Restaurant Week at Black Trumpet Bistro

After spending the day wandering around Portsmouth on Saturday, we definitely worked up an appetite for our dinner at Black Trumpet Bistro.

We had an early 5:30 PM dinner reservation but we arrived even earlier for a drink at the cozy wine bar upstairs.  We decided to split a few pitchers of a white Autumn Sangria.

We had a few glasses of sangria before we settled down to the cozy wine cellar-like dining room downstairs.

I was really excited for our dinner at Black Trumpet Bistro because I had the opportunity to meet Chef Evan Mallet and taste his cooking at the Hood New England Chef's Challenge last year.  When I discovered that the restaurant was also offering a Restaurant Week menu, I thought it would give me a good opportunity to try several of the chef's dishes at an affordable price.

Before our meals arrived, we nibbled on slices of black trumpet and ciabatta breads with an addictive sweet butter.

For my first course, I decided to start with the sea cod salad with heirloom squash, pancetta and Brussels sprouts with a sherry-apple vinaigrette.

The sea cod and pancetta added a subtle saltiness to this warm salad, which contrasted nicely with the sweetness of the heirloom squash.  I was a big fan of this salad!

For my entree, I selected the truffled squash risotto cake with poached lobster and salsa verde.  While the presentation was beautiful, this dish was a bit of a disappointment.  The risotto cake was severely under-seasoned and I found bits of lobster shell in my poached lobster.

Luckily, I got to steal bites of Kristen's entree, which was the other entree option on the Restaurant Week menu.  The coq au vin with porcini-cocoa pappardelle, cob smoked bacon and mushrooms was a perfect dish for this late autumn dinner.  The chicken was incredibly moist and the pappardelle had the most intriguing earthy flavor!

While my entree was a bit of a letdown, my dessert made up for it.  The chocolate beet brownie with milk chocolate frosting, beet whip and candied orange peel.  I'm normally not a big chocolate dessert fan, especially not something this rich, but the beets added a different kind of sweetness to the dessert. 

I shared bites of my dessert with Kristen while I stole bites of her Indian pudding with whipped vanilla custard and golden raisin sauce. 

Despite the letdown of my entree, overall, I enjoyed my meal.  I had a fun time with the ladies and our dinner was a great way to end a wonderful day in Portsmouth.

Black Trumpet Bistro is located at 29 Ceres Street, Portsmouth, New Hampshire.

Hood New England Chefs Challenge

This past weekend, I traveled up to Maine for a weekend of rest and relaxation.  While I adore Portland and try to go up there any chance I can, the real reason behind my trip was the Hood New England Chefs Challenge.

In conjunction with the New England Dairy Cook-Off (which is a recipe contest for amateur cooks), Hood also asked one chef from each New England state to compete in the first ever Chefs Challenge!  In addition, Hood asked New England food bloggers to judge this event and I was lucky enough to serve as a judge for this event!

During the course of one hour, the six chefs needed to create a dish that incorporates Hood Sour Cream into the dish.  My fellow judges and I would look at each dish for presentation, taste and creativity.  Although I've seen cooking competitions on television, you don't realize how difficult it is until you see it up close and personal.  Let's just say that I was seriously impressed by the dishes presented!

Connecticut - Chef Red Keith Lanphear of Black Rock Tavern

Stuffed Chicken Breast with Pumpkin Spaetzle

Maine - Chef Gary Cartwright of Stripers

Fall Harvest Bread Pudding with Bacon Brittle and Sour Cream Maple Ice Cream

Massachusetts - Chef Josh Ziskin of La Morra

Chicken Breast stuffed with Braised Kale and Sopressata atop Mushroom Polenta

New Hampshire - Chef Evan Mallet of Black Trumpet Bistro

Sweet Potato Gnocchi with Pancetta Chestnut Hash and Arugula Salad

Rhode Island - Chef Matt Jennings of La Laiterie Bistro

Deconstructed Thanksgiving Leftover Pot Pie with Biscuits,
Pickled Autumn Vegetables & Turkey Sausage

Vermont - Chef Steve Atkins of the Kitchen Table Bistro

Turkey Tettrazini with a Free Form Ravioli

While the plates were all beautiful, one dish stood out from the others....Chef Red Keith Lanphear's Stuffed Chicken Breast with Pumpkin Spaetzle!

This was a fast-paced event and I was extremely honored to judging this event!  Congratulations to all of the participating chefs and thanks to Hood for asking me to be a part of this wonderful challenge!

Have you ever participated in any cooking or recipe contests?  If so, please share with me your experience(s)!