360 Street

I'm not here to tell you what the 'best kept secret of Portsmouth' is or where to find the 'top five restaurants on the Seacoast' are. There are so many of restaurant guides for the Seacoast that I would sound a bit like a broken record. So instead, I'm going to tell you about the places I love to go to in good ol' New Hampshire and Maine.

I love food– I love everything from reading about it to cooking and smelling it...and definitely eating it. Going to restaurants and getting ideas on how to change and evolve my own cooking as well as savor fabulous meals is wonderful. So as my first post on The Purple Seagull Review, I'm going to mention one of my new favorite restaurants, 360 Street.

I love international food. There's something so amazingly exciting about the different flavors used that just seem to pop in your mouth. If you give me an avocado or curry, I am one happy girl. So it comes to no surprise that I fell in love with 360 Street, who has a great assortment of different international style foods and a great atmosphere. My favorite, the item that keeps me up at night with my mouth watering from the pure and fantastical goodness that just seems to seep out, is their empanadas. My stomach is growling just thinking about them. The empanadas are filled with wonderful spiced beef stuffed inside crispy golden brown pastry shells and come along with this amazing lime dipping sauce. When I'm done with the empanadas, I always save the sauce for other dishes because it is just that wonderful.

The other amazing dish is their Cemita sandwich. It's a sesame bun, filled with creamy avocado slices, crispy fried chicken (veggie burger substitute optional), tangy fried mexican cheese, cilantro, sour pickled onions, and chipotle mayo. One bite, and all the flavors layer and meld together to make a great meal. Oh, there is nothing better than this sandwich from heaven- I can hear the angels singing in joy. It's delicious, mouthwatering, and worth a trip to 360 Street to get it.

The rest of their menu is full of goodies that will leave your tastebuds, stomach, and wallet happy. They have a good drink list and local brand sodas and coffee. They also have a delicious sounding brunch menu (which I have sadly not tried yet, I'm sure it's great though) such as their Sweet Home Alabruncha (pulled pork, poached eggs, and hollandaise) and their Spaniard Skillet (eggs, orated red peppers, potato, goat cheese and spinach). There are a lot of veggie options at 360 Street, making it a perfect place to go with friends and hang out in the vibrantly colored restaurant. All in all, 360 Street is a great place to spice up your pallet. Give it a try and I'm sure you'll enjoy a delicious meal.

Price: Good price for everyone: small plates (like the empanadas) and sandwiches are about $ 7-9, and larger items are about $11-16.

Atmosphere: Great and interesting. There is a really interesting chandelier made from bike tires that hangs up near the bar. The colors are vibrant making it a perfect stop from bleak grey winter New Hampshire provides us. The restaurant is also very clean.

Staff: Polite and very nice. All the times I've been there they've always had a big smile on their faces.