Our Gourmet: Keeping up with the Joneses at Rye's SouthPort
Jul. 30—OUR GOURMET
Keeping up with the Joneses at Rye's new SouthPort
WASHINGTON — Responding to questions from U.S. Sen. Maggie Hassan, D-N.H., U.S. Secret Service Acting Director Ronald L. Rowe Jr. admitted the agency's technology failed to thwart a drone that shooter Thomas Matthew Crooks flew over a Butler, Pennsylvania, rally before he shot former President Donald Trump and killed another man on July 13.
Rowe and Deputy FBI Director Paul Abbate faced three hours of sometimes-heated questioning from the Senate Judiciary and Homeland Security Committees in the fourth hearing held on Capitol Hill since the assassination attempt.
A rally attendee was killed and two others were critically injured after they were struck by bullets from the AR-15-style rifle that Crooks fired at Trump.
Abbate confirmed Trump was stuck in the right ear by a bullet, correcting the speculation of FBI Director Christopher Wray, who late last week said Trump could have been struck by shrapnel.
"On July 13, major failures nearly led to the assassination of a presidential candidate who is also a former president of the United States," Hassan said at the hearing.
"The Secret Service has to be fully transparent about how this happened and how it's going to change moving forward."
FBI officials said Crooks flew a drone over the property for about 11 minutes from 3:50 p.m. to around 4 p.m. that afternoon.
Rowe said the Secret Service's counter-drone system had "technical difficulties" and didn't work that day until after 5 p.m. At 6:11 p.m., Crooks began shooting.
Hassan asked if there was backup anti-drone technology that could have been deployed.
"We are working to determine that right now, getting the redundancies in place," Rowe responded. He told the senators the Secret Service has the technology to take down another drone.
Republican members on the committee urged Rowe to complete the agency's internal probe and hold those responsible accountable for the failures.
"Sir, this could have been our Texas School Book Depository," Rowe responded, referring to the 1963 assassination of then-President John F. Kennedy in Dallas, Texas.
"I have lost sleep over that for the last 17 days, just like you have."
"Then fire somebody," responded Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Missouri.
Last week, Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle resigned after coming under bipartisan criticism for testimony she had given a day earlier.
Seacoast power couple Aaron and Carrie Jones have returned to the restaurant scene, this time with the opening of SouthPort Kitchen and Bar in Rye.
Scores for SouthPort
Atmosphere: 19/20
Menu: 17/20
Food: 18/20
Service: 18/20
Value: 17/20
Total: 89/100
The pair has been in the business for years, most recently as the owners of Mojo's BBQ Grill and Tavern in Portsmouth's West End. They also ran The Exchange, a tapas bar next door to Mojo's in the former Frank Jones Brewery complex.
Their restaurant ownership lineage is also Italian — ranging from the Bread Box (known for its pizza) in Portsmouth to the former NoLita in York, Maine.
All of that is present in their newly renovated space on Route 1 in Rye. Its decor definitely has an Italian energy — lots of quilted leather (including the comfy bar seats) and a vibe that's right out of the 1960 version of "Ocean's Eleven."
On a recent sizzling summer afternoon, my dining pal and I settled in at the bar, which was hopping. We asked for Manhattans and big glasses of cold water.
Our server mixed the Manhattans with a flourish and soon we were sipping and surveying the crowd as we viewed the menu. The restaurant website describes its offerings as "elevated, creative comfort foods."
We started with the Meatball Toast appetizer, which was more than enough for two. The dish has an architectural quality — the foundation is a substantial piece of herb focaccia and the giant meatball is ensconced in delightfully fresh (summer tomatoes!) red sauce, basil and ricotta. It was decorated with hefty shavings of Romano.
It was what the Italians would call "rustica," which is country cooking, though it had a gourmet flair. We scraped the plate clean.
The pizza menu got my attention. It was labeled "Forno Bravo Pizza," apparently for the commercial oven by that name that can maintain the 800- to 900-degree temperatures required to create "pizza Napoletana."
The 11 featured pizzas were all tantalizing (and you can build your own). We nearly went with the Proscuitto DiParma but chose the Cole Oskar.
It arrived quickly and was smoking hot, its savory crust covered with fresh Mozzarella as well as ricotta and Romano. A sea of caramelized onions was dotted with islands of spinach; the pizza glimmered with truffle oil and garlic oil.
The truffle oil gave the pie a silken, almost buttery aspect — and went quite nicely with our Manhattans.
A woman at the bar next to me had ordered the Baja shrimp tacos, but exclaimed when she saw the pizza delivered. I offered her a slice, but she was too polite to accept.
I asked her about the tacos. She described the marinated shrimp as perfectly grilled, complemented by cabbage, salsa fresca, cotija cheese and dill crema.
"I normally just eat the filling, but the crunchy taco shells were so tasty, I ate them too," she said.
My dining partner decided to finish the meal with a glass of prosecco while I watched a succession of entrees streaming by; our bar seats were near the metal-studded kitchen door.
A number of smash burgers sailed past, as did a beet salad, salmon, haddock, hanger steak and frites, chicken parm and barbecue ribs.
The sight of the ribs inspired me to return a day later for a takeout order — the Korean sticky ribs appetizer. Slow-cooked, the pork fell off the bone, its sweet and tangy sauce complemented by toasted sesame and scallion.
It's good to have the Joneses back in the restaurant business.
SouthPort Kitchen
150 Lafayette Road, Rye, 603-964-0217, southportrye.com
Hours: Monday to Thursday, 3-9 p.m.; Friday-Saturday, 3-10 p.m.
Cuisine:Wood-fired pizza, comfort food
Pricing: Appetizers, $9-$19; entrees $15-$33; pizza $13-$19.
SouthPort Kitchen & Bar 150 Lafayette Road, Rye; 603-964-0217, southportrye.com. Hours: Monday to Thursday, 3-9 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, 3-10 p.m. Cuisine: Wood-fired pizza, comfort food. Pricing: Appetizers, $9-$19; entrees, $15-$33; pizza, $13-$19. {related_content_uuid}07fc0e9a-7b28-4aef-8fb6-5a371ea62f38{/related_content_uuid}
Scores for SouthPort Atmosphere: 19/20 Menu: 17/20 Food: 18/20 Service: 18/20 Value: 17/20 Total: 89/100 {related_content_uuid}c48f2de7-30bf-4d66-82df-6f3e435245cd{/related_content_uuid}