Romantic on NH Coast... ??

[Rabbit]

Any recommendations for a romantic-ish dinner spot somewhere on the NH seacoast?

Must have great or at least very good food... thoughts?

[Rabbit]

Thanks to all for the replies... interesting to see what is available in this stretch.

The formal dining room at Wentworth-by-the-Sea, or the White Barn Inn are closest to what I was seeking. Although I read some reviews of Wentworth suggesting that at this time of year it's gonna be families in shorts and t-shirts even in the fine dining room (crayons and the whole deal)... so I think we'd save our visit for later, when there are fewer rugrats (I get that it's a family resort, and think that's great, it's just not our vibe).

It seems what we're really looking for just isn't here... so I think we're gonna do the anniversary at one of our regular NH haunts (Cotton?)... or maybe we'll just stay home and dig through the Bordeaux cellar.

Again - thanks so much, and we will get around to trying some of these spots eventually.

[lar3ry]

Saunders is a great place, with good food and good service and a nice view of Rye Harbor. During the summer, you can eat out on the deck, and on weekends they have live piano entertainment.

http://saundersatryeharbor.com/

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Saunders at Rye Harbor
175 Harbor Rd, Rye, NH 03870

[Gio]

We've been going to Saunders for years. I wouldn't say it's especially romantic and smoking is allowed on the deck which is a turn-off for me as much as I like outdoor dining.
I agree that the service is good and the servers are very pleasant and helpful. The food is average American but well prepared.

[whs]

The NH restaurant smoking ban takes effect Sept 17--will it also affect outdoor dining?

[Gio]

Oh I'm glad to hear that has been passed in NH!. As for outdoor dining, the saying is, "don't assume anything." Some states with smoking bans allow smoking at outdoor dining venues. I'd phone the restaurant to inquire.

[Blumie]

Another option is to continue another 30 miles up to Kennebunkport, Maine, and go to (and stay at) the White Barn Inn, which is great and very romantic.

http://www.whitebarninn.com/

[whs]

We had dinner last night at Latitudes, in the Wentworth-by-the-Sea Resort in New Castle. The setting is beautiful, overlooking the marina and the bay. You have a choice of indoor or outdoor dining--the dining room is wood-paneled, with large windows framing the view. The food was inventive and quite good--I had ahi tuna, very rare, served with a tower of heirloom tomatoes. The lobster preparation was interesting--the tail was wood-grilled, and the claws were steamed separately in a bamboo basket. Service: young and inexperienced, though enthusiastic and friendly. One member of our party was not happy to get a plate of raw oysters with no cocktail fork or lemon. For a Sunday night, the place was very busy--every table was full until almost 10 PM--we had no reservation, and it took an hour for our group of six to be seated. Romantic? Maybe on a week night, when it's not so busy.

[Rabbit]

whs... this is an interesting option. Do you know anything about their more formal dining room... and does the facility measure up to the pictures, or is it a little tired?

[whs]

I haven't been to the formal dining room--the entire hotel was refurbished just a few years ago so I'm sure it's quite nice. Looks like a place where you would wear a jacket. Latitudes is more relaxed--people were wearing shorts, looking like they'd just gotten off the golf course or their boat. Forgot to mention an interesting soup special--a trio of chilled melon soups (honeydew, watermelon, and cantaloupe) served in little individual bowls. (I looked at both menus just now--funny, prices for entrees are about the same in both places, despite the more upscale ambience in the FDR.)

[mcel215]

My choice for your request, would be The Black Trumpet in Portsmouth.

It has great food, and it's romantic, and on the Ocean.

Make sure you make reservations.

[Truh]

Well, "ocean" is a relative term here. Granted, I think the atmosphere at the Black Trumpet is close to perfect, but a view of the Picattaqua River and some tug boats is hardly the ocean. Nonetheless, other than the decks nearby, it is the closest dining option with a water view, and is certainly the most romantic.

[irwin]

We had late lunch Thursday in Portsmouth @ The Oar House on the deck.
Food was very good, but the Lobster Roll for $19 was very skimmpy. I was the only one to get the Lobster, but the other 5 dishes were very good. The view was breathtaking, and so was the weather.

[whs]

Glad you enjoyed it. We're heading over to P'mouth tomorrow. Will report if we find anything notable.

[natureboy]

I would head to Portsmouth. There's lots of great places there and you can walk from one to the other. You can use the search for recent recommendations, but maybe start by looking up Black Trumpet or Green Monkey.

I read a recent review of Lattitudes (at Wentworth by the Sea) that described it as romantic, with a great water view. I've been by the patio and it would be a great place on a nice night.

[dragonsrouges]

OH yes... I was at Hampton Beach, there is a resto called "Ron's Landing" which is very nice with an ocean view!

http://www.ronslanding.com/

The food is spectacular!

[Bighead]

we like the Dunaway at strawberry Bank in Portsmouth. it's not traditonal waterfront but it's in a great old house with exposed beams and the chef is great, I tyhink she recently won Best New Chef. the food has always been spectacular and the service as well.

[whs]

review of Ron's Landing from NewHampshire.com, the entertainment site of the Union Leader: http://www.newhampshire.com/article.a...

I'm always dubious when restaurants do variations on surf n turf--i.e. Veal Oscar, etc.

[whs]

NH only has 17 miles of coast...and Hampton Beach doesn't qualify as romantic. Portsmouth has excellent restaurants, but doesn't really qualify as seafront. Are you looking for ocean-view?