Watershed Restaurant opens its doors in Newmarket: Here's what's on the menu

NEWMARKET — Main Street recently welcomed a new restaurant on the block, one which its owners said aims to fill a void in the downtown dining scene.

Amber and Josh Enright, owners of Roots Local Food Cafe & Catering, have taken over the first floor of the Newmarket Mills at 55 Main Street to open Watershed Restaurant. The new eatery combines clean, good food with an upscale dining experience, at an affordable price, they said.

The space formerly housed Savannah’s Kitchen and What The Pho restaurants.

Inspired by the local farms and traditional cuisines of the Seacoast, the Enrights said they have created a menu that highlights ingredients “from watershed to Watershed,” and caters to different dietary needs. Every item on the menu at Watershed Restaurant, they said, can be made gluten-free at no extra cost and they also serve a number of vegetarian offerings.

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What’s on the menu at Watershed Restaurant?

The food menu includes a Black Bean Poblano burger (avocado, lettuce, tomato, pickled onions, chipotle, brioche bun) and Grilled Coffee Hangar Steak (roasted potatoes, charred leeks, local roasted carrots and chimichurri). Even the Fried Fish and Chips (haddock or cod, crispy fries, cabbage slaw, lemon caper aioli) are gluten-free, which is made possible by using rice flour and cornmeal instead of wheat flour, according to Amber.

When it comes to drinks, Amber suggests the Damselfly (elderflower liqueur, prosecco, hibiscus, blueberries, splash of soda) or the Lily Pad mocktail (butterfly pea powder, lime juice, mint, homemade simple syrup, splash of soda).

The restaurant also offers different types of wines and beers on draft.

The Enrights said their idea of opening Watershed Restaurant came from their own struggle to find an eatery downtown that caters to different dietary needs – with Amber being dairy-free and Josh gluten-free. The couple also doesn’t believe in charging extra for food ingredient substitutes.

“We didn’t go out to eat, because things that are offered, we cannot eat,” said Amber.

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Watershed Restaurant off to a good start

Amber and Josh said they didn’t make an official announcement when they opened for the first time on Tuesday.  However, they recalled that “it was super busy” and has been every day since. They joked that word-of-mouth and postings on Facebook travel fast in a small town like Newmarket.

“People have been looking at this empty space for so long,” she added.

The Enrights took over the space in February and went through a major overhaul to turn the 55-seat restaurant into what it is today – polished wooden countertops, raised seating by the window, and exposed light fixtures for a rustic touch.

With the opening of Watershed Restaurant, the Enrights are no longer operating the Roots Cafe on the bottom floor of the Newmarket Mills.

Amber described the move from the bottom floor to the main floor as “a breath of fresh air.”

“First of all, we can see the sunlight,” she joked. "This is exciting for us because people didn’t know we could cook, and we’re pretty good at it.”

Whether you’re going on a date night, a casual weeknight dinner with friends or even taking your family out, Amber said Watershed Restaurant is a space for everybody in the community.

With this new venture, both Amber and Josh said that they’re hoping the restaurant will remain busy, stating that one of their goals is to be able to run a business that helps them to “consistently” give back to the community in one way or another.

The Watershed Restaurant is open six days a week from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Tuesdays to Fridays and 4 to 9 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays. The restaurant is closed on Mondays.

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This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: Watershed Restaurant opens its doors in Newmarket