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Blue Mermaid Island Grill

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zabelle
zabelle
First Reviewer
5 out of 5
Avg. Member Rating
1
Review
4
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Editor Pick

Blue Mermaid

  • June 15, 2006
  • Rated 5 of 5 by zabelle from Portland, Connecticut
Blue Mermaid

Who would have guessed that Al would choose a Caribbean grill for dinner? Certainly not me but since I had seen the menu online and though it had some real possibilities I wasn’t about to second guess him. And if Rachael Ray though it was worth a visit with her crew 2 weeks ago, who am I to say ney.

There is a parking garage on Hanover and High Street where you can park for 75 cents an hour or there is a parking lot near the Hills which if it is Sunday will probably have space. If you happen to be staying at the Hilton Garden Inn you will be almost next door.

At the Blue Mermaid you can choose to eat in the lounge, out on the deck, or in the upstairs dining room. We opted for the dining room. There was only one large party up there when we arrived. Our waitress Jennifer was quick to seat us and bring us our drink orders. I had a Tini Bikini Martini, vanilla vodka (it didn’t say Stoli) triple sec, Malibu rum, and pineapple juice. It was a very good martini with the coconut coming out as the dominant flavor and not at all sweet. Al had a Miller lite.

We decided to start with calamari, though if it was up to me I would have had the mussels with curry sauce but Al doesn’t like mussels, so squid it is. Very good squid too, with a thicker than normal crust, tender calamari, and a tomato ancho mayonnaise for dipping. The coating was very peppery. A real tongue tingler.

I decided to have the jerk rub pork tenderloin served with smashed sweet potatoes, mango chutney, and grilled green beans. Al had the Mahi Mahi wood grilled with cilantro adobo and his choice of two sides. He chose sticky herb potatoes and a small garden salad which had a lemon pepper vinaigrette dressing.

The food was outstanding. Everything about it was wonderful. I have not one thing I would do different. It was just delicious.

We decided to split a dessert and we chose a new one on the menu, the El Diablo. It is chocolate ice-cream with spice in it, topped with walnuts and white and dark chocolate fudge. It was huge I don’t recommend that you eat this alone, you will explode. It was just about too much for the two of us to manage. A very unusual sensation, every so often a blast of heat would hit your mouth right in the middle of decedent chocolate.

Service was exceptional and I would certainly love to try out some of their other dishes. Check out their website at menu to get an idea of all the other fabulous meal choices that are available or catch Rachael Ray in August when her Portsmouth Show should air..

From journal Romance on the E-Coast

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