioned we fell into our dining adventure – I meant literally.  We were cruising past at a rapid clip when that blackboard caught our eye, we stopped short (apologies to anyone walking behind us) and what that board said at a glance was all we needed. Fresh seafood, all sorts, interesting, intriguing ……… simply put and it drew us in.

As we were breifly waiting for the waitress who greeted us to clear a table  (a very nice table) in the front section of the restaurant, we were pleasantly surprised when a lovely young woman approached and asked us if maybe we’d like to sit at the windows in the back dining room. It is a wonderfully cozy, warm and charming room that we’d been eyeing wistfully……so we joyfully agreed and followed her, wondering how she had guessed where we really wanted to sit.

We were the only ones in the room for just a short while – long enough to give a drink order and thank her when she had to go to seat newly arriving guests in her vastly appealing, charming manner.

Meet Michelle, Chef Scott’s wife and restaurant manager, who proved to be a tireless attendant to all the details of our meal and never seemed to skip a beat. As the wonderful meal progressed before us we got to know her a bit better – her congenial manner is very conducive to conversation and her sense of humor and the breath of fresh air she exudes had us reluctant to leave in the end. And by the way, she also makes a mean Bloody Mary!

Late lunch on a Sunday afternoon always seems to call for a Bloody Mary in our opinion, and this Sunday was no exception – except that it was uncommonly good. Plenty of spice, not too shy on the horseradish, not overloaded with garnishes……really just right.  We, as we often are, were in the mood for even more spice, so our choice of appetizer was fairly easy. A generous portion of fried calamari tossed with sliced cherry peppers, lemon and garlic olive oil and accompanied by a spicy remoulade.

It’s not an exaggeration to say these were the best fried calamri we’ve ever had. They are something we order often at different restaurants, but I’ve never even been tempted to mention them on Timeless Gourmet before. In fact we had them at a fairly-famous Greek restaurant in Ipswich recently and didn’t even want to finish those. There’s something so subtle about a simple food like this done so well, and though simple there is so much that can go so wrong.  The Dolphin Striker got it just right, from the perfectly cooked crispy calamari to the cherry peppers and the remoulade. Excellent!

By the time we had dug into the calamari we were curious about what this restaurant was all about, and Michelle told us their story. She also let us know about their new Fall menu, just presented on their web site this week. It’s a great web site, with full menus and pricing, entertainment schedule for the live music in the downstairs pub, and a good bio of Chef Scott as well as a history of the building.  I was happy to see the calamari is still there, along with many other dishes I was so tempted by.

I can heartily recommend the Surf and Turf, which is what I ordered on this visit. There’s a choice of surf – either a 1 1/2 pound lobster or 1# King Crab legs. While a tough choice, I have had a lot of lobster this season so I chose the crab.  It was sweet, briny and served with real melted butter. I would only ask for some fresh lemon with it next time, but I hardly took time to notice because truth be told,  I was too busy enjoying the sides that came with the meal. The fresh green beans were perfect, just the right crispiness for me and the smashed herbed potatoes?  They specialize in “New England Comfort Cuisine” , and the potatoes are a not to be missed part of that – they were so good I ate them first.

The choice of turf is either a 6 oz. filet or 12 oz. strip steak. I ordered the strip medium-rare, and it was beautifully seared and seasoned. I had hesitated to order it how I really like it – rare – because I’ve been so disappointed with how many restaurants interpret rare, but I would not hesitate again. Here’s a restaurant that knows how to do steak!

I happily shared my extravagant feast with Rob, but he was also quite happy with his selection. In the mood for a really good burger, he ordered the house burger, but without the cheese and bacon…..and with raw onion instead of the caramelized. Michelle wasn’t fazed a bit by his requests, and when she brought his burger as ordered, we all had a great laugh at the onion.  He wanted raw onion?  Michelle herself picked out a nice fresh onion, peeled and sliced it for him, and made sure he had enough to make him happy. Such service, with a smile!  The burger was everything he had hoped for, but the fries really exceeded expectations.  His first comment when he had one was, “WOW, they taste like potatoes!”  I don’t know their secret with the fries, but they were indeed outstanding.

After our enthusiastic and happy responses to the wonderful meal, we were invited to meet the Chef behind this revived and renewed restaurant. This is Chef Scott, in his well-run and efficient kitchen. Delighting in putting global twists on local, fresh ingredients, his creative menu offers a world-tour of taste. It will take many more visits for us to fully explore his culinary talents, something we are looking forward to with eager anticipation.  Well done Chef!

Please check out the full menu on their website – The Dolphin Striker –  as well as their schedule for Live Music.  Either way, plan a visit to our top pick in Portsmouth!

The Dolphin Striker

15 Bow St
Portsmouth, NH 03801-3896
(603) 431-5222