January 2008 Taste of the Seacoast by Paula Sullivan Signature Dishes Winter 2007-08 Read the article online here Download a PDF here January 16, 2008 Meet the 'Bartisans' by Rachel Forrest SeacoastOnline.com Local and seasonal ingredients get shaken (or stirred) by aesthetic-minded bartenders. Read the article online here Download a PDF here. January 28, 2003 "96 State Gets a New Gig" by Christine Gillette The Portsmouth Herald PORTSMOUTH—It's been everything from a residence to an antique shop to a computer store. And now, 96 State St. is going to be a restaurant. "Right now, it's a gutted building," said Duncan Boyd, one of the partners and chef in the new restaurant. "We're in the middle of doing a complete renovation. We are replacing everything within it and putting a couple of additions on to it, such as a kitchen and an elevator up to the second-floor dining room." The aim, Boyd said, is to open the restaurant - likely to be named 96 State St. - in late spring or early summer. On the menu will be a fine-dining take on regional favorites. "It's American food; you could call it 'new New England,'" Boyd said. "Basically, what we're doing is, we're borrowing from all the immigrant populations that have settled the northeast United States and how their native cooking influenced it." Boyd said the region's history will have some influence on the menu, too. "We're going to serve the best baked beans in town," Boyd said, along with other regional flavors like seafood, game from Maine and smoked hams from Vermont. Boyd, a Maryland native, started his career in western Massachusetts, cooking at a variety of restaurants, including the Northampton Brewery brewpub, then co-owned by Peter Egelston, owner of the Portsmouth Brewery. From there, Boyd - who studied at the Culinary Institute of America and Academe de Cuisine - would go on to cook in Boston for renowned restaurateurs like Todd English and Jasper White, before moving on to Washington and eateries Restaurant Nora and Sushi-Ko. "Both my partner, who is about to move up here and manages restaurants in Manhattan, and I used to run fine dining restaurants in Washington," Boyd said. "I got tired of living in the big city and competing with hundreds of other restaurants." So Boyd and business partner George Frangos - a Cornell University graduate who interned at the Four Seasons hotel in San Francisco - chose Portsmouth, in part because Boyd's wife's family is from the Seacoast area and Frangos' wife attended the University of New Hampshire. "I had been looking in towns and locations in New England for a decade, easily," said Boyd, who knew he would eventually return to the region. He considered Martha's Vineyard, but felt its economy was too seasonal and real estate prices too high. "I like the fact that Portsmouth is an hour away from Boston and an hour away from Portland. There are 100 restaurants in Portsmouth, but I don't think there's as many choices in fine dining." Restaurants like Lindbergh's Crossing and Pesce Blue have whetted local appetites for fine dining, Boyd said. "All of Portsmouth has gotten more into food because of them." "We are going after the over-30 crowd, the people that know and understand good food and what separates good food from the rest. People that understand what good service is and are more knowledgeable diners. The people who go out to eat as an experience, as opposed to just going out to eat," added Boyd. Already in the works are menus for all four seasons. In the spring, expect to see dishes like asparagus soup, sautéed foie gras, cherrystone crab serviche, grilled local lobster, pork and clams Portuguese-style and braised rabbit. For summer, there's lobster and corn chowder, grilled squid, Nova Scotia oysters, Casco Bay cod, Amish game hen and roasted quail. Fall's menu includes wild mushroom tart, Pemaquid oysters, stuffed quahogs, grilled sirloin of beef and Martha's Vineyard bay scallops. And for winter, the menu calls for smoked trout and frisse salad, clam fritters, Rhode Island littleneck clams, Spinney Creek oysters, lobster mac & cheese, venison roast, beef tenderloin and day boat scallops. Before any menu is rolled out, the renovations of 96 State St., which dates back to the early 1800s, must be completed. The plans, which have already cleared local regulators, call for about 90 seats between two floors. The first floor will be more casual than the second, with walls stripped down to the original brick surface, and as much of the original post and beam interior as can be salvaged will be kept in place, Boyd said. The restaurant's main entrance will actually be around the corner on Atkinson Street, and inside, tables will overlook State Street. A few booths and other seating will be located toward the rear of the restaurant, with a central staircase leading up to the second floor. Upstairs, there will be separate rooms for parties, private dining and functions, and decor that emphasizes exposed brick walls and wood details. The restaurant's lounge will be located in what is now 98 State St., with a bar on one end and some couches and easy chairs looking out on State Street, where Boyd said patrons can enjoy a martini and "people watch." The renovation of 96 State St. includes restoring a chimney to bring the total back to four, which will serve six working fireplaces inside. The restaurant is owned by a group of investors calling themselves Whale's Back Light, some of whom also own the building. Boyd said some are locals, including members of his wife's family, the Howells, and some from outside the area.