Relish

Love this restaurant! Our waitress was great! Great food! We will be back. We tried to come tonight. I wish that we had. You were on vacation next time!

I am no longer a Relish virgin. :) We had a great evening, the service, food and atmosphere were all a 5 star. The food was flavorful, presentation flawless and what a quality product.
Don’t make the same mistake I made… I never visited this restaurant in the past !
Bravo

Dear Relish,
Around 6:30 last night, my party of four was walking around South Berwick, spending some time as we awaited our table at the new Thistle Pig. I suggested we walk to Relish, since I’ve never walked by on a night it’s been open. All four of us had been interested in dining there someday. We’re all fairly new residents of South Berwick. Instead of simply staring at it from the sidewalk, we decided to walk up and check out the menu, and poke our heads inside.
Having just barely settled on the doorstep, and beginning to open the door, an aproned woman popped out at us and said «we’re all full tonight.» «We’re just looking,» we said. «We’re really busy,» she replied, as she closed the door in our stunned faces.
Why? Relish. Why so rude?
To reiterate, we are new residents in town, frequent diners, and very appreciative of small, local businesses. But the next time we drop $ 200 for dinner, it will be anywhere but at Relish.

Relish is still listed as French on Unilocal,but that’s no longer accurate. The more you know!
I found Relish entirely randomly when searching for a good place to eat a late dinner between Dover (where I live), and N. Berwick (where my parents were staying). I’m thrilled that I did. Relish is a tiny, homey restaurant, and it feels a little off the beaten path even though it’s very close to the center of S. Berwick. I’d call ahead if you have a large group or special dietary restrictions, because I can imagine that might take some shuffling. I called to make sure that the kitchen would be open to a last-​minute and late reservation, and while I found that they were out of the beef-​based menu items, it sounded like there were plenty of good choices. Glad that we went for it! The menu apparently changes often, and you can find updates on their facebook page.
The cheese plate that we shared as an appetizer was substantial, and each of the cheeses paired nicely with pear and fruit compote. The entrees, though, were the standouts. We each ordered something very different — sausage, mussels and chorizo, duck, and trout tacos — and everything was delicious. The trout that I got was particularly fun since it was perfectly flaky, paired with a nice light slaw and a spicy mayonnaise (similar to what you might get with sushi, actually), and presented in a to-​go box. Loved it.
Linda checked in on us frequently, taught us a bit about the Berwicks, and even recommended a church to my parents (who were searching for a nearby Mass). She helped us find a lighter red wine that paired reasonably with all of the dishes, too.
Relish is not an inexpensive place, so I’ll probably save it for special occasions, but yup, I’ll be going back.

Relish is a gem! Tiny French Bistro style place with great fusion American/​French dishes. A great place to eat at the bar, meet friends or host a small event. (Reservations of 6 need notice of a couple days). Took my friends for dinner for my birthday and had a delightful piece of salmon topped with pesto on polenta with a CURRY! red sauce. Amazing! I was a food critic in my other life– so believe me and try it out, you’ll keep coming back. Tell the girls Jody sent you, but don’t tell EVERYONE you know, just the real FOODIES!!!

After reading all of the other reviews here on Unilocal,we were expecting a truly amazing dining experience. The décor was colorful, but eclectic to the point of being weird. My date remarked that she felt like she was in a Target commercial, and she was spot-​on. The server was friendly enough, but also a bit aloof. When she did wander by our table, I found her tone to be condescending.
We split the poached pear and bleu cheese appetizer. It was served as a whole pear, block of cheese, and a pile of crostini. I have had a poached pear with bleu cheese over a salad before, but never this presentation. Having to slice our own pear, our own cheese, and being left to assemble it on our own really detracted from the meal. It would have been nice if it were served to us in the intended proportions, rather than being left to choose our own adventure in balancing flavors.
Everything on the menu read so wonderfully that we had difficulty picking out the 2 entrees which we wanted to try the most. My date chose the braised lamb and gnocchi, while I went with the cioppino. I sampled the lamb and it tasted just fine. The gnocchi were a bit on the slimy side and we both wondered whether they were homemade or frozen. The dish wasn’t bad, but it was hardly better than average. My cioppino was served in an excellent broth, in fact, probably one of the better ones that I have tasted. Unfortunately, all 4 of the shrimp in the dish and 3 of the 4 scallops were overcooked. The mussels were more abundant (maybe 10 in the dish), and they were cooked to perfection. When I see cioppino on a menu, I always order it as my benchmark. This one tasted good, but the execution was lacking a little.
After finishing our meal, the server was slightly pushy with the dessert menu. Both of us still had room, but neither had been impressed enough by our entrees to order anything else. I can’t say that anything was bad but, again, nothing stood out as being any better than average. Our tab, for 1 appetizer, 2 entrees, and 2 drinks stood a healthy $ 85.00 + tip. Had we been impressed by the meal, I wouldn’t have given it a second thought. Given our overall experience, it felt difficult to part with $ 100… certainly not the feeling of satisfaction that we had been looking for.
I generally reserve my reviews until I have had a chance to visit a restaurant twice. In this case, there won’t be a second chance. After visiting Relish, I can surmise that the host and chef are a couple. While I applaud alternative lifestyles (seriously, I want you to be as out, loud, and proud as you want to be), I have to wonder how many of the other reviews were strictly about the food. This place appears to be the local lesbian refuge, and I wouldn’t be a bit surprised to find that some of the reviews are a bit biased because of it.
All in all, the ambiance is strange, the menu is pretentious, and the value for my dollar was difficult to find. Not being a member of the LGBT community, I was only there for the food. If you’re in the mood for $ 25-​$ 30 entrees, you would probably be better served in Portsmouth.

They are listed here as French. Last nite was our first (of many hopefully). The owners Linda & Chris said they used to be French, but then closed for a week, power-​decorated and re-​opened as New American Cuisine. So they are not a French restaurant.
Now the review… FANTABULOUS!
No more than 21 patrons at a time, a cozy little bar and a menu that changes every week based on what’s fresh, seasonal etc. I had lamb ragu with gnocchi and it was divine. My wife had salmon aupoive with black bean succotash. We did not sample the apps because we saw the generous portions at the table next door. The menu is creative and I wanted to try it all. They update the menu on their FB page each Wed. The chef and host are two of the most regular «Joe (sies) you’d ever want to meet and that is a nice treat. Make res. on weekends. We’ll b back often.

Given the location, this french fusion restaurant is a definite must-​try. Situated in the middle of nowhere this cute little restaurant-​in-​a-​house serves non-​traditional French cuisine. The servings are large for a French restaurant but normal when compared with diners or other bistro.
I ordered the mac-​and-​cheese. It was delicious. Instead of elbows, gemelis were used and the pasta was topped with crunchy goat cheese. I can never have enough of it.
My fiancée ordered the salmon. It was exquisitely prepared. The salmon was smooth while the exterior was crispy. It was served with a curry tomato sauce with onion and the salmon was topped with a thick pesto paste. The combination together was out of this world.
We also had the escargot but was disappointed. It was very buttery but lack in any other flavor.

Another celebration event, another dinner at Relish. SB and I are moving to Nashua soon, and we’ve decided that we’re still celebrating special events here, because the food is worth the drive.
I’m serious, I’ll drive an hour plus to eat Chris’ food.
We had gazpacho, which I compared to the same dish that I had at the Kitchen in Portsmouth, and I felt Relish’s was better… more balanced, not as spicy. Don’t get me wrong, I liked it a lot at the Kitchen, which is a great place, but I loved it at Relish.
We split some wild mushroom rigatoni. Creamy, earthy, comforting, top to bottom delicious.
We also split some curried shrimp with bacon polenta. I’m still not over how damned good that dish was. I eat curry a lot, from a lot of different restaurants, and this was hands down the best I’d ever had. The chef typically cooks French country-​style cuisine, so this seemed like a departure from the norm, and it was amazing. The whole combination just completely worked, from the spice and heat in the tomato-​based curry, to the flesh of the shrimp, to the caramelization and smokiness of the polenta, it was absolutely ridiculous.
For desert (we packed up some of the entrees), we had a strawberry-​rhubarb shortcake, which was great, but so overshadowed by the curry. I’d definitely get the desert again, but the entrees were the stars of the night for certain.

Great food, great service and a wonderful setting

We spent a weekend in S. Berwick and were delighted to be able to eat at this tiny restaurant. Excellent start with Baccala — we were informed that apps were large so we only ordered one. My main course, trout, was perfectly cooked and served with delicious potatoes and veg.
It was a shame that for a Friday night there were only three tables enjoying the excellent food. Of course, the proprietors had never heard of Unilocal and said that since they only have dial up they didn’t bother with internet marketing. How sad. Hope they can stay in business!