If money was irrelevant and I had the choice to live anywhere within the state, Portsmouth would undoubtedly be my first choice. The history, gorgeous scenery and vivid food scene make this 22,000 person-strong city among the most destination-worthy places to visit in New Hampshire.
Downtown Portsmouth is a hub of excellent eats, ranging from modern restaurants specializing in small plates and seasonal menus to old-school seafood hideaways. A seemingly constant flurry of new openings serves to further this variety while also keeping the scene invigorating. The city may be diminutive by most standards, but the concentration of great places to eat is impressive.
One area of Portsmouth that has emerged as a center for local businesses and community is the West End. Consisting of several neighborhoods and home to about 5,000 people, Portsmouth’s West End has a surprisingly diverse assortment of eateries. International fusion cuisine, Vietnamese sandwiches, Turkish coffee and Hawaiian Poke bowls are among the unexpected delights to be found in this charming area.
My favorite spot to chow in this part of town is The Kitchen Eatery and Catering, an Islington Street staple for artisanal sandwiches, flatbread pizzas, salads and more.
Don’t let the curiously generic name fool you, The Kitchen is what happens when two experienced chefs meet, develop chemistry and decide to open a casual sandwich shop. Co-Owners Matthew Greco and Michael Prete had been grinding for over two decades before meeting in 2010 and opening this casual little spot mere footsteps from the main drag one year later.
As much as I would like to label this place as being an underrated hidden gem that has yet to blow up, the truth is that The Kitchen has gained numerous accolades and widespread community support throughout the years. It was even featured on the Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives, a claim few New Hampshire restaurants can make.
One look at the menu is all it takes to realize that this is no ordinary sandwich shop. A simple BLT gets spiked with house-made tomato jam and roasted shallot mayo, for instance. The food fanaticism extends to Greco and Prete making every salad dressing and condiment in house, including the hot sauce and blue cheese dressing for their Pulled Buffalo Chicken Sandwich.
I could ramble on about the entire menu, but let’s instead focus on the burgers, as they are arguably the most creative items on the menu and have the most entertaining names.
One of the most popular ground meat creations is the incredibly-named “Apu Nahasapeemapetilon”. Hardcore fans of The Simpsons will recognize Apu as the Indian Proprietor of The Kwik-E-Mart, and his name is now immortalized as a lamb burger filled with Indian flavors. This burger even managed to make a television appearance of its own, as Mr. Hair-Stylist-in- Flavortown himself ate it during the aforementioned Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives segment.
The lamb patty is seasoned with garam masala, an Indian spice blend, grilled to medium and stacked with jalapeno-mango chutney, cilantro-lime mayo, crumbled pistachios, feta cheese and a fistful of fresh cilantro. A stack of napkins is a must.
This is a burger that hits every note. The chutney is vibrant and sweet but not cloying, pistachios add unexpected crunch, the feta adds a nice saltiness that mimics paneer, an un-aged Indian cheese, and the burger has a mild curry flavor that somehow jives with everything else. Mr. Nahasapeemapetilon would be proud.
As good as it is, The Kitchen can do one better. They offer six different patties for their burgers, the most unexpected being chicken’s forgotten cousin; duck.
Called the “Duck Dynasty,” this burger breaks new ground in the world of burgers. I had never heard of someone grinding duck and making a burger out of it, but the result is one of the best and most unique burgers I’ve had.
Asian fusion is the goal here. The patty is seasoned with Chinese 5-spice and then capped with cranberry-stilton cheese, Asian pear-fennel slaw, house-made homemade hoison barbecue sauce and fried collard greens. In other words, it’s a bunch of weird stuff piled on top of a patty made from an animal that says quack.
It’s tempting to write this madness off as a novelty, and it may have been if those at the helm were less experienced, but Greco and Prete make it work.
The burger itself is insanely juicy and flavorful, the sweet and tangy hoison is cut by the slightly bitter collards and the slaw adds crunch and freshness. Stilton, a crumbly English cheese, on a burger was another foreign concept to me. Although it doesn’t melt all that well, the unique texture and fruity flavor adds to the intrigue. The pickle and slaw served on the side are really good too.
It’s appropriate when you think about it. I’m sure there was a time when nobody would have expected “Duck Dynasty,” a reality show about duck hunting, to be successful, yet somehow it was. I wouldn’t have expected this burger to be one of the best things I ate in 2018, yet here we are.
Find The Kitchen at 171 Islington Street, steps away from Congress Street. They’re open 11-9, 7 days a week. Also, they offer a 20% industry discount six days a week with proof of employment. On Wednesday, it increases to 50%. Enjoy!
*All images provided by Nicholas VonSchantz-Ricci