Phantom Gourmet: Cure Restaurant In Portsmouth, N.H.
PORTSMOUTH (CBS) -- Chef Julie Cutting has a passion for serving soul satisfying comfort food, and at Cure Restaurant in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, you can taste it in every plate.
"I want to infuse as much flavor as I can into every single component on every dish," said Cutting.
When she opened Cure a couple years ago, Julie set out to create a comfortable neighborhood spot where the food and mood just made you feel good.
"When you walk in, you're first greeted with a cozy feeling, the atmosphere is warm, you always have a friendly smile," said Cutting. "The brick-lined walls makes it feel very romantic. You almost feel at home."
Of course Julie feels most at home back in the restaurant's open kitchen, where she's seasoning, saucing, torching and tasting a mouthwatering line up of dishes based on hearty homestyle favorites.
"This is traditional New England food," she says.
But she named the restaurant Cure for two reasons. First, because she wants it to be a warm place that cures what ails you. But also because 'curing' happens to be a cooking method the kitchen relies on heavily.
"It's the brining, it's the smoking, the marinating, the slow-roasting that we do with all our proteins and all of our fish."
And for a chef who's long dreamed of owning her own restaurant, Cure is everything Julie is looking for.
"I'd have to say my favorite thing about Cure Restaurant is being able to, on a daily basis, show the public what is really in my heart and what I am capable of producing for them," she says.