Pictures from Portsmouth

It seems New England has a never ending supply of cute little towns dotted with cozy shops, cafes, and restaurants with local flair. There are so many great places to visit, that up until yesterday I had never been to Portsmouth, NH before. Luckily a group of bloggers and friends got together and made a Portsmouth trip happen, complete with lots of foodie stops. This small town is big on flavor and can be seen on foot. All of the walking we did was a needed break between beer tasting, dessert eating, and a multi-course dinner.

We made a stop at Stonewall Kitchen, one of those stores you could spend all day in, sampling and wishing you could buy every sauce and condiment in the store. It’s almost an overwhelming place to visit when you have no specific need. Unless you consider multiple types of pepper jelly to be a need, which I kind of do.

I was charmed by all of the brick buildings and architecture that is just so characteristic of New England. And like many of my favorite New England spots, Portland, Newburyport, and Newport, Portsmouth has a waterfront that I would imagine to be bustling with boats in warmer weather. Living far from the coast is not an option for me; even standing near the water made me long for spring and boating season. It can’t come quickly enough!

We browsed kitchen accessories and nibbled on some more food samples at Attrezzi, many of us falling in love with pickled garlic. I didn’t buy it because I could probably eat the whole jar in a couple of days, great for my health and keeping the vampires away but probably not so fun for the people around me.

And since we hadn’t done enough food sampling and browsing at Attrezzi, we then moved on to Leroux Kitchen for more drool-worthy kitchen items, cutlery, cookbooks, a magical rainbow of Le Creuset, and a smattering of gourmet olive oils and vinegars. This place is a home cook’s heaven. When can we get one in Boston?

I thoroughly enjoyed wandering around Portsmouth; with a chill in the air and the most perfect pink sunset, it was a brilliant fall day in New England with a group of really fun people. More recaps to come this week, including our takeover of Red Hook Brewery!

Have you gone on any new and fantastic day trips recently?