Dunaway Restaurant at Strawbery Banke

Dunaway Restaurant at Strawbery Banke

real estate Hours

Serving lunch from 11:30-2:00pm. Serving dinner Monday thru Thursday 5:30 -9:30, Friday and Saturday 5:00-10:00 and Sunday 5-9:00.

About The Dunaway

New to the vibrant restaurant scene in Portsmouth, NH is The Dunaway Restaurant at Strawbery Banke. Nestled by the west bank of the Piscataqua, a river integral to the maritime history of New England, The Dunaway is serving creative, rustic American cuisine in the heart of a national historic treasure. With the abundance of commercial fishing boats riding the tides, local seafood is prime here, as is excellent regionally sourced land-based fare. In the spirit of traditional cooking, the cuisine draws heavily from fresh, local produce, including historic and rare herbs, fruits and vegetables grown at Strawbery Banke''s own working kitchen gardens.

Mary Dumont, Executive Chef

Mary Dumont grew up in Hampton Falls, New Hampshire and has returned home just in time to open the Dunaway Restaurant as its Executive Chef.

Dumont''s resume is impressive, with stints first at San Francisco''s Jardiniere and then onto Campton Place. While cooking at Jardiniere she received specialized training in the maintenance and aging of specialty cheese. Dumont next went on to cook at Campton Place where she also directed its renowned cheese program, taking it to a level that resulted in significant critical acclaim. Guests at the Dunaway will be treated to luxe cheeses from around the world, one of Dumont''s guilty pleasures. Further honing her skills, Dumont moved on to Elisabeth Daniel in San Francisco, then to Blackbird in Chicago. From there she was asked by her mentor Laurent Manrique to return to San Francisco and Campton Place to be his sous chef and then onto Sonoma Saveurs which specialized in foie gras in California''s Sonoma Valley, celebrating in the glory of great food and wine. Dumont was trained with French technique but says she is "most influenced by where I''ve lived and worked, and by the local products of the region."

Her mission at the Dunaway is to "preserve the care each ingredient has been given since it was planted, harvested and distributed. I believe in the farm-to-table connection. I''m preparing our dishes with a reverence and respect that I hope will bring out the best possible flavor."

Dumont grew up in a family of restaurateurs on the coast of New Hampshire, immersed in the food and culture of New England. All but one of her five siblings is in the hospitality industry, including her brother, Daniel, who is the executive chef at Wentworth-By-The-Sea Hotel on nearby New Castle Island. "My roots are here in the Seacoast, and history is part of my life I actually grew up in a 300 year old home" Dumont says. "When I walked into the Dunaway with Jay McSharry for the first time, I felt immediately at home."

To Dumont, the authentic working kitchen gardens at Strawbery Banke are a tribute to culinary history. "Here I have access to the oldest known variety of apple grown in America, Concord grapes, four different varieties of pears, and more. Walking through the gardens each day is like walking through the centuries and the seasons. I can cull the foods that have historical relevance to modern-day cuisine. It''s both an amazing opportunity and a blessing and I''m loving every minute of it!"

Jay McSharry, Proprietor

Jay McSharry, Portsmouth''s own ''restaurant dynamo'' has just unveiled his 7th restaurant venture in the Portsmouth/Dover NH area. The Dunaway, serving rustic American contemporary cuisine with a reverence for local product, is nestled in a corner of historic Strawbery Banke in Portsmouth, NH.

The partnership of McSharry with Strawbery Banke marks the pairing of one of the country''s most historically rich urban archaelogical sites with a spirited young restaurateur carving his own distinct path in the New Hampshire restaurant community.

Born in Wilton, CT, McSharry calls Portsmouth, NH home. Working in restaurants since the age of 14, he first bused tables and washed dishes to earn extra cash. As a college student at the University of New Hampshire, McSharry thought he would shake off the restaurant scene but couldn''t. Soon he was at it again, first at the Oyster River Fish Market and then as manager at Benjamin''s in Durham.

With degrees in communications and business in hand, McSharry set out to tackle new industries with positions in NYC as a production movie assistant and then in the glamorous world of advertising. But it wasn''t for him. As he recounts the story, "I recall going down the elevator with the vice president of the agency and he asked me ''So, what are you going to do?'' and I said "I''m going to open a restaurant somewhere.'' He just scoffed at me. Nobody believes you when you say something like that" McSharry says with a laugh.

The parallels between movies, advertising and the restaurant business are many, as McSharry points out. "Everything is a show, opening night is every night, there is high drama, comedy and passion for a common purpose." His own passion for fine food and outstanding service was cultivated in Boston area restaurants from Martha''s Vineyard to Newbury Street to Seattle, NYC and ultimately Portsmouth, NH.

A UNH graduate, he identified Portsmouth as a perfect opportunity for growth as a restaurant destination, choosing to open his first establishment here in 2000, Jumpin'' Jay''s Fish Caf. That was followed by Radici, an Italian bistro, in 2002 and Dos Amigos Burritos / The Red Door martini bar in 2003. McSharry then set his sights on the neighboring city of Dover, opening Little Louie''s Fish House / Dover Soul and another Dos Amigos in 2005.

Jay is a board member of Share Our Strength Seacoast, a local hunger relief organization that raises funds to fight poverty in his community and around the world. He helped spearhead the local fundraising effort for Share Our Strength in 2005, resulting in a record $68,000 raised.

"Having fond memories of New Hampshire and the people here, I felt like this was the natural choice when it came time to start my own business. I like the challenge of identifying the dining needs in an area, and appreciate the opportunity to provide more choices for the community" McSharry explains. "The opening of the Dunaway Restaurant is the icing on the cake. This property is amazing. The Strawbery Banke organization is passionate about what it brings to the community, and our chef, Mary Dumont, is in her glory surrounded by the authentic kitchen gardens and local farmers and fishermen. We really are the sum of our parts here, and it works."



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