Black Trumpet

"The ambience was lovely and our food was fantastic. We were lucky to get seated immediately without a reservation. Our server was very nice. The bar can’t keep up when it’s busy. Either that, or our server forgot to put our drink order in. Pouring a glass of wine shouldn’t take half an hour. We would have loved to enjoy dessert but our drinks served as our “dessert”, since they took so long to arrive."

"Have really enjoyed Black Trumpet on two prior visits. This time was a disappointment. On the plus side, it’s still a cozy, pretty, space with views of the harbor from upstairs. Service was also very professional, efficient and courteous. Still, many of our dishes were a letdown, despite a nice presentation. Smoked salmon app was quite good. Softshell crab first course was tasty, though $25 for a single small crab is a bit much. My pork tenderloin was way overcooked. Sent it back and another one came out quickly at the right temp, but they just gave me a new piece of meat and didn’t bother re-plating the dish with the sides and sauce. Meat was fine but not much taste. My pork tenderloin grilled at home has more flavor. My wife’s zucchini cake was a bit soggy and okay, but didn’t impress. Our best dish was the warm olives and almonds. And that shouldn’t be the case at a place like this. Maybe bad timing? Hope they’re not losing their mojo."

"This is probably our overall favorite fine-dining restaurant in the Greater Boston Area. We've been many times over many years, and not once have we been disappointed in a single thing. Their ingredients are immaculately chosen and combined into dishes that have enough complexity to amaze, without every becoming over-the-top or showy. This time I started with a gin-based cocktail, the K-12, on the recommendation of our excellent waiter. It was the perfect balance between alcohol bite, sour (blood-orange), and bitter (vermouth), plus just a touch of sweet (honey). We shared the escargots and fava bean mid-sized dish as appetizer, which had all sorts of umami going on. I forgave them for not offering the cassoulet that night, this belongs in the same class. For mains, I had the venison with a glass of Solroom cab and my wife had the pollock with a glass of Vermentino. Both simply fantastic, in very different ways. Dessert was Basque cheesecake (light and fruity) and bread pudding (sweet and reliable). We are already looking forward to finding some excuse to splurge and go there again!"

"Great service and excellent fresh menu options. Great starters and wine/drink options. The pork dish was ok - scallop dish was delicious. Overall 3.5 stars."

"What a beautiful restaurant! If you're interested in trying new and interesting foods prepared by an excellent chef, this is the place. The view of the water was beautiful from our upstairs table, the service was outstanding, and the food was absolutely delicious. And of course Ceres Street is so quaint, a lovely area of Portsmouth with art galleries, tugboats, and shopping. Have been wanting to try the Black Trumpet forever and so glad we finally got the chance!"