Saunders at Rye Harbor, Rye, New Hampshire

SAUNDERS at Rye Harbor, New Hampshire
October 22, 2007

Cynthia and I decided to take a little jaunt to the beach for a much needed break from work. Yes, that’s the beach, New Hampshire, and October all in the same sentence. This must be a first for me!

When Cynthia came to pick me up, we gabbed and gabbed and had so much to catch up on, we didn’t even get in the car until 11:00 AM. Unfortunately, we really don’t get to see each other all that often (we only live about 10 minutes from each other - go figure).

It had to be one of the most beautiful October days in New Hampshire that either of us recall. The beach chairs, towels and sunglasses were packed. The sun was shining and we were headed to the beach! The glow of the autumn leaves was such a happy sight, it seemed to shorten the drive. Columbus Day had come and gone, it was a school day and we expected Hampton Beach to be boarded up and deserted. Our Monday morning arrival surprised us with many cars lined up and people already there enjoying the sun and beach.

When we arrived at the beach, I was starving! Usually Cynthia is the hungry one. We decided to go to Saunders at Rye Harbor.

When we arrived, we were greeted by a very pleasant young man who informed us that the outdoor seating had already been taken. He told us we could take a seat right outside the bar, order anything we wanted from the bartender, but we would have to wait on ourselves. Since we are the do-it-yourself types, we didn’t have any problem with that. We perused the small luncheon menu and decided we liked the idea of the brushetta and lobster roll, although neither of us wanted to overdue the wheat intake today.

We asked the bartender if we could have the lobster salad on lettuce rather than a roll. She gave us a most amiable reply that yes, we could. Much to our pleasant surprise, the host brought us our dishes and flatware for our appetizer, and our bartender delivered our meals. A glass of Francis Coppola Chardonnay went quite well….wait a minute….a bottle would go even better, wouldn’t it? We asked out friendly bartender if our “glasses” could be changed into a “bottle”. Again there was no problem with that.

Both the lobster salad and bruschetta were fabulous! The only complaint we had for the entire visit, was that the quantity could have been a little larger. We wondered how many meals we would have had to order, if our husbands had been with us. The prices were reasonable and the accommodating staff really helped make our lunch a very pleasant one.

Saunders receives an "A+" even though the quantity was a little small. Visit their website at Saunders at Rye Harbor