Best Hot Spot Restaurants in Portsmouth

I want to thank Saltine for coming to the rescue after my Christmas was almost ruined! My stepdad took us to another place because his hairdresser recommended it, but when we discovered that it was a buffet, we noped it out of there. So, my mom asked me to find another place, and I stumbled upon Saltine. When I told my mom about the prime rib dinner (good lord, it’s delicious), she and my stepdad agreed to go. Good thing we picked this place because as soon as we pulled up to the Hilton, we were impressed! Luckily, the wait wasn’t too long and we were seated right away. Though, I felt sorry for the lobsters in the tank. Anyway, we got seated in a pretty comfortable booth/chair area and we had Destiny as our server (she was awesome). My mother and I went with her recommendation of the Christmas dinner and the she crab soup! The prime rib came out ridiculously fast and right behind the soup! I didn’t have to ask how I wanted it cooked because it was as if the chefs read my mind and knew that I wanted it medium rare. The potato puree, root veggies, au jus, and horseradish sauce complemented the prime slice of ambrosia on my plate. Oh! And the plum toffee pudding! It’s probably the best I’ve ever tasted! All of it was house made, the toffee tasted just like Golden Grahams without the weird preservatives, and it was so good that it deserves its own paragraph on here. That and the darkening of the restaurant was the crescendo of the wonderful evening! It went perfectly with the elegant and chic Christmas decorations! Saltine saved my Christmas and I want to thank them for it! I hope to make their prime rib dinner into a new Christmas tradition. Thank you so much, Saltine! Lots of chef’s kisses!

I made Christmas Eve reservations for my husband and myself. Everyone from the hostess, to the food runner, and the our waitress were fantastic! We did have reservations and were seated upon arrival. The appetizers were excellent, we enjoyed the fried shrimp and the deviled eggs. For dinner, my husband had the rockfish special over house made fried rice, and I had hoped for the short rib dinner, however, it had just sold out so I opted for the New York strip dinner and substituted the sweet potatoes and the other side for the wasabi mashed potatoes and cream kale, which were superb. The portion sizes were great, I even came home with leftovers to enjoy the following day. For dessert, my husband ordered a slice of carrot cake to take home, which was outstanding. I can’t wait to return. The food was delicious and I can’t wait to return. Thank you so much for a memorable Christmas Eve.

Only one little negative mark, I felt their Hot Tuna signature dish should have been plated with a small side of vegetable. I was surprised when it came without, so my table shared their veggies with me. I missed it on the menu, maybe it was too dimmly lit, but I assummed it would come with a vegetable. The food was fabulous tho!

Our reservation was for 6:15; however, our event prior ended early and we showed up about 45 mins early. Aldo’s was happy to accommodate our party. Vinny was our server, and we had a wonderful evening! Thank you, Aldos is one of our favorite go tos, and we appreciate the quality, the longevity, and the wonderful atmosphere. It made our evening fantastic and memorable!

Excellent food, service and valet. Will return again.