Pimentos Restaurant Review
Tucked away on the corner of Water Street and String Bridge in downtown Exeter, you’ll find Pimentos, a small, dimly-lit restaurant and bar. Exeter students may see the restaurant as a more formal, expensive place, making it less popular among Exonians who prefer casual restaurants such as Green Bean and Las Olas. However, Pimentos offers a quality sit-down meal that can be harder to find in a small town like Exeter. Students may find that Pimentos is a more appropriate place to take parents when they are in town, or even a date when Green Bean or Las Olas becomes too crowded or casual. The upstairs restaurant is quiet and fairly vacant, while the dim, low ceilinged downstairs bar offers a more casual dining area with tables that have a beautiful view of the river. Both areas of the restaurant are perfect places for a lovely Friday or weekend dinner.
Doors open at 4:30 p.m., exclusively offering dinner. Stepping into the restaurant, you feel almost larger than the room itself. The space contains only eight tables which can seat from 2 to 10 guests and all the furniture is made of a dark wood or black cushion. Light green potted plants hang from the ceiling by the windows. The tables are set nicely with delicately rolled napkins and candles on tables; the atmosphere is certainly intended to be formal. Service came right away to fill water glasses and take orders.
The menu is impressive to say the least, offering everything from smaller and less expensive one-course meals to a variety of salads to more expensive fancy seafood entrees. Although not in the restaurant’s description or impression, there is certainly an underlying seafood theme. Pimentos offers appetizers such as oysters on the half shell, tuna sashimi, crab cakes and a few selections of vegetarian dishes. Salad options fill a whole page, offering classics like a garden caesar or cobb salad, as well as more adventurous options such as a veal or tuna salad. There are also an array of smaller dishes that are usually less expensive than the baroque entrees. These “medium” dishes include a burger (salmon or beef), three kinds of flatbreads, a chicken sandwich, wings and fish tacos. All of these dishes lie within the $10-15 range. In contrast, entrees range from $20-27 and include fancier options like yellowfin tuna, tandori salmon, baked cod casserole, steak tips, chicken dijon and a half or full rack of baby back ribs. Pimentos also offers many options if you have dietary restrictions.
We ordered the fish tacos for $12 and the ahi tuna salad for $14. The tacos were presented nicely, a vibrant dish garnished with corn, red peppers, red cabbage and cilantro. The fish was a blackened cod, which was slightly dry, but still flavorful. The rest of the taco was satisfying, but I thought it lacked an aioli to bind its contents together. On top of the tacos were raw chopped vegetables and a dollop of mango salsa, which was not a very prominent flavor. Overall, the quality matched the price, and I was impressed.
The ahi tuna salad dish came as bed of fresh, green lettuce, topped with wasabi sauce and raw, seasoned tuna. Thick tortilla chips came as a side dish. The whole meal was incredibly fresh; the wasabi added flavor to the salad without being overly spicy. The tuna went well with everything, adding a meatier substance to an otherwise light dish. The chips were crispy and provided a milder flavor to counter the wasabi. While this meal may not be for the picky eater, it is a departure from the simpler food we get in the dining hall, and is perfectly suited for a fun dinner in town.
The waitress was pleasant and friendly and our food was delivered promptly. We talked for a few minutes with the former manager of the restaurant who said she had been there for seven years, since the restaurant was first opened. She said that Pimentos has a “Cheer’s” vibe, as many locals take time to eat there regularly and get to know the employees.
The bar/lounge area overlooks the Exeter river and is provides a comfy, relaxed place; this dining area would be more suited for Exonians looking for a night out with friends. The more formal area upstairs may not be the perfect place to dine with friends for a quick, cheap bite to eat, but would it certainly impress family or a date. The restaurant as a whole is a lovely, quaint little place, which perfectly matches the beautiful peacefulness of downtown Exeter.