Library Restaurant
401 State St. - map
Portsmouth, NH 03801
603.431.5202
Hours
Mon-Sat 11:30 am to 3 pm
Sun - Thur 5 to 9:30 pm
Fri & Sat 5 to 10 pm
Sun 11:30 am to 3 pm
Web Information
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| Price (dinner) | $$$ |
| Price (lunch) | $$ |
| Food |   |
| Service | |
| Ambiance | |
| Overall | |
Features
Sunday brunch
private room
private parties
Accepts
cash
American Express
Visa
MasterCard/Eurocard
Alcohol
full bar
Parking
street parking
Handicapped Access
not accessible
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Top: United States:
NH:
Portsmouth
Description
Traditional New England fare, while surrounded by architectural treasures of an era gone by.
Reviews
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Disappointed!
We have dined here at least 6 times over the years so we were looking forward to visiting one of our old favorites on a recent trip to NH. We started by ordering two glasses of wine, a Malbec and a Pinot Grigio. What we got were a cheap Merlot and a Chardonney. I asked the waitress to check if my wine was really a pinot grigio and a few minutes she brought me a glass of the real thing. Her explanation was that she had grabbed the wrong bottle.
We had a chowder and a "soup of the day", nothing special about either one. We both ordered the baked haddock as we can't get that in the south and that is where the restaurant disappointed us. When the meal was served it looked fine on the surface, but the baked potatoes were hard, probably not in the micro-wave long enough, and the haddock was under cooked. Although my dining companion had not complained about her pseudo-Malbec, she was quite upset when the fish had a shiny, undercooked appearance and would not break into flakes. The waitress took both back and said the the cook would allow a longer cooking time. When they finally returned the fish was just about done enough to eat. The fish itself was fresh but needed a longer cooking time. Also, it didn't help when the cook folded the thin fillet over on itself which makes for a better looking dish but pretty much guarantees that the center won't be cooked enough.
The service itself was not bad, other than the mistake in pouring the wrong wine. The waitress tried to satisfy us with no complaints or reluctance but the kitchen wasn't helping her.
The atmosphere is nice as this is an old manor house that was converted first to a hotel and then to a restaurant. Warning, this place is not handicap-friendly as there are steep steps leading into the hostess area and the rest rooms are in what was once the basement, so more stairs are required with no ramps or elevators in sight.
If this was a cheap chain restaurant I would not expect as much but in a city populated with many fine dining places they should do much better. The cost was $75 for the meals, soup and two glasses of wine. Not too bad for evening dining but this was from the lunch menu. [12 Jun 2008 00:00:32]
Food: Service: Ambiance: Overall:
Dan, Homosassa, FL
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