This was our second visit to Surf. The first visit there (maybe back in October, 2010?) was just as fabulous. You know it's a good seafood restaurant when someone who doesn't really like fish (ra) can eat there and wonder why they didn't really like fish in the first place.
We arrived at the restaurant around 6 pm, and the entire restaurant was packed. This normally deters us, especially when we're told that there would be an hour and a half wait, but believe us - the wait is well worth it. We ended up only waiting for an hour anyway.
One of the great things about Surf is the arrangement of tables in the restaurant. Too many restaurants try to maximize their profits by squeezing in as many tables and chairs as fire code will allow. However, this makes for a very uncomfortable meal - everyone is breathing on your food and listening to your conversations. The tables at Surf are separated by enough distance for the average-sized person to walk normally between tables in order to sit down. There's no shimmying side-saddle, rubbing your behind on the next table over, in order to sit. There's even enough room for you to remove your jacket while standing next to your chair.
The menu at Surf is essentially all seafood. There are a couple of dishes that are not (salads, a chicken dish), but if you go there, make sure you're in the mood for fish. One of the "hidden jewels" of this restaurant are the crab cakes. If you go to Surf - order something that has the crab cake - either an appetizer, a salad, or as part of the main meal. You will not find a better crab cake on the East Coast (sorry folks, not even in Maryland). We don't know what they put into it, but it is amazing. If you go to Surf as a couple, we would recommend splitting their salad with crab cakes as an appetizer - the salad comes with three crab cakes on top, which is quite a lot for one person to eat on their own - it is very easily split.
On this trip, for the appetizer, bo ordered a variety of raw oysters, and ra ordered the soup special (lobster bisque). Like any good seafood restaurant, when the oysters were presented, the server told us which ones came from where, although it really didn't matter because they all tasted great. The lobster bisque was phenomenal - perfectly creamy, and with large enough lobster pieces for you to see on your soup spoon.
For the main meal, bo ordered the swordfish special, and ra ordered a half portion of the surf and turf (filet mignon and crab cake). The swordfish dish came with a creamy risotto and mushrooms and was phenomenal. The surf and turf comes with mashed potatoes and asparagus (although ra switched out the asparagus for green beans). Everything was cooked and seasoned perfectly.
However, the most memorable part of the evening came right after dinner, when A proclaimed their love for B, and got down on one knee and asked B to marry him. What A did not realize was that the entire restaurant stopped whatever they were doing and put their eyes on the table, making it extraordinarily difficult for B to say anything. So, B started to cry, and then she said yes. A put the ring on her finger, and everyone in the restaurant clapped.
And that is the story of how rabo got engaged.
After the excitement died down, we ordered two glasses of champagne (which later, to our surprise were paid for by the table next-door) and a "butterscotch creme brulee" dessert. When you think "butterscotch creme brulee" - do you think of normal creme brulee? We didn't either, but that is what it was, and it also was quite phenomenal.
If we had to describe Surf with one word, it would be: perfect. No matter what we order, it is always amazing. The restaurant is very well layed-out, and the service is attentive, but not pushy. It is the perfect place for a special occasion (like what occurred there on this visit).
There are only a couple of negative things we can say about Surf:
- It is located in downtown Nashua, and only open from 4-10 pm Tuesdays-Saturdays. During the summer, this is not much of an issue, but in the winter it poses a problem. Most businesses in downtown Nashua close around 5 pm, so if the wait at Surf is long, what do you do? In the summer, at least you can walk around downtown Nashua a little bit. However, in the blistering cold winter, the only place to go is to the CVS down the street - and how long can you spend in a CVS?
- Surf does not take reservations for parties less than 7 people. So, expect to wait.
- The prices (~$30 for entree only) prevent us from going there more often.
Positive: Perfect food, perfect atmosphere, perfect service
Negative: They don't take reservations for small parties, so there's always a wait, which can be difficult in the winter. Prices are high, so we can't go back there often.
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